When the White Sox selected Jacob Gonzalez with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, they envisioned a versatile middle infielder with 20-homer potential. Instead, it’s been three years of frustration and below-average production from Gonzalez. He hit just .238 with eight homers in 2024, and posted a very similar .232 with eight homers in 2025. Heading into 2026, it felt like Gonzalez’s last chance to tap into his potential and show why the White Sox used the 15th pick on him, but I’ll admit, I wasn’t particularly confident it was going to happen. Boy, was I wrong.
Jacob Gonzalez just hit the longest Home Run of the season by a Knight...428 feet! Watch this one fly! 🫢 pic.twitter.com/m5CKQ3jfvA
— Charlotte Knights (@KnightsBaseball) April 25, 2026
Through 26 games with Triple-A Charlotte, Gonzalez is slashing .277/.395/.574 with eight homers and a .969 OPS. He’s reached his home run total from each of the past two seasons before the end of April, and he’s also improved his walk rate significantly. Gonzalez has primarily been playing shortstop for the Knights, but has spent time at every infield position, including first base. Gonzalez attributed his recent success to some offseason changes he made while working with his dad in Mississippi this offseason.
“When I hit, I learned this offseason my first movement when I load is I want to bend at the waist and go down”, Gonzalez said. “In my previous setup, I was already starting with my waist bent so my first move was to go lower. The lower I got, the less room I had to get my arms through correctly.”
Jacob Gonzalez's swing changes could put him back in White Sox plans
Stance adjustments have been a familiar topic for White Sox hitting coaches in recent years. Miguel Vargas’ pre-pitch hands adjustment may have resurrected his career, and the White Sox stance adjustment with outfielder Everson Pereira has paid off in the early going. Gonzalez could be the latest White Sox hitter to find some success in this department, and it came at the perfect time for him. Gonzalez will be 24 in May and currently ranks as the 24th prospect in the White Sox system on MLB Pipeline.
It’s less than a month into the 2026 seasons, so it’s a bit premature to call Gonzalez’s excellent start a breakout, but he’s looked much better this month than he ever has at the minor league level. The White Sox infield is full, but Gonzalez could soon force the issue with his production and versatility. Should an injury to an infielder take place, he could be the first name called upon. That would certainly be an unexpected positive development to the 2026 season.
The 2023 draft already looked promising for the White Sox with RHP Grant Taylor selected in the second round, rising pitching prospect Christian Oppor in the fifth, and powerful outfielder George Wolkow in the seventh. Should Jacob Gonzalez’s resurgence continue and he establishes himself as a big league player, it could turn the 2023 draft into a major success for Mike Shirley and the White Sox.
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