White Sox View Braden Montgomery As Key To Garrett Crochet Trade

With his elite bat speed and rotational athleticism, outfielder Braden Montgomery has the upside to turn the four-player trade return for Garrett Crochet into a win for the White Sox.

His ability to hit the riding fastball at the top of the zone is better than anyone Ive ever coached, Texas A&M head coach Michael Earley said.

Better than anyone Ive ever seen.

Pro scouts have varied opinions on how much Montgomerys hit tool will enable him to access his plus raw power, but Earley is one of the last people with an in-person look at the switch-hitter.

A fractured left ankle suffered in the College Station Super Regional didnt prevent Montgomery from being drafted 12th overall by the Red Sox in July, but it did prevent him from testing his swing against pro pitchers.

Montgomery has since returned to full baseball activities, and White Sox GM Chris Getz said he is expected to have a normal spring training.

Montgomery lifted 27 home runs in 61 games for the Aggies in 2024, and White Sox scouts believed he had the potential to be drafted in the first three picks prior to his injury.

He had previously served as a two-way player for Stanford in 2022 and 2023 before transferring.

Weve done a lot of work on Braden, Getz said.

Hes got history of playing all three (outfield positions).

You certainly want to see what it looks like in center field, but we also know that hes got some real offensive force in his skill set.

That fits in any of those positions.

Despite boffo power production, Montgomery ran strikeout rates at 20% or higher throughout college.

In his junior year at Texas A&M, Montgomery focused on improving his strike-zone discipline and showed boundless enthusiasm for high-speed pitch recognition training with the Aggies iPitch machine.

That was super unique, because sometimes you run into guys who they dont like to get uncomfortable, Earley said.

They like what I like to call feel-good hitting.

He likes a challenge..

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