After a pair of catchers hit the injured list for Low-A Kannapolis, the White Sox added to the team’s depth in a recent trade.
According to MLB.com’s transactions page, the organization acquired catcher Juan Gonzalez from the Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations on June 13. He was later assigned to the Cannon Ballers and has gone on to make two appearances for the team.
Gonzalez, 22, originally signed with Toronto after he was selected in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. The backstop has since gone on to spend his career in the lower levels of the Blue Jays organization to this point, playing in both rookie and A-ball.
Gonzalez currently owns a career slash of .205/.335/.281 (35-for-171) with one homer, 19 RBI and a .616 OPS. Though these numbers are less than impressive, the newly acquired catcher batted .306 with 21 RBI, scoring 18 runs and posting a .979 fielding percentage behind the plate during his last collegiate season with Miami Dade College.
Though there’s not too much in the way of available information, Perfect Game provided the following scouting report on Gonzalez on their site:
Juan Gonzalez is a 2020 C/3B with a 5-11 190 lb. frame from Doral, FL who attends Champagnat Cath Sch Of Miami. Strong frame that is developed and uses it well in his game. A primary catcher that stays compact and uses quick feet to repeat his strong and accurate throws. Showed lots of carry to the bases, strong wrists that he uses well while receiving, blocks and recovers well. The right-hand hitter has a balanced set up with his hands tight to his body. Small hand load with a leg hover and small weight shift, he gets on plane early and displayed good bat speed. The ball came off hard to the pull side. The operation is simple and he carried it over to games. The power hitting catcher showed good polish.
via Perfect Game
Journalist Victor Gonzalez-Vaca of The Reporter also wrote an article on the catcher’s personal background at the time he was drafted. Here are some excerpts:
Gonzalez, who was born in Caracas, Venezuela, grew up in La Guaira, a port city 21 miles away from the capital. His passion for baseball was ignited when he was four years old at Criollitos de Venezuela, the country’s little league system. It was there that he cultivated a love for the art of catching because it gave him a voice on the field.
He spent nine years honing his craft at Criollitos before moving to the United States in the fall of 2014 to play for Elev8 Academy in Delray Beach for a year. In the summer of 2015, Gonzalez traveled to Spain to play for the U-18 Spanish national team where he has dual-citizenship. He represented the country in tournaments in Czech Republic, Spain and Italy from 2015-18.
Gonzalez moved to Miami in October of 2018 to participate in recruitment tournaments with In The Big Inning Baseball Academy in Doral. His play caught the attention of Jorge Aguas, the head coach at Champagnat Catholic School, and he was offered a spot with the Lions in February of 2019. Gonzalez only played eight games as a senior at Champagnat due to the coronavirus pandemic but it was enough to land him at MDC.
“He’s the type of player that creates a lot of energy for the club, knows how to handle the pitching staff. And, I mean, great, great, great teammate,” said Sharks’ assistant coach Rudy Arias, whose main responsibility is grooming the team’s catchers. “A lot of good things that he’s done. Well deserved for what he’s gotten. He’s worked very hard to get to this point in his career right now.”
We will continue to monitor Gonzalez’s development throughout the rest of this season. For more updates, follow us on social media @SoxOn35th!
Featured Photo: Dunedin Blue Jays/Twitter
Is this Juan Gonzalez related to the player Texas use to have