Braden Montgomery (Madison Central, MS; Stanford) is really good at baseball.

He's exceptional, actually. The Mississippi native put on an impressive performance at the 2021 Super 60, one that clearly showcased a toolset that not only displayed a high ceiling of potential but also a high floor of current skill.

Here’s what we saw in Braden’s Blast Motion data from the 2021 Super 60 (and from both sides of the plate, no less):

I have to be honest, whenever I see switch-hitters on a high school baseball roster, I wince a little bit. The pitching is just so good now; it’s barely attainable to keep up and maintain a swing from one side of the plate, let alone from both. I see it repeatedly in high school hitters who attempt to switch-hit. The variance in power profiles is extreme both in Bat Speed and Rotational Acceleration, indicating the player is not syncing well from at least one side. However, this is definitely not the case for Montgomery. His power profiles from both sides of the plate are not just identical, but incredibly and equally impressive. 

From the left side of the plate, Montgomery's average Bat Speed was measured at 72.5 mph, with a peak of 74.8. From the right side, he recorded an average of 73.3 mph and a peak of 74.6. 

As for Montgomery's Rotational Acceleration metrics? From the left side, he averaged 23.8g with a peak of 25.2; from the right, he averaged 22.4g with a peak of 23.6. 

Below are scatterplots of Montgomery’s swings from the Super 60 displaying the relationship between Bat Speed and Rotational Acceleration (the two metrics we look at for the Power Profile, and you can learn more about how we calculate it by clicking here). Below, the green box is the hitter’s target area.

The Right Side

The Left Side

The power profile similarities are spectacular.

Another swing characteristic I want to highlight is Montgomery’s swing plane(s). At Blast, we evaluate a hitter’s swing plane using the On-Plane Efficiency metric. The goal is to strive to be above 70 percent and is best analyzed as an average. From the right side, Montgomery’s average On-Plane Efficiency was 78 percent – from the left, 75 percent. Once again, this is further proof that Montgomery’s swings from both sides of the plate not only mirror each other – but they're both elite swings.

A quality we usually see with hitters who produce great On-Plane Efficiency metrics is the ability to make adjustments to pitch locations by adjusting their torso as opposed to just reaching with their arms and hands. This is displayed in the data and something you can physically see with Montgomery’s swings. 

The only improvement I would like to see from Montgomery is the consistency in his load position, but only from the right side. The left-handed swing is nearly flawless, principle-wise, for us at Blast. His average Early Connection had a variance of 8 degrees, a beautifully tight window that his load continues to work in. The Connection at Impact from the left side also has a variance of 8 degrees. So, in a nutshell, his left-handed swing is incredibly low maintenance. 

As for the right side, there was a bit of a larger variance for the Early Connection (load position) with a 23 degree variance, and the Connection at Impact (contact position) with a 14 degree variance. Making this adjustment is incredibly slight but could still yield great results, especially toward some of the swings and misses in games we’ve seen. But to be honest, by looking at his recent performances, Montgomery might not need to make this adjustment until pro ball.

Since this 2021 performance, Montgomery ended up maintaining the trend of Stanford recruits making it to campus rather than heading straight to pro ball out of high school. At Stanford, he’s already racked up an impressive career in a short time. At the end of last season, he was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and was a freshman all-American, slashing .294/.361/.596 and he slugged 18 home runs. As a sophomore, Montgomery is off to an incredible start in 2023, currently hitting .393 and slugging nearly .900 with four homers through just eight games.

We, as a staff, are convicted in our belief that Braden Montgomery has a strong chance to become a professional hitter. Looking ahead toward a loaded 2024 MLB Draft class – one that includes hitters such as Vance Honeycutt, Konnor Griffin, Derek Curiel, Michael Sirota, Cody Schrier, Tommy White, and Jac Caglianone – we expect to hear Montgomery’s name called, not only on the first day, but within the first hour of the Draft.

BRADEN MONTGOMERY TO THE MOON! 🚀

📺 ESPN2#RoadToOmaha x @StanfordBSB pic.twitter.com/uXX3aLdfFV

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) June 12, 2022

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