So were the rest of the Red Sox, and Montgomery himself.
“It was happiness. Being chosen by someone today means a lot to me and my family. It means a lot to be a Red Sox, so I’m excited to get to work,” said Montgomery, a player about to make repeated appearances for the Sox since high school while attending both Stanford and Texas A&M. Got praise. “(The Red Sox) are getting a winner that impacts everybody around them.”
Montgomery, a 21-year-old switch-hitting player who played two seasons with Stanford before transferring to Texas A&M for his third and final year, had an impressive junior season in 2024, hitting .322/.454. / Hit .733. A slightly higher 20 percent strikeout rate along with an 18 percent walk rate. His average is modest for a college standout, but his high walk rate leads to a solid OBP projection to go along with heavy power from both sides of the plate.
Bryant said Montgomery regularly posts 110-mph exit velocity and hits 115, while also showing good center field defense with an arm to make plays there or to the right side. Other Sox evaluators agreed, making him an easy pick when he became available at 12.
“We see a really athletic, switch-hitting outfielder who has the ability to knock the ball out of the ballpark on both sides,” Sox amateur scouting director Devin Pearson said. “(He) makes elite swing decisions and (he’s) a guy who really gives us a chance to continue our development philosophy and development.”
Montgomery, who was in attendance at the historic Cowtown Coliseum rodeo venue, described his playing style as “dynamic” and suggested he has experienced improvement across the board in his performance this year, particularly in his swing decisions.
“I’m ready to throw the hammer,” he said. “I think (the biggest improvement) was being able to slow the game down a little more, where I want to swing, where I want to swing.” Want to cause harm.” “That was the main area.”
Montgomery took the field with his right leg propped up on a scooter due to an ankle fracture he suffered on June 8. He acknowledged the possibility that an ankle fracture caused him to drop out of the top 10, but suggested the injury – limited only to the bone as a diagnosis, and without additional (and potentially more difficult) ligament damage – was a no-brainer. There will be nothing to worry about.
“The bone that could not bear weight was broken. … (Doctors) told me this was the best situation (for the fracture),” Montgomery said. “I’m getting ready to get off the scooter for good and from then on, everything will go faster and I’ll be back on the field soon.”
He also didn’t dwell too much on whether the injury caused him to be available to the Sox at No. 12.
Montgomery, who became the first outfielder selected by the Sox with their top pick since Andrew Benintendi in 2015, said, “I’m glad I ended up where I ended up because I think it all worked out in a bigger plan. Is part of.” I think this organization will be a perfect fit for me.”
With their second-round pick (No. 50 overall), the Sox drafted lefthander Peyton Toole out of TCU – the club’s highest selection of a pitcher since taking Tanner Houck in the first round in 2017. Listed at 6 feet 6 inches and 250 pounds, Toole, a two-way player at TCU, is huge, yet with an incredible extension of more than 7 feet up the slope of the mound at his release point by working out of the short arm slot. Makes a weird angle.
Towle’s fastball (90–96 mph) moves at the top of the field and regularly appears to jump over bats. He also features a slider, cutter, curveball and changeup. The Sox would love to fully develop Toole as a pitcher, and he was 7-4 with a 3.21 ERA and 37 percent strikeout rate this year for the Horned Frogs after transferring from Wichita State.
“He’s really very talented and he has some unique qualities that we’re looking forward to working with,” Pearson said. “(He has) a bunch of different weapons that we can work with and get them in their best shape.”
The top of the draft board featured a run on college standouts, with the Guardians taking Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazana with the first overall pick, the Reds selecting Wake Forest righthander Chase Burns, and the Rockies taking University of Georgia third baseman Selected as. Charlie Condon at number three.
The rest of the top 10 featured a pair of surprises, with the Angels taking Tennessee second baseman Christian Moore at No. 8 and the Nationals taking Wake Forest infielder Seaver King at No. 10. Those picks, in turn, opened the door for the Sox to get Montgomery, and they happily moved through the opening.
“There are always surprises in the draft,” Pearson said. “We were really excited that (Montgomery) was there for us and happy that we were able to make it work. We couldn’t be more excited to bring him to the organization.”
Rounds 3-10 will take place on Monday and Rounds 11-20 will take place on the final day on Tuesday.
Alex Speier can be reached at alex.speier@globe.com. chase him @alexspear,
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