Headed by Gonzalez, White Sox target college winners with top draft picks
There's a lot to like about Jacob Gonzalez, the White Sox's first-round draft pick last Sunday.
Over three seasons at Mississippi, he slashed .319/.427/.561.
While hitting 43 doubles, 40 homers and driving in 158 runs in 186 games with the Rebels, Gonzalez struck out just 94 times and drew 123 walks in 863 plate appearances.
He was selected to play on the USA Baseball collegiate national team in 2021-22 and was a three-time Perfect Game All-American at Glendora High School outside of Los Angeles.
Only 21 years old, Gonzalez already has a resume loaded with individual success.
His burning desire to win might be the most desirable attribute.
Heading into his freshman year with Mississippi, Gonzalez already had his sights set on winning the College World Series.
"In my head, it was, 'We're winning the national championship, it's not that hard,'" Gonzalez said. "We lost in the Super Regional and I was like, 'Dang, it actually is pretty hard.' Winning it the next year was kind of a sigh of relief because the year before, I had the highest expectations.
"I'm always hoping to win, I always want to win. I look forward to winning in the future."
For a White Sox team over halfway through a second straight lifeless season, a player with Gonzalez's burning drive for success can't arrive soon enough.
Still, the Sox using their No. 15 overall draft pick to select another shortstop was a bit surprising.
Colson Montgomery, the White Sox's first-rounder in 2021, is a shortstop.
That's also Tim Anderson's position, which doesn't say much for his long-term future on the South Side.
The Sox's best hitter and unquestioned leader at this point last year, Anderson has since been sidelined by three injuries (finger, knee, shoulder) and has taken a staggering step backward.
Anderson has a very reasonable $14 million club option for 2024 in his contract, so the 30-year-old shortstop could either be traded by the Aug. 1 deadline this year or stick around another season with the White Sox before hitting free agency.
For as good as he was with the bat at Ole Miss, Gonzalez gave himself a "C" grade as a defender.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is athletic enough to move to third base if Montgomery winds up as the Sox's shortstop of the future.
His ability to make contact and put the ball in play is the White Sox's biggest need at the moment and Gonzalez could be major-league ready by 2025.
Drafting players from winning college programs was obviously a goal for the Sox this year.
Even though he had Tommy John surgery and missed the season, second-round pick Grant Taylor was a member of LSU's national championship team.
The Sox drafted Taylor No. 51 overall. Baseball America had the 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-handed pitcher rated No. 78.
"Big frame and big fastball," Baseball America said of Taylor. "Has shown several good secondary (pitches)."
In the third round, the White Sox drafted Wake Forest right-hander Seth Keener. He was a starter and reliever for the powerhouse Demon Deacons, who made it to the College World Series and were 54-12.
The Sox went back to Ole Miss on the fourth round, drafting catcher Calvin Harris.
With teams like LSU and Mississippi, the Southeastern Conference has been a force in recent years.
"There are people around the scouting circles who call it the varsity league," White Sox director of amateur scouting Mike Shirley said. "It can be a challenge. What happens is, the players that play in that league, they go through some adversity. They are forced to manage stuff they are going to face at the professional level."