Benny Montgomery

Benjamin Dennis Montgomery (born September 9, 2002) is an American baseball outfielder for the Colorado Rockies organization. He was drafted by the Rockies with the 8th overall selection of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.

Benny Montgomery
Colorado Rockies
Outfielder
Born: (2002-09-09) September 9, 2002
Paoli, Pennsylvania
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Amateur career

Montgomery grew up in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania until moving to Lewisberry, Pennsylvania when he was in middle school.[1] He attended Red Land High School. As a sophomore, he batted .359 with 23 RBIs as the Patriots won the AAAAA State Championship.[2] Montgomery committed to play college baseball at the University of Virginia over offers from Stanford University, Duke University and the University of North Carolina earlier in his sophomore year.[3] His junior season in 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and he played in the Perfect Game All-America game that summer, where he won the event's home run derby.[4][5] Montgomery also played in the East Coast Professional Showcase, the Area Code Games, and the Baseball Factory All-Star Classic.[6][7][8] Montgomery entered senior season as the top collegiate outfield prospect and as a top prospect for the upcoming Major League Baseball draft.[9][10][11] In 2021, as a senior, he led Red Land to the AAAAA State Championship game again and was named the Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year.[12][13] He ended his senior year batting .420 with seven home runs, 22 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases.[14]

Professional career

Montgomery was selected by the Colorado Rockies with the eighth overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.[15] Montgomery signed with the Rockies for a bonus of $5 million.[16]

Montgomery was assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Rockies to start his professional career and batted .340 over 14 games.[17] He opened the 2022 season with the Fresno Grizzlies of the Single-A California League.[18]

References
  1. "Montgomery owns Main Event". Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  2. "Nationally-ranked Red Land outfielder Benny Montgomery preparing for big summer". 12 July 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  3. Adams, Jake (September 25, 2018). "HS Baseball: Accelerated recruiting lands Red Land sophomore Benny Montgomery at Virginia". The Sentinel. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  4. "Racing to the top: Red Land's Benny Montgomery continues rapid rise to becoming one of baseball's top prospects". The Patriot-News. August 31, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  5. "Red Land's Benny Montgomery wins Perfect Game Home Run Challenge". The Patriot-News. September 4, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  6. Mayo, Jonathan (August 4, 2020). "These '21 Draft prospects impressed at ECPS". MLB.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  7. "Red Land's Benny Montgomery picked to play in Baseball Factory All-Star Classic in Texas". The Patriot-News. September 18, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  8. Callis, Jim (August 12, 2020). "'21 Draft prospects starred at Area Codes". MLB.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  9. "York County baseball player ranked among top prospects in the nation". The York Dispatch. December 15, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  10. Mayo, Jonathan (September 15, 2020). "Top HS prospects for 2021 Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  11. "'Like a reality TV show': All eyes on Red Land's Benny Montgomery in final high school season before MLB Draft". The Patriot-News. April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  12. "'I wouldn't want to be anywhere else': July's MLB Draft can wait because Benny Montgomery's focus is on helping Red Land bring home another state title". The Patriot-News. June 17, 2021. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  13. "Red Land Benny Montgomery Gatorade Pa. Baseball Player of the Year". The York Dispatch. June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  14. "Montgomery wins Gatorade Pennsylvania Baseball Player of the Year". fox43.com. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  15. "Colorado Rockies draft five-tool Pennsylvania prep star in Benny Montgomery – The Athletic". Theathletic.com. 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2021-07-17.
  16. "Rockies' top draft pick Benny Montgomery ready to take on pro ball, and adulthood". Colorado Springs Gazette. July 22, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  17. "Pro Baseball Local Recap: Benny Montgomery tallies first pro hit". Carlisle Sentinel. August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  18. "2021 first-round draft pick Benny Montgomery excited to play for the Fresno Grizzlies". 6 April 2022.
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