Montgomery, Kath dazzle in ACL White Sox 5-3 win
The 2021 season has been a struggle for the ACL White Sox, who entered Saturday’s contest with an 8-18 record. The club, however, is in the process of getting a much needed boost as members of the 2021 draft class are starting to trickle onto the roster.
Two of those members headlined the draft class in Colson Montgomery and Wes Kath. The pair made their organizational debuts on Friday, with Kath picking up an RBI single and Montgomery reaching via a walk. On Saturday night, they continued to make their presence felt, helping the ACL White Sox grab a 5-3 win over the ACL Dodgers.
Colson Montgomery was the leadoff hitter and shortstop for the second time in as many games. At the plate, Montgomery showed flashes of a good approach. The ACL Dodgers weren’t filling up the strike zone against Montgomery and he didn’t try to do too much and chase balls out of the zone. He remained patient, and waited for something to hit.
He would get his chance in his second trip to the plate on Saturday. He took a fastball to center field, marking his first hit since joining the White Sox organization. The Dodgers made an aggressive throw on the play and Montgomery noticed it right away, so he took second base too.
Colson Montgomery wasn’t just a factor at the plate, however. He was impressive at shortstop on the evening as well. He showcased athleticism and a solid arm throughout the game. On a stolen base attempt, Montgomery was covering second base and the ball came in on a hop across his body. After making a pick over to his arm-side, he flicked his glove over to secure the out.
He has the potential to be a factor at the plate and in the field, especially if he can stick at shortstop. And he showed flashes of that ability on Saturday night. Montgomery’s frame was also impressive to see in person for the first time. He has height on everyone in the ACL White Sox lineup except for Benyamin Bailey. It wasn’t surprising to see why he drew Corey Seager comps in regards to their frame at this age.
Second rounder, Wes Kath, played third base and hit third for the ACL White Sox on Saturday. Kath went 2-4 with two singles and an RBI. Although he’s only played in two games as a professional, Kath is showing the ability to hit the ball hard consistently.
Kath has a really nice swing. It’s compact and his strength allows him impact the ball easily. The ball sounds different coming off his bat, which is a really encouraging trait for a player of his age to currently carry.
His approach was much different than Montgomery’s, with Kath being more aggressive. In his first two trips to the plate, Kath saw a total of two pitches.
The aggressiveness, however, could work very well in his favor. With his ability to impact the ball, he might not see a better pitch to hit than the first few.
Once teams start planning around this, he might have to make some slight adjustments. Regardless, Kath seems like someone who is ready to jump on the first hittable pitch that comes his way.
Defensively, he didn’t see a lot of action at the hot corner. He did get a chance to flash a very strong arm early on though. There was a short chopper that Kath charged on to make a play. Without needing to set his feet, he fired an accurate throw over to first to secure the out.
The ACL Dodgers pitching staff in this one was filled with flamethrowers. Their stuff didn’t seem to be overwhelming to the young White Sox prospects as both Kath and Montgomery were able to do some damage.
The ACL White Sox also got contributions from Shawn Goosenberg, who had an RBI double in the first inning and Misael Gonzalez, who smashed his fifth home run of the season to put the game out of reach in the fifth inning.
The ACL White Sox pitching staff collectively did a great job of shutting down the ACL Dodgers after they scored in the second inning. Left-hander Ronaldo Guzman got hit around a little bit, but he kept the damage minimal by striking out five over four innings.
Taylor Broadway had the most impressive appearance of the night in the seventh inning. Broadway faced the minimum, striking out two, and having just three pitches that didn’t go for strikes. This was the professional debut for the right-hander out of Ole Miss and he qualified for the win.
The ACL White Sox will be back in action on Monday, August 9 as they head to Goodyear, AZ to face the ACL Reds.
Feature Photo Credit: Sean Williams/FutureSox
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