Ex Aggies Star Unleashes 95 MPH Rocket in Latest MLB Statement

Former Texas A&M baseball star Braden Montgomery is discovering that surviving in Major League Baseball requires more than a hot bat.

Fortunately, Montgomery has another weapon attached to his right shoulder.

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The rookie produced a defensive highlight against the Chicago Cubs that perfectly illustrated why his MLB future remains so intriguing.

With a runner attempting to advance from second to third on a fly ball to deep right field, Montgomery made the catch and unleashed a 95.1 mph throw to third base.

The runner was toast.

It wasn't simply an impressive throw. It was the kind of play that reminds everyone how many different ways Montgomery can impact a baseball game.

That's becoming increasingly important as the former Aggie works through his first major-league season.

Montgomery exploded onto the scene after reaching the majors, then encountered the inevitable adjustment period that almost every young hitter experiences.

Through 59 games, he's hitting .238 with a .328 on-base percentage, collecting 51 hits, four home runs and 30 RBI.

Those numbers aren't superstar territory yet.

They don't need to be.

The encouraging part is that Montgomery continues finding ways to contribute while learning how major-league pitchers attack him.

He's getting everyday experience against the best arms in baseball while showing that his value doesn't disappear when the bat cools down.

That's where the cannon comes in.

A 95.1 mph outfield assist changes the scouting report. Runners have to think twice about taking an extra base. Third-base coaches have to reconsider what normally looks like an automatic advancement.

And Montgomery has always had the physical tools to make plays like this.

His lone season at Texas A&M helped establish him as one of college baseball's premier prospects before he made the jump into professional baseball.

Now we're beginning to see those tools translate at the sport's highest level.

There will still be rough stretches. There will be pitchers who expose weaknesses and adjustments that take weeks rather than days.

That's rookie life.

But Montgomery doesn't have to become a finished product immediately.

He's already producing runs, getting on base and showing off one of the strongest outfield arms around.

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The offensive ceiling remains the tantalizing part of his game. If the hitting eventually catches up to the raw talent?

Look out. Because Montgomery's latest rocket against Chicago wasn't merely a cool highlight. It was a warning not to run on him again.