Two of the White Sox’s top prospects notched a couple of firsts in the long-ball department Thursday night.
Down in Kannapolis, Colson Montgomery launched his first professional home run, finally breaking into that column in his 167th career plate appearance.
Montgomery is now hitting .271/.383/.438 in his first full professional season.
And in Birmingham, José Rodríguez continued his upswing with his first Double-A homer.
Rodríguez started the season slow by going hitless in his first 12 plate appearances, and that’s hampering his season numbers so far (.222/.286/.378). Everything is on the upswing, as the homer extended his hitting streak to eight games, over which he’s hitting .303/.343/.515.
Charlotte 5, Nashville 1
- Romy Gonzalez returned to the lineup, singling, walking twice, striking out twice and stealing two bases.
- Carlos Pérez was 1-for-5.
- Non-roster invitee Wes Benjamin is Charlotte’s best starter: 7 IP, 5, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, lowering his ERA to 1.59.
Birmingham 4, Biloxi 3
- Yolbert Sánchez went 2-for-4.
- Yoelqui Céspedes was 1-for-4 with a K and a stolen base.
- José Rodriguez hit his first Double-A homer during a 1-for-4 night.
- Jason Bilous was effectively wild: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 1 WP, 1 HBP
Winston-Salem 4, Greenville 1
- Bryan Ramos went 2-for-3 with a walk.
- Luis Mieses was 0-for-4 with a K.
- Matthew Thompson indeed adjusted to the faster pace of play: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K, 1 HBP
Notes:
*Make sure to read Julie Brady’s summary of the Dash’s season to date.
Fredericksburg 5, Kannapolis 4 (10 innings)
- James Beard went 1-for-4 with a walk, two strikeouts and his 11th stolen base.
- Colson Montgomery hit his first professional homer while going 2-for-5 with a strikeout.
- DJ Gladney and Wes Kath both were 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Cristian Mena: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 1 HR
Rodriguez has a beautiful swing. Colson not so much, but glad he is starting to show some numbers.
Any updates on Robert’s injury?
Rodriguez has one of those “Young star SS” swings. Very fun to watch him hit.
I like Montgomery’s swing. Short and compact, but the ball flies off his bat. He’s only going to get stronger, and I expect him to put up good power numbers.
Callis’ Jeremy Pena comp for Rodriguez has me very excited. If they each continue to impress this year and aren’t traded at the deadline, I’m wondering if we have a Yogurt v. Popeye battle for 2B next year.
very excited to see that line from Matt Thompson. Montgomery was an old draftee for a high schooler, so it’s really good to see him hitting immediately. I am slightly worried about his strikeout rate, which isn’t high itself but K rates almost always rise as a guy progresses through the minors. The good news is that his strong walk rate may be indicative that he can cut down on Ks by being more (selectively) aggressive.
Romy should be the Sox current 2B.