Back in the lineup with a fresh torpedo bat, Colson Montgomery wasted no time making it count in the White Sox 6-4 victory over the Guardians.
Montgomery hadn’t swung a torpedo bat in a game since Aug. 1 in Anaheim, a game that he connected for his sixth home run of the season, but also broke his bat. His replacement arrived just in time for Sunday’s series finale, and he immediately put it to work.
In the first inning, Guardians starter Slade Cecconi left a 1-1 cutter over the heart of the plate that Montgomery tattooed 452 feet into the right field seats. The ball left his bat at 114 mph, marking the longest home run at Rate Field this season and the longest by a left-handed hitting White Sox rookie in the Statcast era.
Montgomery, as well as the majority of people in attendance, knew it was gone from the sound of the bat. He immediately flipped the bat to the ground and began his home run trot before the ball even touched down.
Montgomery switched to a torpedo bat on July 22 during the second game of the series in Tampa Bay after discussing his contact point with coaches.
On July 22, Montgomery connected for his first career MLB home run, then proceeded to tack on homers in three consecutive games, hitting six in nine games before breaking his bat. Even after breaking his bat, he still homered off the Angels two days later and again in the series opener against the Mariners on August 5.
Despite the success, Montgomery joked the bat “didn’t feel right,” while White Sox General Manager Chris Getz told reporters Friday that he would personally order more torpedo bats for the rookie if the team didn’t already have them.
The tailor-made bats have weight distributed toward the barrel, with an untraditional design that places the barrel closer to the hitter’s hands and features a slimmer top end. This creates a bowling pin-shaped barrel with more wood around the sweet spot, where hitters are most likely to barrel the ball.
Montgomery has no problem barreling the ball, boasting a 15.1% barrel rate— a mark that would rank among the best in MLB if he had enough at-bats to qualify as a full-time hitter.
He has also showcased exceptional power with a .566 expected slugging percentage. Montgomery showed flashes of power in the minor leagues, but nothing to suggest he would break out with this level of pop when facing MLB pitching.
Since making his MLB debut on July 7, Montgomery has recorded 25 RBIs, with 23 in his first 25 games, the third highest total by a White Sox player in his first 25 games behind only Jose Abreu (27 in 2014) and Zeke Bonura (29 in 1934). It’ still unclear if the torpedo bat is the key to Montgomery’s success, as he’s also demonstrated exceptional bat speed, averaging 76.9 mph, which would rank fifth in MLB among qualified hitters.
Regardless, his ability to slug has made up for a high chase rate and 27% strikeout rate. In his last 15 games, he has launched seven homers while slugging .611, despite batting just .204 with 17 strikeouts in 54 at-bats during that stretch.
