MLB franchise cornerstone debate: White Sox’s Colson Montgomery or Red Sox’s Marcelo Mayer?

From early returns, Montgomery has consistently outperformed Mayer, earning a significant boost from his early power surge. Playing on a rebuilding club and next to an under-performing Luis Robert Jr., Montgomery went 3-for-5 during his second start -- and kept hitting.

Through four starts, he was hitting. 400, connecting on his first home run during his 15th appearance. He then went on to homer in the next two games and 21 times in 284 plate appearances.

Montgomery made the White Sox appear more fundamentally sound, posting a 3.3 WAR. The franchise that has gone 60-102, 41-121, and 61-101 over the previous three campaigns went 31-37 during his second-half starts.

Mayer apparently needed some time to adjust to major-league pitching. As a rookie, the left-handed hitter struck out 41 times and produced a .228 batting average in 136 plate appearances. His power was limited to four homers and eight doubles. His WAR was 0.2.

Mayer's long run may just be getting started. In nine appearances since Marathon Monday, he compiled a .407 batting average with a .967 OPS. His 15.3 percent strikeout rate is down nearly half from last season.

Both young positional standouts are expected to develop into long-term franchise cornerstones.

Who would you rather have?