There was a period last summer when some evaluators thought: Colson Montgomery, No. 1 prospect in baseball.

After all, 6-foot-3 shortstops with 25+ home run potential don¡¯t come around often. The Corey Seager comps were obvious, even something Montgomery embraced.

But in his first taste of Triple-A this year, the White Sox first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft struggled. Montgomery hit just .217 in April and after starting May with a brief home run flurry, he delivered just a .606 OPS over a month-long stretch. After blowing through the lower levels of the Minors with his 60-grade power and all-around hitting profile, the former prep standout faced his first extended dose of failure at the plate.

¡°If nobody struggled, then how could you really know what you could be or what you need to improve on? I wouldn't say that I was happy I went through it, but just from a long-term career [standpoint], I was kind of happy I went through a little bit of struggle,¡± Montgomery said. ¡°I would just say the biggest thing was just my mentality at the plate, pretty much, because when you struggle a little bit, doubt starts creeping back in your mind a little bit. I wouldn't say it was anything with my swing or anything like that. It was just kind of getting back to having that killer instinct, that killer mentality that I'm the best out here.¡±

Montgomery was definitively one of the best in the desert last autumn. He homered during the Fall Stars Game, earning MVP honors. He delivered 20 hits and 20 RBIs in 20 games for Glendale, showcasing an offensive package that had many wondering whether the club¡¯s then-top prospect would make the jump straight to the big leagues after playing just 51 games at Double-A.

¡°I'll admit it -- I was thinking a lot of where I should be other than where I was,¡± Montgomery said of his early-season doldrums. ¡°I just [wasn¡¯t] in the moment of being in Charlotte and playing the best that I can. I've been very big on being where your feet are, and it just got the best of me a little bit.

¡°I learned a lot this year. And I feel like you learn a lot more when you fail and when you have to go through things like that.¡±

All told, the club¡¯s No. 3 prospect finished the season with a .214/.329/.381 slash line for Charlotte. But maybe most importantly, he played in 130 games after previously missing time in 2022 and ¡®23 due to injuries.

That Montgomery is no longer the White Sox top-ranked prospect is mainly a byproduct of the enormous gains made by left-hander Noah Schultz (MLB¡¯s No. 1 LHP prospect) during his first full season (2.24 ERA, 11.7 K/9) and the tantalizing upside of fellow southpaw Hagen Smith (MLB¡¯s No. 2 LHP prospect), the fifth overall pick in 2024 who broke the D-I single-season strikeout record this spring (17.3 K/9).

But make no mistake, Montgomery, MLB¡¯s No. 37 overall prospect, is still a future cornerstone of baseball on the South Side.

¡°I'm happy to be that guy to steer guys in the right direction. Be in kind of that leader role because that's kind of what I've been throughout my career,¡± Montgomery said. ¡°I think Chicago fans should be really excited for what comes next. I know right now it's a little rough and a little tough. But I think our future is really bright with some of the prospects and guys that we have.¡±

White Sox hitters in the Fall League

Tim Elko, 1B: Elko mashed 24 homers as Ole Miss¡¯ team captain en route to its first national title in 2022 before landing as a 10th-round selection of the White Sox. He has largely carried over those power exploits to the pro ranks, mashing 28 round-trippers in ¡®23 before adding 18 more this season between Double-A Birmingham and Charlotte. Even as he continued to stack up strikeouts (29.3 percent), he hit .289 at both upper-level stops this season. He will depart the AFL early to play for Team USA in Premier12?, an international tournament that will take place from Nov. 9-24.

DJ Gladney, OF: Having attended high school nearly 30 minutes from Chicago in Lansing, Ill., Gladney has steadily climbed the farm system since being selected in the 16th round in 2019. The 23-year-old came up as a corner infielder but has been converted to a full-time outfielder, having already made starts at all three spots for Glendale. His second stint with Birmingham this summer showcased his impact potential with six homers and an .820 OPS in 24 games, while he also delivered a walk-off RBI to win the club its first league title since 2013. The MLB Develops alum will look to use his time in the AFL as a springboard as he¡¯ll be Rule 5 Draft-eligible this winter if he's not added to the 40-man roster.

Michael Turner, C: After playing parts of four seasons at Kent State, Turner shifted to Arkansas as a grad transfer and put himself on the pro radar with a .323 average and .890 OPS across 64 games. Since joining the Chicago organization, he has moved up one level per season, having served as the primary backstop for the Southern League-champion Barons in 2024. While he hit just .218 with a .282 slugging percentage, he spearheaded the Birmingham pitching staff to a league-leading 3.15 ERA this season. His stint with Glendale gives him the chance to continue facing advanced pitching ahead of his age-26 campaign.

White Sox pitchers in the Fall League

Grant Taylor, RHP (No. 6): Primed for a breakout season with LSU in 2023, Tommy John surgery ended Taylor¡¯s year before it began. Chicago was confident enough in his premium stuff to select him in the second round that summer anyway, and he made his debut in May with 32 strikeouts across 72 plate appearances between Rookie ball and Single-A. After that dominant run, a right lat strain ended his regular season after just 19 1/3 frames. His fastball has maxed out at 98.9 mph during the Fall League, although it has operated more in the 94-97 range. He has a slightly slower cutter along with a pair of breaking balls and a developing changeup, giving him the repertoire of a front-line arm, albeit one without the reps.

Peyton Pallette, RHP (No. 27): A year before the White Sox rolled the dice on Taylor as an upside second-rounder coming off Tommy John surgery, they did the same with Pallette out of the University of Arkansas. After beginning 2024 as a starter to tough results (.320 average-against, .885 opponents¡¯ OPS), a shift to relief helped his stuff take off -- .145 average-against, 33.7 percent strikeout rate and just one home run allowed. A 1.01 ERA out of the ¡®pen got him a call to Birmingham and has him primed to move swiftly up the ranks, as his 95-97 mph heater has played up in shorter stints. He also works with a 79-81 mph curveball, and can sprinkle in a mid-80s changeup and mid-80s slider on occasion as well.

Eric Adler, RHP: Despite posting an 8.86 ERA as a redshirt sophomore at Wake Forest in 2022, the White Sox rolled the dice on Adler¡¯s upside and experience at the program¡¯s now-famed pitching lab when they took him in the sixth round that summer. Like many hurlers in the Fall League, Adler is on hand to get extra innings under his belt working just 40 frames this year between High-A Winston-Salem and Birmingham. The 24-year-old relies on a mid-90s heater, an upper-80s cutter, an 83-84 mph curveball and an infrequently utilized changeup, showing the look of a leverage bullpen arm with just two homers allowed across 76 pro innings.

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Andrew Dalquist, RHP: The White Sox shelled out $2 million to convince Dalquist to forgo a University of Arizona commitment and join their farm system as a third-round pick in 2019. An inability to consistently throw strikes put him behind the eight-ball as it pertained to being a long-term starter, and the organization shifted him to a relief role with Birmingham in 2024. His stuff -- and results (3.06 ERA in 47 innings) -- looked much more crisp in shorter stints with a 94-96 mph four-seamer and two distinct breaking balls, an 80-82 mph curveball and a slightly harder slider. Also set to be Rule 5-eligible this winter, his time in the Fall League could go a long way to putting him on a Major League radar for 2025 either with Chicago or a club rolling the dice that his gains in relief can translate to the highest level.

Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, RHP: After dominating the Fall League last season with 9 2/3 scoreless frames while a member of the Rangers system, Hoopii-Tuionetoa returns as one of the newest members of the White Sox ranks after being acquired in May in exchange for Robbie Grossman. A 30th-round pick in 2019, the product of the same Hawaiian high school that produced Kurt Suzuki, Hoopii-Tuionetoa has steadily worked his way up the Minor League ranks on the back of a power arsenal: 93-96 mph sinking fastball, mid-80s slider and 82-84 mph changeup, while compiling 11.7 K/9 across his four seasons. A strong performance for Glendale -- along with impressing during Cactus League play -- could vault him into Opening Day roster consideration come 2025.