Luis Gonzalez was not on many pundits’ radars entering the 2018 season considering the embarrassment of riches the White Sox have in their minor-league system. Yet, Gonzalez is swinging his way into the conversation and boasts the No.-18 spot in a crowded prospect list.
#WhiteSox 2017 3rd-rounder Luis Gonzalez leads off with a homer for @Intimidators, his 7th dinger of the season (now slashing .335/.386/.545). No. 18 on the @WhiteSox Top 30 Prospects list: https://t.co/WZTfDOi21k pic.twitter.com/Oyp3rSTCD5
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 27, 2018
Gonzalez was a third-round pick in 2017 out of the University of New Mexico and signed for below-slot money. Conventional wisdom places big-league talent in the top 10 rounds of the draft and Gonzalez is squarely in that conversation, although his stature and tools don’t inspire excitement. At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds he doesn’t feature the kind of levers and strength that scouts become smitten with, but he does one thing exceptionally well that the White Sox love — control the strike zone.
Gonzalez walked 124 times in three seasons at New Mexico against only 71 strikeouts. He maintained his patient approach last season in Kannapolis despite appearing fatigued. And in his second tour of K-Town, Gonzalez is smushing baseballs. After Sunday’s game, Gonzales has belted seven home runs and 13 doubles on his way to a .339/.396/.554 slash line.
Besides the home runs, strikeouts have become a problem in 2018. However, this is more an indication of an evolving approach as Gonzalez jumps on premium pitches earlier in the count. Part of hitting is figuring out the balance of aggression and patience at the plate. Gonzalez could and will work a patient approach at the plate, but it also makes a great deal of sense to attack fastballs earlier in the count to take advantage of hurlers trying to slip a piped heater past him.
An aggressive approach is working out for Gonzalez right now but White Sox brass will want to see a return to a patiently calculated approach as he develops into a big-league prospect. In the meantime, keep a watchful eye on Gonzalez as he makes a case for a promotion early in the season.
