Glendale, AZ — The Arizona Complex League White Sox saw themselves down four runs before they had a chance to bat Monday evening. While they quickly were put in a hole, the team used the long ball to battle back, eventually taking a lead late. Unfortunately, their squad’s lead would vanish in what ended up being a back-and-forth affair, with the ACL Indians ending up on the winning side of things in a 12-8 ballgame.
It didn’t take long for the ACL White Sox to answer the ACL Indians as 2019 12th rounder, Misael Gonzalez connected on a two-run home run to centerfield to make it a 4-2 game. Gonzalez has been putting together a strong 2021 season. Heading into the game, he was slashing .286/.318/.524 and owns a wRC+ of 104. In this one, he went 2-4 with a home run, double, two walks, and two RBI to add to his impressive campaign.
Gonzalez already has experience playing in the ACL. He appeared in 36 Complex League games in 2019, but struggled quite a bit while adjusting to professional baseball. It seems like things are clicking for him now as he has been one of the most impressive hitters in the ACL White Sox lineup.
He has a quick, compact swing with good bat speed. Even though he doesn’t walk much, Gonzalez is showing a pretty good approach at the plate for someone in rookie ball. He’s not known for being a power hitter, but he’s already tripled his home run total from 2019, so the potential of developing some pop is worth monitoring.
While the home run and double were impressive, Gonzalez’s most impressive plate appearance of the evening ended in a walk. He got down to his final strike, worked his way back to a full count, and fouled off four or five consecutive pitches before taking a free pass. Often times in rookie ball, you see hitters get very aggressive. Gonzalez, however, has shown flashes of a more mature approach and this was one of them.
Joining Gonzalez in the home run party on Monday night was Benyamin Bailey and Anderson Comas. The pair went back-to-back in the second inning to tie things up at 4-4. Bailey collected two hits on the night and both times he put the ball in play, he did it with authority. Bailey has been struggling lately, so it’s good to see him string together a solid day at the plate.
After reaching via a walk, Gonzalez scored on a wild pitch in the same inning, giving the White Sox their first lead of the night. Comas would add to that lead later on by going deep again for his second solo shot and fourth home run of the ACL Season. After being down early, the ACL White Sox managed to claw their way back and take the lead. Things were looking up, until the ACL Indians bats got hot again.
It seemed like whenever the ACL White Sox would gain momentum, the ACL Indians would counter. The ACL Indians took a 7-6 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Jefferson Mendoza came to the plate and wasn’t ready to go home yet. His RBI single gave the White Sox a chance to take the game in extras.
Unfortunately, the ACL Indians would put up five runs in the top of the tenth, putting the game out of reach. The ACL White Sox gave it a good effort and didn’t give up when they were in an early hole. It was fun to see this group battle back and eventually, that same effort will lead to more wins.
Feature Photo Credit: Sean Williams/FutureSox
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