Braden Montgomery tops White Sox re-ranked Top 30 list

CHICAGO -- From 2022-24, the player featured atop MLB Pipeline's White Sox preseason Top 30 had the last name of Montgomery.

That three-year-run belonged to Colson Montgomery, who is launching 452-foot home runs at Rate Field for the big league team. The new Montgomery at No. 1 for the White Sox via the in-season prospects re-rank, announced Monday, is outfielder Braden Montgomery.

In his first Minor League season, after coming from Boston as part of the Garrett Crochet trade return at the 2024 Winter Meetings, Montgomery has jumped from Single-A Kannapolis to High-A Winston-Salem to Double-A Birmingham. He is ranked No. 33 in the overall Top 100, one of six players represented for the White Sox.

“Braden has had a solid first season,” said general manager Chris Getz. “I know he was itching to get to Double-A. We were finally able to get him there. He’s continuing to be productive. You look at his left-handed swing and right-handed swing, they both can be impactful. What a weapon to have a switch-hitter.

“Defensively, he’s playing all three spots. He has graded out really well in the wings. He’s done a solid job in center field. We feel really good about where Braden is and where it’s going to go.”

Through these three 2025 stops, Braden Montgomery is slashing .266/.350/.439 with 12 home runs, 22 doubles, 58 RBIs, 54 runs scored and 13 stolen bases. He was part of big league Spring Training and during his early dominance with Kannapolis, Montgomery described his game to me as “electric” when clicking on all cylinders, adding his game was close to where he envisioned it during that April interview.

Here’s a look at the White Sox top prospects:

1. Braden Montgomery, OF (No. 33)
2. Noah Schultz, LHP (No. 38)
3. Colson Montgomery, 3B/SS (No. 71)
4. Billy Carlson, SS (No. 79)
5. Caleb Bonemer, SS/3B (No. 88)
6. Hagen Smith, LHP (No. 93)

Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:

Jump: Tanner McDougal, RHP (Preseason: NR | Midseason: No. 8)

The fifth-round selection in the 2021 Draft was in the White Sox Top 20 preseason for 2022, '23 and '24, topping out last year at No. 19. But after a rough ’24 campaign, featuring an 0-11 record and a 6.04 ERA between stops with Kannapolis and Winston-Salem, McDougal dropped out of this season’s Top 30. The Las Vegas native is back and back with an impact, jumping into the Top 10 with a 2.62 ERA overall through 22 starts. McDougal has been extremely impressive since a promotion to Birmingham, with a 1.63 ERA in nine starts and 47 strikeouts against 11 walks in 38 2/3 innings. He's been impressive enough that he could get a big league look before the end of this season, even with an innings watch in place.

Fall: Jairo Iriarte, RHP (Preseason: No. 9 | Midseason: No. 19)

Drew Thorpe was the centerpiece of the Dylan Cease trade from Spring Training 2024 within the return from San Diego, but Iriarte also was thought of as a possible impact pitcher. The right-hander debuted with the White Sox in ’24, with a 1.50 ERA covering six games and six innings, but control has been an issue in ’25 for Iriarte, who took an in-season break from Triple-A Charlotte to reset in Arizona. He has walked 25 against 38 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings, with the bullpen looking to be the future for the 23-year-old.

New to the list

Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:

4. Billy Carlson, SS (Pick No. 10 in 2025 Draft)
7. Jaden Fauske, OF (Pick No. 44 in 2025 Draft)
10. Kyle Lodise, SS (Pick No. 76 in 2025 Draft)
16. Gage Ziehl, RHP (From Yankees in Austin Slater trade)
23. Landon Hodge, C (Pick No. 106 in 2025 Draft)

Best tools

Hit: 60 -- William Bergolla
Power: 60 -- Braden Montgomery (George Wolkow)
Run: 60 -- William Bergolla (Javier Mogollon)
Arm: 70 -- Billy Carlson (Braden Montgomery)
Defense: 70 -- Billy Carlson
Fastball: 65 -- Tanner McDougal
Curveball: 60 -- Mason Adams
Slider: 65 -- Noah Schultz
Changeup: 55 -- Christian Oppor (Aldrin Batista, Jairo Iriarte)
Control: 60 -- Gage Ziehl (Mason Adams)