As top prospect waits in wings, No. 3 prospect giving Sox a lift

MIAMI -- Colson Montgomery is a major part of the White Sox future as the team’s No. 1 prospect and No. 16 prospect overall, according to MLB Pipeline. His time will come soon enough, as the shortstop talked about Friday afternoon during a Zoom from Charlotte, N.C.

For right-hander Drew Thorpe, the White Sox No. 3 prospect and No. 37 prospect overall, that same bright future also is steeped in the Major League present. The 23-year-old allowed one run on three hits over 6 1/3 innings as the White Sox claimed a 3-2 victory over the Marlins Friday night at loanDepot park.

Miami’s lone hits through the first six innings were Vidal Bruján’s leadoff double in the third, with a 59.1 mph exit velocity per Statcast, and an infield single from Jazz Chisholm Jr. that opened the sixth (a 56.8 mph exit velo). Then Dane Myers doubled with one out in the seventh to bring John Brebbia into the game from the bullpen. Thorpe (3-1) mixed in five pitches, relying on his changeup (34) to produce eight of his nine swings and misses. He had an overall average exit velocity of 78.4 mph.

“[The changeup] was good, location was good, played off the fastball really well,” Thorpe said. “Got in on a couple guys with the fastball and that elevates it even more. Just continue to do what we’re doing, stick to the game plan and not do too much.”

“Every time he takes the ball, he grows. He took the ball into the seventh inning today,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “You go through a lineup like that and you minimize pitches and you can take the ball in the seventh? Go get it.”

The rookie struck out five and walked two, earning the win for a third straight start. Since getting knocked around by the Diamondbacks on June 16, when he yielded seven earned runs over 3 1/3 innings, Thorpe has given up three runs on seven hits over 18 1/3 innings across those three winning starts.

Thorpe is a low-key individual, and has been that way around the Major League clubhouse since his debut on June 11 in Seattle. On Friday, he let a smile sneak through during his postgame interview session as teammates Gavin Sheets and Garrett Crochet briefly joined with the media around Thorpe’s locker.

“Just one of those games -- you learn from it and get ready for the next one,” Thorpe said. “Bullpen day the other day, [so it was] good to save them. Trying to extend as much as possible, and I knew that’s what I needed to do. I wanted to finish it, but it is what it is. It means a lot.”

Earlier in the day on Friday, before his fellow top prospect dished from the mound, Montgomery joined media from Chicago and Charlotte to discuss his selection to the 2024 All-Star Futures Game. The conversation also turned to his season-long work for the Triple-A Knights, featuring a .211 average, but also 11 home runs, 12 doubles and 33 RBIs.

No talk with Montgomery is complete without a question concerning his big league timetable. Regardless of the numbers being up or down, the talent certainly is there.

“Every single day, I feel like I'm getting closer and closer -- just from growing as a player,” Montgomery said. “A lot of it -- pretty much all of it -- is out of my control, so just control what I can control, honestly. You think about it all the time, here and there, and you see all the stuff that's going on with moves and trades -- and especially with everything that's coming up.

“You just never know what's going to happen. So it can kind of get distracting from being where your feet are and playing how you're supposed to play. My best answer is: Every day I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to being the best player I can be and being a really good big league shortstop."

Nicky Lopez drove in two with a pair of doubles, while Luis Robert Jr. singled twice, picked up two stolen bases and made a running catch on a Bryan De La Cruz drive to center to strand the bases loaded ending the seventh. The White Sox snapped an 0-14 funk in road series openers this season, with Michael Kopech recording four outs for his eighth save -- including stranding two in the ninth after allowing one run.

Things haven’t been good for the White Sox (26-64) in the present. But their future is looking pretty bright, as evidenced yet again by Thorpe's work on a Major League mound.