Former White Sox First Round Pick Proving Doubters Wrong
The White Sox farm system has rapidly improved over the last year or so. They now have four top 100 prospects and a few more that just missed the list. There has been a lot of improvement from a lot of different players in the system, however, one stands out above the rest. That would be none other than 2023 first round draft pick, Jacob Gonzalez.
The White Sox selected Gonzalez out of Ole Miss with the 15th pick in last year’s draft. A three-year contributor, Gonzalez had a great college career, which warranted his first-round selection. In his three years, he hit .319 with a .427 OBP. He added 40 home runs and 158 RBIs, as he was a very productive run producer for the Rebels. These stats are the main reason why he was a consensus first-rounder, and many thought the White Sox got a great player in the middle of the first round.
However, his professional debut did not go how he would’ve liked. Gonzalez started in rookie ball at the Arizona Complex league, where he play alright. He hit .250 but posted an impressive .375 OBP. He walked three times compared to just two strikeouts. He played four games there before he was promoted to Low-A Kannapolis for the remainder of the season.
In 30 games with Kannapolis, he would struggle. He hit .207 with a .328 OBP. He hit just one homerun and had 13 RBIs. The production from the bat just wasn’t there. The most promising aspect was that he walked 20 times with just 23 strikeouts. The fact that he took these walks while struggling is a great sign, as the hits will come, and that is exactly what happened.
After many people wrote Gonzalez off, he is proving them wrong, as this year has been a huge success. Gonzalez would start off in High-A Kannapolis, a level higher than last year. There he would play very well, as he hit .273 with a .364 OBP. He added three homeruns, 15 RBIs, and walked 19 times to just 17 strikeouts. This was an impressive start the season for Gonzalez and he would earn himself a promotion to AA Birmingham.
Birmingham is where Gonzalez has really impressed. So far in five games(24 at-bats), Gonzalez has 11 hits, good for a .458 average. He has one homer, seven RBIs, and has multi hit games in 4/5 of his games. He has started his AA career off with a bang.
After making some swing adjustments in the offseason, his bat has looked consistently better. He is driving the ball to the gaps and showing off why he was a first round pick.
He is even getting some work in at second base, perhaps so he can share the middle infield with Colson Montgomery in Chicago sooner rather than later. An infield of Bryan Ramos, Colson Montgomery, and Jacob Gonzalez should excite White Sox fans, as it could be one of the best infields they have had in a while.
It is great to see Gonzalez made some adjustments and firmly put himself in the White Sox future. When the midseason top-100 prospect lists come out, don’t be surprised if you see Gonzalez on there.