Colorado Rockies: A season review of the top 16 prospects

A look at the season put together by Colorado Rockies prospect Benny Montgomery

2) Benny Montgomery, OF, ACL: .340/.404/.383, 116 wRC+, 9.6 BB%, 17.3 K%, 0 HR, 5 SB

To the dismay of many Rockies fans, Rob Manfred walked up to the podium on draft night and announced the Rockies selected prep-outfielder Benny Montgomery ahead of hyped players Kumar Rocker, Kahlil Watson, and Brady House.

Fortunately, criticism cooled in August once the Pennsylvania native debuted in the Arizona Complex League. Montgomery was tagged with a narrative leading fans to think he struggled to make contact and that he had a ton of offensive risk.

While he’s far from a sure thing, Montgomery has great hand-eye coordination and should be viewed as a hit-over-power prospect, at this time.

The caveat with that classification is that Montgomery belongs on a Mount Rushmore of toolsy prospects and has immense power potential to discover in his 6-foot-4 frame.

During his short debut, Montgomery managed to hit a remarkable .340 and struck out infrequently, hinting at the upside of a 55-grade hit tool or better. The ninth overall pick’s swing doesn’t enable him to tap into his raw power much though and swing adjustments will be one of the biggest storylines to watch on the Rockies’ farm in 2022.

Still, even if Montgomery doesn’t tap into much of his offensive potential, he still has elite speed that will land him among MLB’s 10 or 15 fastest players and make him a dynamic center field defender.

Montgomery’s full-season debut in Fresno will demand all the eyes in the fanbase and stand as a huge test to see just where the Rockies’ 2021 first-round pick stands as a prospect.