Jacob Gonzalez is one of the best shortstops in the 2023 Draft class. Perhaps the best. With strong hitting tools, good fielding instincts and a strong arm, plenty of signs point to success for Gonzalez in the Major Leagues.

So who is Gonzalez? Let this be your guide to the player selected No. 15 overall by the White Sox.

FAST FACTS
Position: SS
Ht/Wt: 6-foot-2, 200 lbs.
B/T: Left/right
DOB: May 30, 2002
College: Mississippi
High school: Glendora (Calif.)
Born: Whittier, Calif.

He’s got plenty of pop

In 186 games over three years at Ole Miss, Gonzalez slugged a total of 40 home runs, which comes out to just under 35 homers per 162 games. That won’t translate directly from the SEC to the Majors, of course, but Gonzalez still projects to bring plenty of power to any lineup.

According to MLB Pipeline, Gonzalez has 25-homer potential. Only four shortstops hit 25 homers in the Majors last year -- Corey Seager, Willy Adames, Francisco Lindor and Dansby Swanson. Not bad company, huh?

He can also make contact

Gonzalez isn’t chasing power at the expense of putting bat on ball. His skills in that department remained strong; Gonzalez hit for a .319 average across his three collegiate seasons.

That included a standout 2021 campaign in which Gonzalez hit .355 (with a .443 OBP and a .561 slugging percentage). He was named D1Baseball.com's National Freshman of the Year and became the second freshman All-American in Ole Miss history.

While Gonzalez’s average dipped to .273 in his sophomore season, he drew a career-high 50 walks and still got on base at north of a .400 clip. He also hit for more power that season with a career-best 18 homers.

He’s a proven winner

Gonzalez didn’t just have a strong individual season at the plate in 2022. He also helped his team achieve something it never had before.

One of the last teams into the 2022 NCAA tournament, Ole Miss reached the postseason and never looked back. Gonzalez was part of a Rebels team that won the Coral Gables Regional, upsetting No. 6 national seed Miami. Gonzalez hit a homer in the first game of the regional against Arizona.

After sweeping in-state rival Southern Miss in the Super Regionals, Ole Miss headed to Omaha for the Men’s College World Series. Gonzalez had two hits in a winners’ bracket game against Arkansas before saving the best for last. On June 26, 2022, he went 3-for-4 with a homer as Ole Miss beat Oklahoma for the first national championship in school history.

He’s been doing this for a while

Gonzalez’s success at the college level was far from unprecedented. 

He’s been playing baseball his whole life. He was the youngest player on the 9-and-under travel ball team that made it to the 2011 Elite 32 World Series in Florida.

The shortstop was a top-150 national recruit out of Glendora (Calif.) High School, roughly 25 miles east of Los Angeles. A three-time Perfect Game Underclassman All-American, Gonzalez lived up to the hype as a four-time all-league selection in high school. He even saw time on the mound as well as at shortstop.

And that’s just on the baseball field. Gonzalez earned two more all-league honors as Glendora’s quarterback, throwing for 4,487 yards with 62 total touchdowns and 15 interceptions and setting season and career passing records. He went 22-4 as a starter, including two trips to the CIF-Southern Section semifinals.

But when you hit .346 or better in four straight years -- including .396 as a freshman and .420 as a junior -- baseball might just be your sport.

He’s got a family history

Like many Draft prospects, Gonzalez is part of an athletic family. His father Jess -- unlike his son -- was a pitcher, playing Minor League and independent baseball from 1994-1996. Jess is the current varsity baseball coach at Downey (Calif.) High School.

Gonzalez’s older sister Jadan played golf at San José State, while his younger sister Kendra played volleyball and water polo at Glendora.

He’s had success in the classroom

Gonzalez’s 3.9 weighted GPA earned him the Scholar Athlete of the Year award at Glendora in 2020. 

"I found myself caring a great deal about my grades after my freshman year when I got a couple B’s, because I knew I could do better,” Gonzalez said.

A general business major, Gonzalez continued that success at Ole Miss, making the 2021 and 2022 SEC Academic Honor Roll.

He’s still “trying to land a bat”

Gonzalez has over 133,000 followers on TikTok, and his bio is an apt summation of what he posts: “I’m just trying to land a bat.”

In 67 different videos between April 2020 and November 2022, Gonzalez and others -- including some of his college teammates -- documented their challenge: flipping a baseball bat and having it come to rest completely upright. Spoiler alert: It’s harder than it looks.