Alright, let’s talk about this Braden Montgomery comparison I was doing the other day. It wasn’t anything super official, you know, just me kicking back, watching some tape, trying to get a feel for the guy. Everyone’s talking him up, so I figured I’d take a look myself.
It actually started because my neighbor, Gary, wouldn’t shut up about him during our last barbecue. Gary thinks every college prospect is the next Babe Ruth, bless his heart. But he kept going on about Montgomery’s power, his arm, blah blah blah. So I thought, fine, I’ll actually sit down and watch some extended footage, not just the highlights everyone shares.
Getting that footage wasn’t exactly easy, by the way. It’s not like the old days where you could just catch games easily. Everything’s behind some streaming paywall or another. Reminds me of when I tried to cancel cable TV a few years back. What a nightmare that was. Spent literally two hours on the phone being transferred between departments, each one trying to sell me a different package I didn’t want. They make it easy to sign up, but leaving? Forget about it. I swear, I almost threw the phone across the room. Finally got it cancelled, but man, the hassle.
Back to Montgomery Though
So, after navigating the maze of modern sports viewing, I finally got some good game film downloaded. I pulled up footage from this season and some from last year, just to see the progression. Didn’t really compare him side-by-side with one specific player initially, more like comparing him against my own mental checklist for top college guys.
Here’s kinda what jumped out at me, just my initial thoughts:
- The power is real. No doubt about that. The ball just sounds different coming off his bat sometimes. You see that raw strength pretty clearly.
- Two-way stuff is interesting. He pitches too, right? Always tricky evaluating guys who do both at a high level. Takes a special kind of athlete. Makes you wonder where he’ll focus long-term.
- Swing has some length? Maybe? Look, I’m no pro scout, but watching it frame-by-frame, sometimes it looked a little long getting through the zone. Could be just the angle I saw, or maybe something he needs to tighten up against better pitching.
- Seems like a solid athlete overall. Moves pretty well for his size. Arm strength definitely plays in the outfield too.
So, yeah. Gary wasn’t entirely wrong, the kid’s got tools. Big tools. But like with any prospect, especially these college guys, there are always little things you notice, little question marks. It wasn’t like I came away thinking he’s a guaranteed superstar or a total bust. More like, okay, I see the hype, there’s definitely something there. It’ll be interesting to see how he develops, especially if he keeps trying to do both hitting and pitching. That’s a tough road.
That’s pretty much it. Just me, some game film, and trying to see past the usual highlight reels. Always fun to try and figure these guys out before the draft madness really starts.
