Position: OF
Born: 9/10/1995
Ht: 6’1″ Wt: 180 lb B-T: L-L
Acquired: Drafted 3rd round in the 2017 draft out of the University of New Mexico
Career Stats
FutureSox Prospect Rankings
- #28 – 2017 Midseason
- #22 – 2018 Preseason
- #13 – 2018 Midseason
- #10 – 2019 Preseason
- #14 – 2019 Midseason
- #14 – 2020 Preseason
- #12 – 2020 Midseason
- #12 – 2021 Preseason
FutureSox Media
- In-person report with video and quotes, April 2018
- Podcast interview, Dec. 2018
- Despite down season, Luis Gonzalez remains intriguing, Feb. 2020
- Luis Gonzalez off to strong start in important 2020, March 2020
- Gonzalez called up for MLB debut, August 2020
- 2020 rookie review
- VIDEO: Interview, Jan. 2021
- All FutureSox articles tagged Luis Gonzalez
Accolades
- South Atlantic League All-Star, 2018 Midseason
Scouting Report
Gonzalez was born in Mexico and played his prep ball in Tuscon, Ariz. He was a two-way player at the University of New Mexico, but his pro career in the outfield. At the plate Gonzalez shows fantastic discipline and control of the zone. He smacked 20 extra base hits in 2017, good for 40.5% of his total hits, but is mostly known for gap power.
As a third-round pick out of college, Gonzalez was quickly assigned to Low-A Kannapolis in his draft year. The results were mixed at the plate (.245/.356/.361, 38:50 BB:K in 63 games). In 2018 he exploded, hitting .300/.358/.491 in 55 games with Kannapolis, then an even better .313/.376/.504 after promotion to Winston-Salem for the second half.
After doing so well in A ball, Gonzalez moved to Double-A Birmingham in 2019 and was among a bunch of hitting prospects that struggled on that team. He hit .247/.316/.359. With no minor league season in 2020 he was not given the chance to improve upon that. Instead, he spent most of the year at the White Sox alternate training site in Schaumburg and even made a brief MLB debut.
As a total package, Gonzalez is a polished college player with potential in all five tools and will contribute in multiple ways. He is a safe bet to stick in center, and unlike previously drafted toolsy outfielders, Gonzalez has very little swing-and-miss in his game. Offensively, he hasn’t proven he can hit above A ball, which may lead him to a future as a fourth outfielder. His ability to play all three outfield spots makes him a reasonable candidate for that role.
He has received high marks for his competitiveness and baseball acumen. He looks like a true center fielder with good instincts, and has above-average to plus speed, arm, and range. He consistently gets himself into favorable hitters’ counts and makes loud contact to all fields, then uses his speed on the basepaths. Contact is consistent and he draws walks at a decent clip as a result of that plate discipline.
Major League Outlook: Fourth outfielder with ceiling of starting CF
ETA: 2021