When the White Sox took Misael Gonzalez in the 12th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, most scouts complimented his defense and speed. He was an over-slot signing ($185K) out of Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. Gonzalez entered the White Sox organization with some intriguing all around tools.
Former Scouting Director Nick Hostetler mentioned Gonzalez showed power potential too at his pre draft workout. However, his first go around in Arizona left a lot to be desired.
In 2019, Misael Gonzalez came stateside to play in the Arizona Complex League as a skinny, speedy outfielder. Professional pitching appeared to be a little to overwhelming for Gonzalez at first. In 36 games with the ACL White Sox in 2019, he slashed .195/.246/.237 with five doubles, six RBI, eight walks, and 52 strikeouts. His performance led to a wRC+ of 38 and wOBA of .237, both well below average.
This year, he got another crack at the Arizona Complex League and he looks like a completely different player. Both literally and physically. Gonzalez entered 2021 with a much more muscular frame and with the added muscle, he’s maintained his speed. Off the field isn’t the only place where Gonzalez has improved this year, as he’s put up much better numbers across the board.
In 21 games with the ACL White Sox this year, Gonzalez is slashing .311/.393/.595 with six doubles, five home runs, 23 RBI, 6 walks and 26 strikeouts. He also owns a 145 wRC+ and .436 wOBA, with both metrics seeing a significant improvement since 2019. Gonzalez has also managed to tie his hit total (23) in 2019 while doing it in 15 less games.
Like Hostetler mentioned before, there was power potential that he saw in Gonzalez’s bat. And Gonzalez is starting to show flashes of that ability. His five home runs has him as the team leader for the ACL White Sox and has him sixth overall throughout the entire Complex League.
The physical improvement have helped Misael Gonzalez improve his game this year. However, there are other factors leading to his excellent 2021 campaign as well. He’s showing a more patient approach. When he first came into the organization, he was an aggressive hitter and it amounted to a lot of strikeouts and soft contact.
As a rookie, Misael Gonzalez carried a 40.9 strikeout rate and 6.3 walk rate. With a developing approach, he’s still not walking at a much improved clip, but he is making improvements. In 2021, he is walking at a 7.1 clip and striking out at a 30.9 clip.
With him being more patient at the plate, he’s hitting the baller harder and in the air more frequently. Gonzalez has improved his line drive percentage from 26.2 to 39.5 and his flyball percentage from 23.1 to 32.6, all while cutting his ground ball rate nearly in half from 50.8 to 27.9.
So not only is Misael Gonzalez making contact more consistently, he’s making harder contact become a common thing. He’s primarily been a pull hitter since coming into the White Sox organization. However, he starting to develop an all fields approach this year, going the opposite way more often when given the opportunity to.
Misael Gonzalez has also made a slight swing change this year. He’s widened his stance a little bit, giving him more balance and keeping his body in sync in the batter’s box. Between the slight swing change, developing approach, and physical improvements, it’s not a surprise to see Gonzalez start tapping into his power potential in 2021.
At the plate isn’t the only place Gonzalez is standing out this year. He’s primarily been a centerfielder for the ACL White Sox, but has also seen some time in right field and left field. in 144.1 innings of outfield work this year, Gonzalez has played error free baseball.
His gifted speed gives him an edge to be a successful fielder. But he’s showing he can be more than a guy who is speedy in the field. Gonzalez has shown the ability to get great reads off the bat and making that a consistent trait.
He’s been able to track down balls hit well above his head with his instincts and good footwork. His profile is probably best suited for centerfield. However, he’s showed that his skillset can translate to either of the corner spots without issue as well.
The White Sox have had a wave of young, intriguing prospects making their way through Arizona before moving up in the system. We’ve seen guys like Jose Rodriguez and Bryan Ramos fly up prospect boards after standing out in Arizona.
Misael Gonzalez seems to be the next in line to go along that same path. While the 2021 season hasn’t been great for the ACL White Sox, one significant takeaway is the development of Misael Gonzalez and the improvements he’s made this year.
Feature Photo Credit: Sean Williams/FutureSox
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