White Sox select Jacob Gonzalez in first round of 2023 MLB draft

7:56 PM CDT on July 9, 2023

White Sox draft pick Jacob Gonzalez — Jacob Gonzalez/Ole Miss Athletics

The White Sox didn't throw the 2023 MLB draft for a loop this year, as they selected Jacob Gonzalez out of Ole Miss in the first round (15th overall) of the 2023 MLB draft.

Mike Shirley shocked everybody when he selected Noah Schultz last year, but Gonzalez appeared in the final mock drafts of Sox Machine Podcast superfriends Josh Nelson and Jim Callis, so this is something closer to chalk.

Josh said:

I’m sticking with Ole Miss shortstop Jacob Gonzalez as he’s the best college hitter available. With how poorly Tim Anderson has been playing, I don’t think it’s a bad idea for the White Sox to add another quality shortstop to their system along with Colson Montgomery. Perhaps with Montgomery having better athleticism than Gonzalez, a move over to third base could be in the works.
What I like about Gonzalez is that I think the bat will play being a 50 contact / 50 power bat with sure hands and a good throwing arm to be an above-average major league shortstop. Gonzalez has also played on a National Championship team, and folks down in Oxford rave about his leadership skills.

You can read more about Gonzalez in the FutureSox draft profile, but to sum it up for those new in town...

What's his game?

The 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pound shortstop leads with his left-handed bat. He hit .327/.435/.565 with 10 homers, 35 walks and just 28 strikeouts over 253 plate appearances in his junior year.

If you're bullish on Gonzalez, you like his plate discipline, bat-to-ball ability and potential to stick at shortstop due to his hands, arms and instincts. If you're bearish, you might look at his stepping-in-the-bucket swing and think that he might have trouble covering the outer third of the strike zone with authority, and his lack of speed will eventually relegate him to third base.

The pessimistic forecast isn't especially gloomy, because everybody seems to like how he plays the game enough to forecast a reliable regular. But in a draft that features such intriguing top-end talent among the first five or so picks, Gonzalez didn't offer some of the same explosive qualities, which is why he was available in the middle of the round.