Former Top Draft Pick Benny Montgomery Steps Away from Baseball
Benny Montgomery, once a highly touted prospect for the Colorado Rockies, has abruptly retired from professional baseball at the young age of 23. His six-year career, which began with significant fanfare after being selected as the eighth overall pick in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft, appears to have stalled due to persistent injuries and inconsistent performance at the plate.
reports the 2026 season indicated that Montgomery was struggling offensively, hitting .203 with a .272 on-base percentage and a .372 slugging percentage. While these numbers represented a slight improvement over his 2025 campaign, they fell short of expectations for a player with his draft pedigree.
Struggles and Setbacks
Earlier in the 2026 season, Montgomery had expressed optimism about his progress, noting adjustments made during the offseason. “I made a lot of adjustments in the offseason, just trying to quiet some movements down,” Montgomery stated in May. “My approach has been working out. I had a little bit of a slow start, but I was able to figure some things out and really trust my stuff and I’m getting my confidence back. That was much needed, and I feel as good as I have since 2024.”
Despite this hopeful outlook, Montgomery’s performance declined significantly in June, where his batting average dropped to .179 for the month. The reasons behind his sudden retirement have not been publicly disclosed by Montgomery.
A Promising Start and a Difficult Path
Montgomery’s journey in baseball began with considerable promise. A standout player at Red Land High School in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, he was recognized as the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. Despite committing to play college baseball at the University of Virginia, he ultimately chose to sign with the Colorado Rockies.
The Rockies offered him a substantial $5 million signing bonus upon drafting him eighth overall in 2021. Among the players selected after Montgomery in that draft were future All-Stars such as pitcher Bryan Woo, outfielder James Wood, outfielder Jackson Merrill, closer Mason Miller, and pitcher Andrew Abbott, as well as catcher Hunter Goodwin, another Rockies prospect.
In his early career at the Low-A level, Montgomery showed flashes of his potential, batting .313 with a .394 on-base percentage and a .502 slugging percentage. However, his transition to High-A saw a significant increase in his strikeout rate, reaching 27 percent.
A significant setback occurred in 2024 when Montgomery dislocated his shoulder, an injury that appeared to further derail his development. This unfortunate turn of events has been a recurring theme for the Rockies’ recent first-round draft selections.
Rockies’ Draft Pick Challenges
The Colorado Rockies have faced challenges with their first-round draft picks since 2018. Most recently, the 2025 first-overall pick, Ethan Holliday, son of former Rockies slugger Matt Holiday, underwent season-ending surgery after suffering a stress fracture in his left foot.
Last year, the Rockies’ 2024 first-round selection, Charlie Condon, experienced a broken wrist while playing in High-A. Condon has since recovered and is currently competing with Triple-A Albuquerque.
