(Colson Montgomery pictured heading into his freshman year)

 

The White Sox selected Southridge’s Colson Montgomery (2022) with the 22nd pick in the 2021 MLB Draft on Sunday. Montgomery had a storied basketball career along with his baseball exploits.

 

Montgomery was a highly-ranked baseball prospect throughout his high school career. He stopped playing travel basketball to focus on baseball, and it paid off with a commitment to Indiana University. After that, Montgomery’s MLB Draft potential rose quickly. He helped Southridge win the 3A state title this year before heading to the draft combine. On national television, Montgomery had analysts like Harold Reynolds raving about his potential.

 

The Mets expressed interest in Montgomery with the tenth pick, but he went to the White Sox at 22. It was reported for over a month that the White Sox were interested in Montgomery for its first-round selection. A couple of other prospects were mentioned for the slot, but when Montgomery was still available, the White Sox jumped at the chance to take the Indiana native.

 

Montgomery is a tall, lanky shortstop with speed on the bases and power in the box as a baseball prospect. Although he throws right-handed, Montgomery hits from the left side. All those tools have most draft analysts comparing Montgomery to Dodger shortstop Corey Seager.

 

On the basketball court, Montgomery would have been a D1 player. He nearly carried Southridge to the 2A state championship game this postseason. Although Southridge lost to Parke Heritage in the semi-state game, Montgomery scored 25 of Southridge’s 36 points. In the sectional game against Paoli, he scored all 14 of Southridge’s first-half points and 27 of its 43 for the game.

 

Despite being committed to Indiana, there is little chance that Montgomery heads to Bloomington. The 22nd pick is slotted for a three million dollar signing bonus. Each side can negotiate that number, but it usually is close to the number. That will be hard to pass.

 

Frequently, projected D1 basketball prospects are also highly sought-after football players. Gary Harris (Hamilton Southeastern), Kawann Short (East Chicago Central), Randy Gregory (Hamilton Southeastern), James Hardy (Elmhurst), and Darius Latham (North Central) come to mind. The state does not produce many baseball crossovers. The most notable ones from the past are Scott Rolen (Jasper), Kenny Lofton (East Chicago Central), and LaTroy Hawkins (Gary West Side). Montgomery hopes to have a Major League career like those players.