Torpedo Bat Helps Spark Colson Montgomery's Hot Streak With Chicago White Sox

He tried it out in batting practice and liked it. So he decided to give it a shot in the game, and early returns were as good as anyone could have hoped. In the seventh inning, Montgomery connected with Bryan Baker's 96.6 mph fastball down the middle and drove it 359 feet to right field for his first career home run.

Montgomery said postgame in Tampa that he wasn't pressing to get his first home run; he just wanted to get on base and start a rally. His home run cut the deficit to 4-3, but that wound up being the final score in a loss that snapped the White Sox four-game hit streak.

And since then, Montgomery has only heated up even more. He homered in each of the next two games, as well as Monday against the Phillies. That made him the youngest White Sox player to homer four times in a six-game span since Luis Robert Jr. from Aug. 17-25, 2020.

Along with his recent power at the plate, Venable said Montgomery has looked comfortable and confident defensively and better than the White Sox anticipated at third base. He also noted Montgomery's good swing decisions, quality at-bats and ability to drive the ball to all fields.

"It’s as good a start as we could have asked for for Colson," Venable said before Tuesday's game. "Just want to continue to support him being at his best."

Montgomery's home run on Monday against the Phillies was especially notable, given that it came against Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez. The left-hander entered the game ranked sixth in MLB among qualified pitchers with a 2.40 ERA and fifth with 3.6 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs. He also hadn't allowed a home run to a left-handed hitter since Aug. 29, 2024, when Atlanta's Matt Olson hit two.

In Montgomery's first at-bat against Sanchez in the third, he took a ball above the zone and pulled a sinker foul to even the count. Sanchez's next pitch was a slider over the plate, and Montgomery –– also a lefty –– crushed it 395 feet to right field.

Montgomery explained he wanted to feel as early as he could in order to give him a better chance to react to an off-speed pitch. His foul ball also gave him some insight that he used to hit the home run.

"I kind of knew where a fastball had to start and where a slider had to start, and then he threw it right where I was looking for a slider," Mongtomery said. "I really wasn't sitting on it. 
I kind of just reacted and I was able to get a swing on it."

It was yet another good sign of Montgomery's ability early in his major league career.

"That was awesome," Venable said. "The attack plan for us with Sanchez,  just get the ball in the air. 
We had a couple guys who were able to do that, obviously a big swing by Colson. It's a tough pitcher and a nice swing by Colson. ... To foul that ball off, clear him out of there on a fastball in and then stay in there on the slider, just the result of a guy that continues to see the ball and put himself in a good position to take good swings."

Montgomery came close to another home run in his next at-bat, a 337-foot flyout to right field. That time, he knew it wasn't going to be a home run as he felt the ball hit the thinner end of the torpedo bat. He's been using the torpedo bat in every at-bat lately, and ordered more after his first home run in Tampa.

The home run against Sanchez marked another sign of progress. Montgomery hadn't been nearly as successful against lefties, though he had far fewer opportunities. He's batting .311 with a .913 OPS in 51 plate appearances against right-handed pitching, compared to a .190 batting average and a .703 OPS against lefties after Monday's home run.

Montgomery thought he hit well against left-handed pitching in the minor leagues, but said a lot of it has to do with his mentality.

"If you just say to yourself, 'Oh, it's a lefty pitcher, I'm overmatched.' I mean, you're not doing yourself any favors," Montgomery said. "So I kind of take [the approach of] if I'm facing a lefty, it's just a righty, you know?

"They've got to throw the ball over the plate, too. They're trying to get you out. So I think just having so much success in the minor leagues against lefties gave me confidence. 
And then also, that guy last night, he was a really good pitcher, too, so just being able to put a good swing on the ball feels good."

Montgomery's hot start in the majors is a great development for a rebuilding White Sox organization, which made a drastic decision with him earlier in the season. After significant struggles in Triple-A to begin the season, the team sent Montgomery to Arizona for individualized work with director of hitting Ryan Fuller.

While it may have seemed to be a step back at that point, it has helped Montgomery take a big step forward. Some top prospects crush minor league pitching but don't pan out in the majors leagues, but Montgomery has been the opposite.

Venable takes that as an example of how all players are unique.

"I think everyone’s got their own story and path. It all looks differently," Venable said. "For me, there’s real substance to what he’s doing. Having had to press pause on his season earlier and go work some things out in Arizona. Made some real change and got some positive results that we saw in Triple-A and we’ve seen been productive here as well. It’s a unique story, I guess, like everyone has. It seems to be real substance to what he’s doing."