Jacob Gonzalez made his Double-A debut for Birmingham on Tuesday, and he's off to an auspicious start, going 3-for-5 with two strikeouts in the Barons' 6-2 victory over the Biloxi Shuckers.
Gonzalez's promotion struck me as slightly early, not necessarily because he didn't look ready for it, but more because Brooks Baldwin had been hitting .353/.439/.474 while committing just two errors over 36 games at shortstop, and the Sox might want to prolong the window of time where he, Gonzalez and Colson Montgomery could continue to own the position at independent levels.
Instead, Baldwin drew the short straw among shortstops, as he's caught between higher-ranked prospects at the position. Birmingham manager Sergio Santos told Sox Machine -- James, specifically -- that Baldwin will be the one asked to expand his skill set the most.
"Brooks is still going to get three games [per week] at short, a couple at second and a couple at third," Santos said. "Like I told him, that is such a plus thing to have. At shortstop, for you to go up, something needs to happen specifically to the shortstop. But when you play so many different positions and you play them well, now your chances of going up to the big leagues is a lot higher because you can play those positions and you’ve played them in the past.”
It makes sense, especially when you consider Baldwin's previous life as a superutility player. He played just about everywhere else more than shortstop during his collegiate career, as well as his first year in the White Sox system. He only started handling short everyday upon a promotion to Winston-Salem during the second half of the 2023 season, and while he's performed commendably there, he doesn't have the Gold Glove defense or the frequently loud contact to stiff-arm first-round picks off the position.
At least not yet, but if Baldwin can sustain his surprising performance over the next couple months, he'll serve a valuable purpose in keeping everybody above him honest.
Nashville 10, Charlotte 3
- Colson Montgomery went 1-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout.
- Bryan Ramos was 0-for-2 with a walk in his first rehab appearance.
- Zach DeLoach was 0-for-3 with a walk.
- Adam Hackenberg, 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Jonathan Cannon: 4 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HBP, 50 of 83 pitches for strikes.
- Prelander Berroa: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 WP
Notes:
*Montgomery doubled his error total with three errors -- two fielding and one throwing.
Birmingham 6, Biloxi 2
- Terrell Tatum went 1-for-5 with a triple and three strikeouts.
- Jacob Gonzalez singled thrice and struck out twice in his Double-A debut.
- Brooks Baldwin went 2-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Edgar Quero was 1-for-4 with a homer, walk and two strikeouts.
- Wilfred Veras went 0-for-5 with a K.
- Tim Elko, 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.
- Jacob Burke was 3-for-4 with two stolen bases.
- Jake Eder: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 53 of 90 pitches for strikes.
Bowling Green 14, Winston-Salem 4
- Loidel Chapelli went 1-for-5 with a double.
- Eddie Park, 3-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Calvin Harris went 1-for-2 with three walks.
- Wes Kath was 1-for-4 with a double, walk and two strikeouts.
- Samuel Zavala, 1-for-3 with a sac fly and a strikeout.
- Tanner McDougal: 3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR, 52 of 82 pitches for strikes.
- Shane Drohan's first appearance with the Dash was a struggle: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, 11 of 23 pitches for strikes.
Kannapolis 5, Augusta 0
- Rikuu Nishida went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Ryan Burrowes wore the collar and silver sombrero.
- Drew McDaniel: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 11 K
Notes:
*The Cannon Ballers posted five runs despite striking out 19 times against zero walks.
ACL Brewers 7, ACL White Sox 4
- Abraham Nunez went 1-for-4 with an HBP and a strikeout.
- Adrian Gil was 2-for-3 with two walks and a stolen base.
- George Wolkow went 2-for-5.
- Angelo Hernandez, 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Maximo Martinez: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
