Until recently, it seemed like Jacob Gonzalez would be the newest White Sox first-round draft bust. His minor league stats left much to be desired, and he dropped down prospect lists as a result. He currently ranks as just the #11 prospect in the White Sox organization per MLB.com. It has been a significant fall from grace for a player taken in the first round only two years ago. Gonzalez has turned things around for the better as of late, however. A few minor tweaks have skyrocketed his numbers and have created new hope for him moving forward.
Initial Struggles In Pro Ball
When the White Sox took Gonzalez 15th overall in the 2023 draft, it surprised some. He had a very productive career at Ole Miss but lacked a signature tool that most first-rounders have. He was good in many areas but not elite at anything. Still, the White Sox thought highly enough of him to use a premium pick to get him.
Gonzalez’s transition to professional baseball was not smooth to say the least. In 30 games with the Low-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers in 2023 after getting drafted, he slashed just .207/.328/.261. He rebounded with a better .273/.364/.399 line in 36 games with the High-A Winston-Salem Dash last season and eventually earned a promotion to the Double-A Birmingham Barons in late May of 2024.
Rough Stint In Double-A
Unfortunately for Gonzalez, the flaws in his game were even more evident against better competition in Double-A. He hit just .225/.284/.321 in 407 plate appearances over 94 games with the Barons in 2024. Adding further salt into the wound were the rising prospect stocks of Bryce Eldridge, Arjun Nimmala, Colt Emerson, George Lombard Jr., and Aidan Miller. They were all drafted after Gonzalez and are now top 100 caliber prospects.
The start of Gonzalez’s 2025 campaign in Double-A was much like last year. Following the conclusion of his game on May 15th, Gonzalez was hitting just .214/.305/.304 in 128 plate appearances over 31 games. He wasn’t showing much of any progress. Something had to change.
Torpedo Bat
Word came out that Gonzalez started using a torpedo bat in mid-May. The results have been noticeable. Entering tonight, he is hitting a much improved .301/.357/.504 with nine doubles and four home runs in 127 plate appearances over his last 31 games since May 16th. He is also striking out just 11.8% of the time in this stretch, an improvement over his 14% strikeout rate in Double-A last season. He owns one of the best strikeout rates among all Southern League hitters and has a respectable 119 wRC+ on the season.
Swing Changes
Gonzalez has also made significant changes to his stance since his college days. He began experimenting with his mechanics in the box as long ago as last year and started focusing on getting stronger too, per James Fegan of Sox Machine. Gonzalez is much more upright in the batter’s box now, with a more closed stance than his days at Ole Miss. He still uses a leg kick as a timing mechanism, but his mechanics appear to be more efficient than ever before.
First career bomb for Jacob Gonzalez and it's a big one!
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 21, 2021
🎥 @FloBaseball
📡 https://t.co/kCmwSPS7e5@jakegonzalez717 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/cvPBcSBmYl
Jacob Gonzalez goes deep and hits it right to somebody with stone hands in RF. It's his 5th HR. Caden Connor (BB) comes in to score. 3-1 #Barons. pic.twitter.com/U0ZTk3kcBf
— FutureSox (@FutureSox) June 15, 2025
Final Word
Jacob Gonzalez is proof that prospect development is not a linear process. After several years of struggling in the minors, he appears to have turned a corner thanks to a few small changes. He will have to keep this up for an extended period to prove he is not a victim of a small sample size, but the recent returns are promising. The White Sox infield is more crowded than it has been in some time. Miguel Vargas, Lenyn Sosa, Chase Meidroth, Brooks Baldwin, Colson Montgomery, and Bryan Ramos could all be factors in the field moving forward, not to mention other prospects in the lower levels. But if Gonzalez keeps performing, he will force the issue sooner rather than later.
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