LOS ANGELES -- The word future gets used quite liberally in relation to the White Sox and their latest rebuild incarnation.
But for Minor League director Paul Janish to provide full perspective on switch-hitting outfielder Braden Montgomery, the No. 4 White Sox prospect and No. 32 overall, per MLB Pipeline, who is joining left-hander Noah Schultz as White Sox representatives on the American League All-Star Futures Game roster, he had to draw from both of their baseball pasts.
“I’ve got a little bit of a goofy answer because the first time I ever saw Braden on the field was his freshman year at Stanford, and I was coaching at Rice,” said Janish during a Monday afternoon Zoom following the official Futures Game announcement. “It was one of those, ‘Holy crap, this guy is different’ kind of thing. He’s going to play on TV one day.
“Tracking that all the way back to seeing him now, watching him come to Major League Spring Training and for lack of a better way to say it, he just fit in. That’s what I would point to. That’s what it looks like. That’s what the guys that play for a long time and have successful Major League careers, that’s what they look like.”
Montgomery, 22, features a .274/.352/.468 slash line between stops with High A Winston-Salem and Single-A Kannapolis, to go with 10 home runs, 17 doubles, two triples, 49 RBIs, 36 runs scored and nine stolen bases. It’s his first Minor League season after the Red Sox selected him with the 12th pick overall in the 2024 Draft as he recovered from a fractured right ankle suffered while playing for Texas A&M last season.
Schultz, 21, is a return Futures Game participant and is the top left-handed pitching prospect. He allowed three runs in one-third of an inning with a strikeout and a walk last year at Globe Life Field. While currently pitching for Triple-A Charlotte at their Truist Field home, Schultz will practice his craft at Truist Park in Atlanta during All-Star festivities.
“I wouldn’t say I was the happiest with my outing, but I know the experience as a whole, it was an experience I definitely won’t forget,” said Schultz of the Futures Game during Monday’s Zoom. “My family got to go out and they were telling me how awesome everything was. I’m really excited for this year, too.”
“It’s super exciting,” Montgomery said. “I love being around baseball, and the more talent I can be around, the better I feel it makes me. So, I’m excited to meet those guys and to see what they are like, see what kind of process they go through.”
This season represents Montgomery’s first with the White Sox, coming over from Boston with catcher Kyle Teel, infielder Chase Meidroth and right-handed reliever Wikelman Gonzalez in the Winter Meetings trade for Cy Young candidate Garrett Crochet. Teel, Meidroth and Gonzalez already have contributed at the Major League level in 2025, but Montgomery might have the biggest upside of the quartet.
When talking to MLB.com in late April, Montgomery described his game as “pretty electric” when things are completely clicking. He felt close to that level, but as for progress made following that interview, Montgomery provided an interesting reply when asked on Monday.
“Just being in my first pro season, I’m kind of taking it as a crash course, seeing how many different ways I can fail before I find the formula I want, the process I want, to get that consistent look that I eventually want to have,” Montgomery said. “Each day, I come closer in different facets.
“Some days are better than others, but it’s been good. It’s been a great year. I have great teammates, and they help me through the hard times. Baseball is a lot of failure. But it’s been good, and I’m too drawn to it to never stop getting back up after failing. So, I’m going to keep going at it.”
Schultz’s numbers haven’t been stellar over his two Charlotte starts, giving up 11 runs in 7 1/3 innings, but he feels good overall with 67 strikeouts to go with 41 walks in 64 innings, including his Double-A Birmingham stint. His Futures Game nod further feeds Schultz’s Major League hunger, possibly as soon as the ’25 campaign.
“For sure. It’s awesome to be around those guys,” Schultz said. “It’s nice to face those guys, but it’s even cooler to be with those guys in the clubhouse and talk to those guys and pick their brains because they’re extremely talented and it’s cool to see the guys I’m playing with, to learn from them. It’s a great experience.”