White Sox Prospect Season Recap: No. 11, Jacob Gonzalez

The 2024 season for the Chicago White Sox was one of the worst in modern day baseball history. They were 41-121 and the worst team in the league by far. The bright spots were few and far between, as the team was very hard to watch for many White Sox fans. 

However, down on the farm, the White Sox have some very intriguing players that can give fans a glimmer of hope for the future. We will be recapping the seasons of some of the best prospects in the White Sox system, starting from #30 and going in order to #1 as MLB Pipeline has them ranked. As you’ll see, there are some very intriguing prospects that can help bring the White Sox back to relevance.

Ranked at 11th is Jacob Gonzalez, the White Sox first round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft. In his three years at Ole Miss, he hit .319 with a .427 OBP. He would add 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 White Sox organizational career would get off to a rocky start, as he didn't play well in his limited time to end the 2023 season. Over 30 games with Kannapolis, he hit .207 with a .328 OBP. He hit one homerun and added 13 RBIs, but overall he wasn't really productive with the bat. The White Sox were hoping he'd turn things around in 2024, but that wasn't the case, as he struggled in AA.

Gonzalez started the year off with Winston-Salem, where he would play in 36 games before being promoted to Birmingham. He hit .273 with a .364 OBP. He added three homeruns, 15 RBIs, and struck out less than he walked, as he had 19 walks to 17 strikeouts. He also swiped seven bags. This was a great start to the season for Gonzalez, but after a hot start in Birmingham, he struggled the rest of the year.

At AA Birmingham in 94 games, he hit .225 with a .284 OBP. He added five homeruns, 42 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. This isn't quite the season you want out of your first round pick, but he showed some potential.

Jacob Gonzalez GRAND SLAM. 4-1 #Barons. #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/w1EokmbLcq

— FutureSox (@FutureSox) June 29, 2024

Gonzalez is a very talented player but he needs to put it all together and be more consistent. 2025 will be a huge year for him, as if he doesn't show much improvement, he could fall out of the White Sox long term plans, as Chris Getz was not the GM when they drafted him.

I hope Gonzalez can put together a nice start to the season and earn a promotion to AAA to see what he can do there. He's still only 22 so he has plenty of time to improve, but as a first round pick from college, there are always high expectations.