White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery struck out for the 223rd time this season against Colorado on Sept. 25, breaking the American League single-season record and tying Mark Reynolds’ MLB mark; with two games left, he could pass Reynolds.
Montgomery has struck out 39 times in 87 September plate appearances. He has 31 home runs, but his season OPS is .692, and his last homer came Sept. 5.
Montgomery told MLB.com he is still learning his swing and does not plan to change or shorten it. Hitting coach Derek Shomon said he is not OK with the strikeouts and questioned whether they stem from misses on pitches in the zone or chasing. Statcast puts Montgomery’s squared-up rate at 14.6%, the lowest in MLB; he is not among baseball’s worst chasers.
