Baseball America has released its Top 20 prospects from the Arizona Fall League, and a pair of White Sox earned spots on the list.
Left-hander Hagen Smith was named the No. 2 AFL prospect, while Braden Montgomery checked in at No. 3. Both players made a strong impression this fall and are viewed as key pieces in the White Sox ongoing rebuild.
Hagen Smith
Smith got off to a rocky start in the minor leagues, struggling with control issues. However, he rebounded down the stretch, finishing the season strong with a 3.69 ERA across 20 Double-A starts. Over 75.2 innings, he struck out 108 batters against 56 walks, and limited opponents to a .166 batting average.
The White Sox No.5 prospect built off that strong finish with a solid showing in the Fall League. In five games, he tossed 14 innings, allowing just four runs on seven hits and six walks. He finished his AFL campaign with a 2.57 ERA, with 21 strikeouts and a .143 batting average against.
Braden Montgomery
Montgomery also turned in a strong Fall League season, reminding everyone why he’s considered a Top-40 talent in baseball.
Montgomery missed the start of the AFL season after an errant pitch fractured his right foot in September. The injury cut short an impressive first professional campaign in which the 22-year-old hit .270 with an .804 OPS across 121 games between Low-A Kannapolis, High-A Winston-Salem, and Double-A Birmingham.
But Montgomery returned to the lineup with a flourish, finishing the Fall League season hitting .366 with a 1.161 OPS over 12 games. During his hot stretch, he recorded eight extra-base hits, 11 RBIs, and drew 13 walks against 11 strikeouts. Even after missing the start of the AFL season, Montgomery still ranked third in the league in on-base percentage (.527), fifth in doubles (6), sixth in slugging percentage (.634), and seventh in batting average.
