Sportsvival has always been about more than just the box score. We love the stories behind the players, where they came from, what pushed them forward, and what the climb really looked like before the lights of Major League Baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates have added another interesting arm to their staff in left-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery, a pitcher with power stuff, a Texas background, and a path that took him from high school standout, to Texas Tech, to the Tampa Bay Rays system, and now to Pittsburgh.
Montgomery was born on June 17, 2000, in Austin, Texas, and grew up in Leander, Texas. He attended Leander High School, where he became one of the top left-handed pitchers in the state. At Leander, Montgomery was not just a pitcher. He also played first base and outfield, and during his junior season he put up the type of two-way numbers that started to get attention. On the mound, he went 1-5, but the record did not tell the story. He had a 0.63 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 44.2 innings. At the plate, he hit .350 with one home run and 10 RBI. He earned First Team All-District 25-6A honors and was named to the All-Central Texas Baseball Team.
By the time he was finishing high school, Montgomery had become a serious college recruit. He was ranked as one of the top left-handed pitchers in Texas and committed to Texas Tech. He was also drafted out of high school by the Chicago White Sox in the 39th round of the 2018 MLB Draft, but he did not sign. The White Sox gave him the phone call, but Montgomery’s path was already headed toward Lubbock.
At Texas Tech, Montgomery became part of one of the stronger college baseball programs in the country. He pitched three seasons for the Red Raiders from 2019 through 2021. As a freshman in 2019, he went 3-1 with a 5.14 ERA, throwing 35.0 innings with 24 strikeouts. In the shortened 2020 season, he took a step forward, going 3-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 18.0 innings. In 2021, his draft year, Montgomery went 5-3 with a 3.82 ERA over 14 appearances, 13 starts, striking out 84 batters in 63.2 innings. Over his Texas Tech career, he finished 11-5 with a 4.10 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 116.2 innings.
That 2021 season led to his professional opportunity. The Tampa Bay Rays selected Montgomery in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB Draft with the 191st overall pick. This time, he signed and began his climb through one of baseball’s most respected pitching development systems.
Montgomery’s minor league career started quickly. In 2021, he pitched in the Florida Complex League and showed swing-and-miss stuff right away, striking out 20 batters in 10.2 innings. In 2022, he broke out in a big way. Between High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery, he went 6-3 with a 2.10 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 124.0 innings. That season helped put him firmly on the prospect map inside the Rays organization.
In 2023, Montgomery continued to build innings as a starter, splitting the season between Double-A Montgomery and Triple-A Durham. He made 29 starts, went 7-4 with a 3.98 ERA, and struck out 144 batters in 124.1 innings. The next season brought an adjustment. In 2024, he opened at Triple-A Durham and eventually began transitioning from starting pitcher to bullpen weapon. That move helped unlock the power side of his arsenal. His fastball played up, his strikeout numbers jumped, and by September, Tampa Bay called him to the big leagues.
Montgomery made his Major League debut on September 5, 2024, with the Tampa Bay Rays against the Minnesota Twins. He threw a scoreless inning and recorded his first big league strikeout. In his first taste of the majors, he made nine appearances and posted a 1.86 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 9.2 innings. In 2025, he spent more time in the Rays bullpen, appearing in 57 games and striking out 63 hitters in 46.0 innings.
On December 19, 2025, Montgomery was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a deal that brought him, Brandon Lowe, and Jake Mangum to Pittsburgh. For the Pirates, Montgomery represents the type of left-handed arm every bullpen needs, a pitcher with velocity, strikeout ability, and the experience of coming through a demanding player development system. In 2026 with Pittsburgh, he has been used both out of the bullpen and in some starting spots, giving the Pirates flexibility on their pitching staff.
Sportsvival had the chance to ask Montgomery about his baseball journey, growing up in Texas, his path from high school to college, the draft process, and what it has been like adjusting to professional baseball and Pittsburgh.
Sportsvival: When growing up, was baseball the only sport you played?
Mason Montgomery: No, I played football probably through middle school. I also did track and field in middle school. High school was just baseball.
For Montgomery, baseball eventually became the main focus, but like many athletes, his early years included multiple sports. Football and track helped build the athletic foundation, but once high school arrived, baseball became the clear direction.
Sportsvival: When did you know that baseball was what you were dominating at and wanted to do?
Mason Montgomery: Probably late middle school. I knew once I got to high school I wanted to just focus on baseball. It is what I loved the most.
That answer tells a lot about Montgomery’s path. It was not just about talent. It was about passion. By late middle school, he already knew baseball was the sport he wanted to chase. That focus carried into high school, where he became one of the better left-handed arms in Texas.
Sportsvival: When you were younger, you played other positions than pitcher, correct?
Mason Montgomery: Yeah, I played the field through high school, but was just a pitcher when I got to college.
Montgomery was not always just a pitcher. In high school, he was a true baseball player. He played the field, hit, and contributed in different ways. Once he got to Texas Tech, the focus shifted completely to pitching, but those years as a position player gave him a better understanding of the game from both sides.
Sportsvival: Did you like hitting?
Mason Montgomery: Yeah, it was fun, definitely frustrating at times.
That is a classic pitcher answer from someone who still remembers what it was like to step into the box. Hitting was fun, but it also came with the same frustration every hitter knows. In high school, Montgomery could swing it, hitting .350 as a junior, but his future was clearly going to be on the mound.
Sportsvival: During your high school career, when did you realize scouts were looking at you?
Mason Montgomery: I guess my junior year was when I started getting recruited for college. I was good my freshman and sophomore year, then I had a velo jump during my junior year from 82-83 to 90.
That velocity jump changed everything. Going from the low 80s to touching 90 as a junior turned Montgomery from a good high school pitcher into a legitimate college and professional prospect. That is when the recruiting attention started to pick up, and it eventually led to his commitment to Texas Tech.
Sportsvival: Did you get drafted out of high school?
Mason Montgomery: I did. I got drafted in the 39th round. The White Sox pretty much called me and said congratulations and good luck at Texas Tech.
That 2018 draft moment was part celebration and part confirmation that college was the right next step. The Chicago White Sox selected Montgomery in the 39th round, but there was never much question that he was going to Texas Tech. The White Sox knew it, Montgomery knew it, and the next stage of his development came in the Big 12.
Sportsvival: Did you play on draft day or did you and your family have a party?
Mason Montgomery: No, we just hung out watching the live updates and saw my name in round six. The Tampa Bay Rays took me.
Three years later, the draft experience was different. This time, Montgomery was not a late-round high school pick. He was a sixth-round selection by the Tampa Bay Rays. Watching the live updates with family and seeing his name come across in the sixth round was the moment his professional career officially began.
Sportsvival: How big was the adjustment from college ball to the pro ranks?
Mason Montgomery: It was and is an adjustment going from different leagues, whether it be A to AA or AAA to the majors. Adjustments never stop. One of the biggest adjustments from college to pros was how far and long you are away from your loved ones.
That may be the most important answer in the whole interview. Fans see the velocity, the strikeouts, the stat line, and the uniform. Players live the grind. Montgomery’s answer points out that the adjustment is not just about better hitters or tougher leagues. It is also about travel, distance, time away from family, and constantly having to adapt. From A-ball to Double-A, from Triple-A to the majors, the game keeps forcing players to adjust.
Sportsvival: How do you like Pittsburgh? I have been here 52 years and never left.
Mason Montgomery: I like it. Great sports town, great fans.
That answer will play well in Pittsburgh because it is true. Pittsburgh is a sports city through and through. The Pirates, Steelers, Penguins, Pitt, Riverhounds, and the local high school and college sports scene all matter here. For a player coming into that environment, the passion is easy to notice.
For Montgomery, Pittsburgh is the latest chapter in a baseball life that started in Texas. He went from a multi-sport kid, to a high school lefty with a big velocity jump, to Texas Tech, to a sixth-round pick, to the Rays, to the big leagues, and now to the Pirates. His story is still being written, but the foundation is clear. He has had to make adjustments at every level, and he understands that the work does not stop.
The Pirates are always searching for arms that can miss bats, and Montgomery brings that kind of ability from the left side. His fastball has played at the major league level, his strikeout numbers show the upside, and his journey shows the toughness required to survive the climb. For Sportsvival, these are the stories we love telling, not just what a player does on the mound, but how he got there, what shaped him, and what still drives him forward.