Mason Montgomery

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #16 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  Track Record: The Rays’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2022, Montgomery seemed to struggle with the experimental pre-tacked ball being used in the Double-A Southern League in the first half of 2023. After a rocky start, he found his form in the final six weeks, allowing two runs in a five-start stretch while earning a promotion to Triple-A Durham.
  
  Scouting Report: When Montgomery was dominating in stretches in 2022, there was reason to hope that he would take a further step forward in 2023 by developing his slider. Instead, his fastball lost some of its carry and his slider seemed stuck where it was in 2022. Montgomery didn’t take a step forward in 2023, but in reaching Triple-A he also didn’t take a step back. Montgomery’s fastball can be a plus pitch when he’s throwing it in the 92-93 mph range with plus life. But when it backs up, it becomes a pitch that can get squared up. In one game against Biloxi, he gave up four home runs in a 10-batter stretch. His short-arm delivery imparts deception on everything he throws. Montgomery’s body stays between the ball and the batter until late in his delivery. His short-breaking, low-80s slider has cutterish action and is below-average. It has the movement of a power slider, but not the velocity. And he doesn’t seem to have much feel or conviction in his below-average mid-80s changeup.
  
  The Future: Montgomery has had plenty of success in the minors, and there’s still time for him to develop his secondary offerings to give him a shot to remain a starter. But with each passing year, it gets harder to believe that transformation will occur. More likely he’ll be a quality lefthanded reliever whose hard-to-hit fastball plays effectively in short stints, even if his slider doesn’t frighten hitters.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Slider: 40 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 45
• 
  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #9 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: A 39th-round pick of the White Sox out of Leander (Texas) High in 2018, Montgomery headed to Texas Tech, where he quickly earned a spot in the Red Raiders' rotation. After the Rays drafted him in the sixth round in 2021, he toyed with Florida Complex League hitters. That helped the Rays feel comfortable jumping him to High-A Bowling Green to start 2022. He earned a mid-July promotion to Double-A Montgomery. Montgomery allowed one run or fewer in his last five starts. His 2.10 ERA was fourth best in the minors and his 171 strikeouts ranked sixth. He allowed more than three runs only once all season.
  
  Scouting Report: Montgomery's plus fastball has carry and the flat approach angle to baffle hitters. His fastball plays above its 89-94 mph velocity because of its movement, and he has the ability to spot it around the strike zone. At times, Montgomery could dominate just relying on that one pitch. He affects hitters' timing by varying his velocity--he can touch 96-97 mph--but will sometimes gear it down as well. Montgomery's 83-85 mph slider is fringe-average at best. It doesn't have exceptional power or movement, but it's been effective because he can throw it for strikes or induce chases. His below-average, low-80s changeup is a pitch he's used rarely so far. He doesn't throw it for strikes nearly as much, but when he does, it gets squared up.
  
  The Future: Montgomery's profile as a savvy, fastball-heavy lefty with fringe-average secondaries doesn't always work against more advanced hitters. He'll need to better develop his slider and changeup as he climbs the ladder, but his control, command and fastball quality give him a solid shot at being a useful lefty reliever or back-end starter. If the secondaries improve, he could exceed that projection.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 45. Changeup: 40. Control: 55

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #305 prospect in 2021 draft
  After three years at Texas Tech, Montgomery is still searching for a consistent breaking ball. But Montgomery’s 90-95 mph fastball gets swings and misses up in the zone, which may be enough to convince a pro team to take a chance on a lefty with a very good arm. Montgomery’s control was well below-average early in his career at Texas Tech, but he has junked the windup he previously used. Now he pitches from an abbreviated stretch at all times, which has paid off with improved control. He has a little hiccup in his delivery that adds deception, and Montgomery works up and down in the strike zone. He has a fringe-average changeup, which he doesn’t command as well as he needs to, but it has some deception, especially when he works at the bottom of the zone. His low-80s below-average slider needs more work. He has scattershot command of it, and it doesn’t miss many bats.
• Ranked #245 prospect in 2018 draft
  Montgomery was one of the Texas prep pitchers who took a step forward as a senior. After sitting at in the low-90s previously, he jumped up to 94-96 mph at his best early in his senior year, leading to teams circling back to take a closer look. But the Texas Tech signee was unable to maintain that velocity jump consistently, as he settled back into the low-90s. His control and his breaking ball are also less consistent than scouts would like. He could be a high-risk, high-reward pick this year, but scouts would get a much better idea of what Montgomery is going to develop into if he heads to Texas Tech.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: A 39th-round pick of the White Sox out of Leander (Texas) High in 2018, Montgomery headed to Texas Tech, where he quickly earned a spot in the Red Raiders' rotation. After the Rays drafted him in the sixth round in 2021, he toyed with Florida Complex League hitters. That helped the Rays feel comfortable jumping him to High-A Bowling Green to start 2022. He earned a mid-July promotion to Double-A Montgomery. Montgomery allowed one run or fewer in his last five starts. His 2.10 ERA was fourth best in the minors and his 171 strikeouts ranked sixth. He allowed more than three runs only once all season.
  
  Scouting Report: Montgomery's plus fastball has carry and the flat approach angle to baffle hitters. His fastball plays above its 89-94 mph velocity because of its movement, and he has the ability to spot it around the strike zone. At times, Montgomery could dominate just relying on that one pitch. He affects hitters' timing by varying his velocity--he can touch 96-97 mph--but will sometimes gear it down as well. Montgomery's 83-85 mph slider is fringe-average at best. It doesn't have exceptional power or movement, but it's been effective because he can throw it for strikes or induce chases. His below-average, low-80s changeup is a pitch he's used rarely so far. He doesn't throw it for strikes nearly as much, but when he does, it gets squared up.
  
  The Future: Montgomery's profile as a savvy, fastball-heavy lefty with fringe-average secondaries doesn't always work against more advanced hitters. He'll need to better develop his slider and changeup as he climbs the ladder, but his control, command and fastball quality give him a solid shot at being a useful lefty reliever or back-end starter. If the secondaries improve, he could exceed that projection.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 45. Changeup: 40. Control: 55
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme
  
  Track Record: A 39th-round pick of the White Sox out of Leander (Texas) High in 2018, Montgomery headed to Texas Tech, where he quickly earned a spot in the Red Raiders' rotation. After the Rays drafted him in the sixth round in 2021, he toyed with Florida Complex League hitters. That helped the Rays feel comfortable jumping him to High-A Bowling Green to start 2022. He earned a mid-July promotion to Double-A Montgomery. Montgomery allowed one run or fewer in his last five starts. His 2.10 ERA was fourth best in the minors and his 171 strikeouts ranked sixth. He allowed more than three runs only once all season.
  
  Scouting Report: Montgomery's plus fastball has carry and the flat approach angle to baffle hitters. His fastball plays above its 89-94 mph velocity because of its movement, and he has the ability to spot it around the strike zone. At times, Montgomery could dominate just relying on that one pitch. He affects hitters' timing by varying his velocity--he can touch 96-97 mph--but will sometimes gear it down as well. Montgomery's 83-85 mph slider is fringe-average at best. It doesn't have exceptional power or movement, but it's been effective because he can throw it for strikes or induce chases. His below-average, low-80s changeup is a pitch he's used rarely so far. He doesn't throw it for strikes nearly as much, but when he does, it gets squared up.
  
  The Future: Montgomery's profile as a savvy, fastball-heavy lefty with fringe-average secondaries doesn't always work against more advanced hitters. He'll need to better develop his slider and changeup as he climbs the ladder, but his control, command and fastball quality give him a solid shot at being a useful lefty reliever or back-end starter. If the secondaries improve, he could exceed that projection.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Slider: 45. Changeup: 40. Control: 55
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  May Update: Montgomery&#39s ability to get swings and misses with his 90-94 mph fastball up in the zone thanks to above-average fastball life helped him dominate in a short stint in the Florida Complex League last year. It was just as effective in spring training, which led the Rays to push him to High-A Bowling Green. He&#39s quickly become one of the more dominant starters in the South Atlantic League. Montgomery has a little hitch in his delivery that seems to throw off hitters&#39 timing. He has a developing changeup and a usable slider and has quickly become one of the team&#39s more promising young starters.