Chicago White Sox star Colson Montgomery broke the MLB single-season strikeout record this year by striking out 227 times.
The record was previously held by Mark Reynolds, who struck out 223 times in 2009. Montgomery and the White Sox are headed to the postseason, and he spoke on the unflattering record after the final regular-season game.
“It’s definitely something you don’t want your name to be a part of,” Montgomery said Sunday, per the Associated Press' Matt Carlson. “But at the end of the day, you can’t be looking so much at the negative stuff. I’ve looked at a lot of the stuff we’ve all done this year and me personally, and I felt like it’s been a lot of positives."
Montgomery may have struck out a ton, but he also played a huge role in the White Sox's offensive success. He hit 31 home runs and 24 doubles in his sophomore season. Even though his batting average and on-base percentage are well below average, he has excelled at putting the ball over the fence.
No player wants to strike out at a high clip, but it does not mean he's a bad player. Kyle Schwarber strikes out a ton, and he's one of the best players in baseball. This is not to say Montgomery is going to mirror Schwarber's career, but it does say he can still be an effective player.
Home runs matter in the postseason, and Montgomery, Munetaka Murakami and Miguel Vargas can certainly hit the long ball. Montgomery will need to get his average up and take some more walks as his career progresses, but for now he's helping the White Sox win by flipping games with home runs and playing great defense.