South Side Sox Top Prospect No. 42: Shawn Goosenberg
An odd defensive switch didn’t slow down his production
Shawn Goosenberg
First Baseman
6´1´´
193 pounds
Age: 24
2022 SSS Top Prospect Ranking 71
2023 SSS Top Prospect Ranking 64
2023 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -0.6 years
SSS rank among all first basemen in the system 2
Overall 2023 regular season stats 104 games ⚾️ 9 HR ⚾️ 48 RBI ⚾️ .261/.357/.393 ⚾️ 49 BB ⚾️ 94 K ⚾️ 32-of-38 (84.2%) SB
Despite stellar performances overseas and at Calabasas High, Shawn Goosenberg’s slight, 6´1´´, 180-pound frame and modest statistics made for a quiet college recruiting process. So once his coaches got in contact with the staff at Northwestern, Goosenberg jumped at the chance to attend a top academic school and play baseball in the Big Ten. By the second month of the 2019 season, Goosenberg was a regular in the Cats lineup; he finished the year with a .288 batting average and was selected to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and All-Big Ten Third Team, even as NU finished 23-27 overall and ninth in the conference.
Goosenberg continued his upward trajectory at the beginning of his sophomore season, translating offseason work in the weight room into tangible offensive improvements. Then, COVID-19 cut the season after just 13 games. What an impressive season it was, however, as Goosenberg slashed .444/.500/.704 with a homer in 27 at-bats before the pandemic struck. Goosenberg continued working on his game over the summer, a regimen that included playing for the Kalamazoo Mac Daddies in the Northwoods League in Kalamazoo, Mich.
Prior to 2021, Goosenberg had clubbed just one career homer in 230 combined plate appearances for the Wildcats. That all changed in his junior season, however, as he swatted 14 homers in 169 plate appearances. For the year, Goosenberg also mashed 12 doubles and stole 10 bases while producing an impressive .362/.426/.717 slash line. As a result of his efforts, he was selected in the 19th round of the MLB Draft by the White Sox.
After slashing a robust .273/.385/.545 in an abbreviated six-game stint with the ACL squad, Goosenberg struggled with Kannapolis (.213/.351/.338 and a 98 wRC+ in 29 games). Combined with both teams, he slashed .225/.358/.382 with eight doubles, two homers, four stolen bases, 15 walks (12.2%) and 39 strikeouts (31.7%).
Goosenberg performed well with 2022’s promotion to Winston-Salem to start the season — when he was able. The “able” part is the problem here, as the infielder was basically injured all season, with May and June stints on the IL. That June stint, beginning on June 14, ended his season.
With full health the main objective of his 2023 season (19th Round picks don’t tend to get much leeway), Goosenberg thrived. And his success came in spite of his primary position moving to ... first base. Yes, despite terrific quicks and a career as a middle infielder, Goosenberg played 68 games at first, 18 in left field ... and two at second base. This could have been a matter of knowing Goosenberg can handle second base and filling a void in Winston-Salem at first — and again, lord knows low picks and UDFAs get jerked around when juxtaposed against blue chip picks — but it’s downright strange to give Goosenberg, who at 6´1´´on a good day doesn’t have the traditional first-sacker build, so little time in the middle infield.
That said, Goosenberg touched all the bases with his 2023 return to health, including some uncanny base-stealing ability and solid on-base numbers.
Goosenberg’s Baseball Cube player ratings
Speed 79 (+2 from last season)
Power 76 (-6)
Hitting 71 (-2)
XBH 69 (-7)
Durability 65 (+4)
RBIs 59 (-3)
Runs 54 (-1)
Contact 50 (+2)
Goosenberg had a three-game cup of coffee with Birmingham at the end of 2023, and that’s where he will start his 2024 season.
[Note: The makeup of the White Sox minors changes over the long course of this project, shifting ratings. The February 3 trades with Seattle and Arizona have added three highly-rated prospects to our list, sliding players down. The list below represents our updated rankings, although the stories they link to will retain original rankings (example, No. 56 Troy Claunch originally was our No. 55 prospect).]
2024 South Side Sox Top 100 White Sox Prospects
42. Shawn Goosenberg, 1B
43. Norge Vera, RHSP
44. Riley Gowens, RHSP
45. Jared Kelley, RHRP
46. Ryan Galanie, 1B
47. DJ Gladney, LF
48. Eddie Park, CF
49. Yoelqui Céspedes, CF
50. Christian Oppor, LHSP
51. Michael Turner, C
52. Tristan Stivors, RHRP
53. Caleb Freeman, RHRP
54. Jake Peppers, RHSP
55. Shane Murphy, LHRP
56. Troy Claunch, C
57. Edrick Felix, 2B
58. Gabriel Rodríguez, RHSP
59. Edgar Navarro, RHRP
60. Lucas Gordon, LHSP
61. Andrew Pérez, LHRP
62. Javier Mogollon, 2B
63. Aldrin Batista, RHSP
64. Ryan Castillo, 1B
65. Bryce Willits, 3B
66. Colby Smelley, C
67. Wes Kath, 3B
68. Alsander Womack, 2B
69. Jordan Sprinkle, SS
70. Connor McCullough, RHSP
71. Luis Rodriguez, RHRP
72. Jonah Scolaro, LHRP
73. Ben Beutel, LHRP
74. Stiven Flores, C
75. Adrian Gil, 1B
76. Yohemy Nolasco, RHRP
77. Ben Norman, LF
78. Josimar Cousín, RHSP
79. Juan Gonzalez, C
80. Chris Lanzilli, LF
81. Alex Speas, RHRP
82. Fraser Ellard, LHRP
83. Garrett Wright, RHRP
84. Duke Ellis, CF
85. Mathias LaCombe, RHRP
86. Godwin Bennett, RF
87. Rikuu Nishida, LF
88. Caden Connor, LF
89. Zach Franklin, RHRP
90. Jeremy González, LHSP
91. Jerry Burke, RHRP
92. Frankeli Arias, LHSP
93. Mikey Kane, 3B
94. Carlton Perkins, RHSP
95. Tyler Neslony, LF
96. Drew Dalquist, RHSP
97. Jason Matthews, SS
98. Jonathan Stiever, RHSP
99. Tommy Sommer, LHSP
100. Daniel González, LHRP