The rebuild is paying off — two White Sox rookies just earned AL Rookie of the Year votes. DD
Colson Montgomery and Shane Smith both earned recognition for their strong rookie seasons on the South Side.
Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery (12) celebrates against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
No one was beating Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz, who received all 30 first-place votes for American League Rookie of the Year after hitting 36 home runs.
But for the White Sox, Colson Montgomery and Shane Smith receiving votes made for a promising sign moving forward. It’s the sixth time since the inception of the Rookie of the Year Award in 1947 that two White Sox players have received votes, along with the 2004, 1999, 1990, 1988 and 1963 seasons. In 2004, Shingo Takatsu finished second, and Ross Gload came in seventh.
Montgomery finished fifth overall, thanks to one second-place vote, five fourth-place votes and nine fifth-place votes. Smith finished in a three-way tie for 10th place with Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Braydon Fisher and Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith.
Following Kurtz at No. 1, the rest of the top five included Jacob Wilson (Athletics), Roman Anthony (Red Sox), Noah Cameron (Royals) and Montgomery.
Here’s a look at the full voting results, per MLB.com.
Colson Montgomery’s impressive turnaround
What makes Montgomery’s fifth-place finish so notable is where he started. Beginning the year in Triple-A, he struck out 43 times in his first 103 plate appearances and had a slash line of .149/.223/.255/.479. For the former first-round pick who was the White Sox No. 1 prospect from 2022-24, an adjustment had to be made.
So the White Sox made an unconventional decision in late April to send Montgomery to the team facility in Arizona midseason to work with director of hitting Ryan Fuller. While it was a concerning sign at first, it turned out to work wonders for Montgomery’s career trajectory.
Montgomery made his MLB debut on July 4 in Colorado, and finished the three-game series against the Rockies with five hits. It took until his 15th game for Montgomery to hit his first home run, but that sparked the beginning of a historic stretch.
From July 22 until Sept. 5, Montgomery hit 18 home runs in 37 games –– most in MLB during that stretch. He also ranked second with 40 RBI in that time and posted a .907 OPS.
While there’s room for improvement for Montgomery after batting .239 with a 29.2% strikeout rate, he has the makings of a foundational piece for the White Sox moving forward.
Shane Smith’s All-Star campaign
It was no guarantee Smith would be in the starting rotation when spring training began. So similar to Montgomery, the somewhat unexpected nature of Smith’s strong rookie season made it all the more impressive.
Smith became the White Sox ace in 2025, finishing with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP with 145 strikeouts and 58 walks across 146.1 innings and 29 starts. He also logged seven quality starts, which likely would have been more had the White Sox not been monitoring his innings.
The 25-year-old right-hander capped off his rookie season with one of his best starts of the year, holding the Nationals scoreless across six innings with just one hit, no walks and eight strikeouts.
Smith’s season also represented a win for the White Sox scouting department. After Milwaukee did not protect Smith ahead of the Rule 5 Draft, the White Sox selected him No. 1 overall. He became the first Rule 5 Draft pick to become an All-Star in the first season after his selection since Dan Uggla in 2006.
Heading into the 2026 season, Smith figures to play a key role in the White Sox starting rotation.
