Tag: justin gonzales

Red Sox OF prospect Justin Gonzales recognized as 2025 Carolina League All-Star

Red Sox outfield prospect Justin Gonzales has been named a 2025 Carolina League All-Star, Minor League Baseball announced on Tuesday.

Gonzales spent most of his first season in the United States with Low-A Salem after making a brief one-game cameo in the rookie-level Florida Complex League in early May. From there, the right-handed hitting 18-year-old batted .298/.381/.423 with 23 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 27 RBIs, 45 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 52 strikeouts in 81 games (357 plate appearances) for the Red Sox.

Among 47 qualified hitters in the Carolina League, Gonzales ranked first in batting average, second in OPS (.804), wOBA (.394), and wRC+ (131), third in slugging percentage and strikeout rate (14.6 percent), sixth in on-base percentage, 14th in swinging-strike rate (10.3 percent), and 17th in isolated power (.125), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Gonzales saw playing time at all three outfield positions for Salem. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder logged 226 1/3 innings in center field, 192 innings in right field, and 127 2/3 innings in left field, recording two assists and committing four errors in 127 total defensive chances. He also made 16 starts at DH.

Hailing from the Dominican Republic, Gonzales originally signed with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent in January 2024. As part of an impressive professional debut last season, the Bani native was recognized as a Dominican Summer League All-Star and Boston’s Minor League Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

Roughly two weeks before Salem’s season ended, Gonzales received a promotion to High-A Greenville in late August. He ended the year by going 8-for-43 (.186) with four RBIs, five runs scored, one stolen base, four walks, and 11 strikeouts in 11 games for the Drive. Overall, he slashed .281/.363/.390 with 23 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 32 RBIs, 50 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 39 walks, and 65 strikeouts over 93 total games (410 plate appearances) between the FCL, Salem, and Greenville in 2025. That includes a .309/.420/.500 line against lefties and a .275/.350/.364 line against righties.

Gonzales, who turns 19 in December, is currently ranked as the No. 7 prospect in Boston’s farm system by MLB Pipeline. At the same time, Baseball America lists him at No. 12, while SoxProspects.com has him at No. 13. Barring a trade or other surprise move this winter, he will likely return to Greenville for the start of the 2026 minor-league season.

(Picture of Justin Gonzales: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox promote OF prospect Justin Gonzales to High-A Greenville

The Red Sox have promoted outfield prospect Justin Gonzales from Low-A Salem to High-A Greenville, as was first reported by Hunter Noll of Beyond the Monster.

Gonzales, 18, is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 12 prospect. At the same time, MLB Pipeline has him ranked at No. 7 and SoxProspects.com has him ranked at No. 13. The Dominican Republic native is enjoying a productive first season in the United States after originally signing with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent coming out of Bani last January.

On the heels of earning 2024 Dominican Summer League All-Star honors and being named the organization’s Minor League Latin Program Position Player of the Year in his professional debut, Gonzales impressed in his first stateside spring training down in Fort Myers and received a promotion to Salem on May 6 after appearing in just one game in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.

Given his general lack of experience, it’s not terribly surprising that Gonzales struggled somewhat out of the gate in his first taste of full-season ball. The right-handed hitter was batting .246/.398/.277 in his first 18 games (83 plate appearances) with Salem through the end of May. He began to turn a corner in June, however, and has been steadily on the rise since then. Overall, he slashed .298/.381/.423 with 23 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 27 RBIs, 45 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 52 strikeouts over 81 games (357 plate appearances) for Boston’s Carolina League affiliate. That includes a .317/.431/.533 line against lefties and a .294/.368/.397 line against righties.

Among 54 qualified Carolina League hitters entering play Tuesday, Gonzales ranked first in batting average, third in slugging percentage and strikeout rate (14.6 percent), fourth in OPS (.804), wOBA (.393), and wRC+ (131), ninth in on-base percentage, 18th in swinging-strike rate (10.3 percent), and 20th in isolated power (.125), per FanGraphs.

“This kid is more physical than any player I’ve been around,” Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier earlier this year. “He’s a monster. I think he’s still kind of learning what he can do physically, learning his body. And for a guy who’s so big and has so much power, his ability to control the bat is incredibly impressive. He’s been a much better hitter than maybe we had expected. That’s been really exciting.”

Defensively, Gonzales saw playing time at all three outfield spots with Salem. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder logged 226 1/3 innings in center, 192 innings in right, and 127 2/3 innings in left, recording two assists and committing four errors in 127 total chances. He also made 16 starts at DH and has previous experience at first base.

Gonzales, who does not turn 19 until December, surpasses recently-activated right-hander Juan Valera as the youngest player on Greenville’s roster. He is batting second and starting in right field for the Drive in their series opener against the Bowling Green Hot Rods at Fluor Field on Tuesday night.

(Picture of Justin Gonzales: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox OF prospect Justin Gonzales recognized as Carolina League Player of the Week

Red Sox outfield prospect Justin Gonzales has been named the Carolina League Player of the Week for the week of June 30-July 6, Minor League Baseball announced on Monday.

Gonzales appeared in five of Low-A Salem’s six games against Lynchburg on the road last week. The right-handed hitting 18-year-old went 8-for-20 (.400) with three doubles, one home run, four RBIs, three runs scored, two stolen bases, three walks, and three strikeouts. He drew one walk on Tuesday, homered as part of a three-hit effort on Wednesday, did not play on Thursday, singled on Friday, doubled and drove in one run on Saturday, and doubled twice in Sunday’s series finale.

Now riding a four-game hitting streak, Gonzales is batting .273/.383/.376 with nine doubles, one triple, two home runs, 15 RBIs, 24 runs scored, nine stolen bases, 24 walks, and 30 strikeouts in 45 games (196 plate appearances) for Salem this season. That includes a .246/.356/.304 slash line against righties and a far more favorable .407/.515/.741 slash line against lefties.

Among 89 Carolina League hitters who have made at least 190 trips to the plate this year, Gonzales ranks 11th in batting average and on-base percentage, 14th in strikeout rate (15.3 percent), 16th in wOBA (.378), 17th in OPS (.758), 19th in wRC+ (122), 27th in slugging percentage, and 33rd in walk rate (12.2 percent) and swinging-strike rate (10.5 percent), per FanGraphs.

On the other side of the ball, Gonzales has seen playing time at all three outfield spots for Salem. The hulking 6-foot-4, 220-pounder has logged a team-leading 226 1/3 innings in center field, 61 innings in right field, and 15 2/3 innings in left field, recording one outfield assist and committing three errors in 74 total defensive chances. He has also made nine starts at DH and has prior experience at first base.

Originally signed out of the Dominican Republic for $250,000 in January 2024, Gonzales is currently regarded by Baseball America as Boston’s No. 16 prospect. The Bani native burst onto the scene in his professional debut last season, most notably earning Dominican Summer League All-Star and Red Sox Minor League Latin Program Position Player of the Year honors. He stood out in his first stateside spring training and made the jump to Salem on May 6 after just one game in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.

“This kid is more physical than any player I’ve been around,” Red Sox senior director of player development Brian Abraham told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier in early May. “He’s a monster. I think he’s still kind of learning what he can do physically, learning his body. And for a guy who’s so big and has so much power, his ability to control the bat is incredibly impressive. He’s been a much better hitter than maybe we had expected. That’s been really exciting.”

Gonzales, who does not turn 19 until December, could emerge as an intriguing candidate to be moved in the coming weeks if the Red Sox elect to be aggressive ahead of the trade deadline at the end of the month. Assuming he remains in the organization, though, it should be worthwhile to see if Gonzales can aggressively work his way up to High-A Greenville at some point in the second half.

(Picture of Justin Gonzales: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

What does Red Sox prospect Justin Gonzales have in store for 2025?

After a strong debut season in the Dominican Summer League last year, what does power-hitting Red Sox prospect Justin Gonzales have in store for 2025?

Hailing from the Dominican Republic himself, Gonzales entered the professional ranks at just 17 by signing with the Red Sox for $250,000 as an international free agent last January. He received the sixth-largest bonus in Boston’s 2024 signing class but was undoubtedly the top offensive performer between the club’s two DSL affiliates.

In 47 games for DSL Red Sox Blue and Red, Gonzales batted a stout .320/.391/.517 (140 wRC+) with 11 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 29 RBIs, 29 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 19 walks, and 20 strikeouts over 192 plate appearances. The right-handed hitting slugger was named a DSL All-Star as he helped DSL Red Sox Red secure the organization’s first Dominican Summer League title since 2016. He was also recognized as Boston’s 2024 Latin Program Position Player of the Year.

“He’s a big, strong kid already who has a good feel to hit, a good feel for contact,” said Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero, who described Gonzales as “a big, strong animal” when speaking with MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith earlier this week. “So we just need to make a couple of minor adjustments on his launch angles and things like that. And those really low line drives, we can start getting him to elevate it a little bit more and more and find some gaps.”

Gonzales, who turned 18 in December, arrived in Fort Myers for his first spring training in the United States early last month. The towering first baseman/outfielder has taken well to instruction and already looks larger than his listed height and weight of 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. He was a late addition to Boston’s Spring Breakout roster on March 13, as he took the place of Allan Castro. Though he struck out in his lone at-bat against the Rays in Port Charlotte that night, he showed flashes of his power potential in the following afternoon’s “Futures at Fenway South” showcase against the Twins at JetBlue Park.

As highlighted by SoxProspects.com’s director of scouting, Ian Cundall, Gonzales pinch-hit and took over for starting right fielder Miguel Bleis midway through the exhibition. He then grounded out to short in his first at-bat, ripped a single through the left side of the infield in his second at-bat, and crushed a no-doubt solo home run over the faux Green Monster in his third and final at-bat.

Gonzales is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 19 prospect in Boston’s farm system. MLB Pipeline has him four spots higher at No. 15, while Baseball America does not yet have him ranked. He is in extended spring training right now and is expected to play in the rookie-level Florida Complex League once that season gets underway next month. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, Jim Callis, and Sam Dykstra recently predicted that Gonzales will lead the FCL in home runs this year with 12 in 54 games.

“His combination of raw power and swing decisions will make him one of the best first-base prospects in baseball,” they wrote of Gonzales, who also figures to see playing time in the outfield moving forward after making 14 starts in right and two starts in center last season. He does, after all, possess “plus-plus” arm strength that MLB Pipeline grades as a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale.

“He’s really intriguing overall,” Romero said. “I know that we’ve played him some in center field throughout the spring, and we’ll do that in extended some and kinda go from there. But give him every chance. If not, he can definitely profile in a corner.”

(Picture of Justin Gonzales: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Who are Justin Gonzales and Yermain Ruiz? Get to know the Red Sox’ Latin Program Position Player, Pitcher of the Year

Last Friday, the Red Sox honored Justin Gonzales and Yermain Ruiz as their 2024 Latin Program Position Player and Pitcher of the Year as part of a pre-game ceremony with the club’s six other minor-league award winners at Fenway Park.

Gonzales, 17, and Ruiz, 18, debuted in the Dominican Summer League this season after signing with the Red Sox as international free agents in January 2024 and August 2023, respectively. The former — a native of the Dominican Republic — received a $250,000 bonus while the latter — a native of Venezuela — signed on for just $10,000.

Gonzales split the 2024 campaign between DSL Red Sox Blue and DSL Red Sox Red. In 47 regular season games, the right-handed hitter batted .320/.391/.517 with 11 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 29 RBIs, 29 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 19 walks and 20 strikeouts over 192 plate appearances. He was named a DSL All-Star in July and playoff MVP in August after slashing .444/.471/.519 in seven games to help Red Sox Red take home the organization’s first DSL title since 2016.

Among the 91 DSL hitters who made at least 190 trips to the plate in the regular season, Gonzales ranked eighth in slugging percentage, ninth in batting average, 10th in strikeout rate (10.4 percent), 12th in swinging-strike rate (16.2 percent) and line-drive rate (24.1 percent), 14th in OPS (.908), 17th in isolated power (.198), 20th in wRC+ (140), and 44th in on-base percentage, per FanGraphs.

Defensively, Gonzales saw playing time at three different positions in his first professional season. The hulking 6-foot-4, 210-pounder logged 236 innings at first base, 111 innings in right field, and 13 innings in center field. He recorded two outfield assists and committed three errors (all at first base) in 250 total chances.

“He’s a monster,” Red Sox assistant general manager Eddie Romero said of Gonzales when speaking with The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier last month. “He’s advanced physically compared to other guys. But the thing that stood out as he’s developed is his hand-to-eye. We know he can make a lot of good contact and he’s really honed his approach in terms of attacking pitches.”

Ruiz, meanwhile, spent all of 2024 with DSL Red Sox Red. In 11 regular season starts, the right-hander posted a 1.77 ERA and 4.39 FIP with 37 strikeouts to 15 walks over 45 2/3 innings in which he held opposing hitters to a .172 batting average. He then went 2-0 in his two playoff appearances, including tossing two scoreless frames of relief in Game 1 of the championship series against the DSL Angels.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 27: Yermain Ruiz was recognized as the Red Sox’ Latin Program Pitcher of the Year. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Among the 53 DSL pitchers who threw at least 45 innings in the regular season, Ruiz ranked third in batting average against, seventh in WHIP (0.92), eighth in ERA, and 17th in line-drive rate (16.1 percent), according to FanGraphs.

Though there was little fanfare surrounding his signing last summer, Ruiz caught the Red Sox’ attention as an amateur thanks to his athletic frame, fast arm, and feel to pitch.

“He has done a good job of adding strength since signing, with his fastball climbing north of 93 mph,” Romero said of Ruiz in a separate conversation with BloggingtheRedSox.com. “We project him to be a starter and are hopeful he will be in the Florida Complex League rotation next year.”

Ruiz, who turns 19 next month, is listed at 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds. Gonzales, on the other hand, turns 18 in December. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 32 prospect in Boston’s farm system and is also expected to make the jump to the Florida Complex League in 2025.

(Pictures of Justin Gonzales and Yermain Ruiz: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Red Sox rookie-level affiliate wins Dominican Summer League championship

One of the Red Sox’ rookie-level Dominican Summer League affiliates celebrated winning a championship on Saturday afternoon.

DSL Red Sox Red defeated the DSL Angels, 6-0, in the third and final game of the Dominican Summer League Finals at the Sox’ Dominican Academy in El Toro de Guerra.

Four Red Sox Red pitchers combined for a two-hit shutout in Saturday’s finale. Jeison Payano got the start and was responsible for the first three innings. The 18-year-old right-hander issued three walks and struck out four without giving up a hit. Greider Colina followed with 1 2/3 additional scoreless frames before making way for Juan Henriquez.

Henriquez, another 18-year-old righty, surrendered both of the Angels’ hits while walking two and fanning a pair across 2 2/3 scoreless innings en route to notching his second winning decision of the DSL postseason. Gilbel Galvan put the finishing touches on an impressive day for the pitching staff by putting up one last zero in the top of the ninth.

On the other side of things, mid-season DSL All-Stars Anderson Fermin and Justin Gonzales were the driving forces for the Red Sox Red lineup. Fermin, leading off and starting in center field, went 3-for-5 with one run scored and one stolen base. Gonzales, serving as his side’s designated hitter, went 4-for-5 with an RBI double and two runs scored out of the three-hole.

Fermin and Gonzales, both 17, signed with the Red Sox as international free agents coming out of the Dominican Republic back in January. They received signing bonuses of $400,000 and $250,000, respectively.

Fermin, a switch-hitter, batted .293/.408/.337 with six doubles, one triple, 23 RBIs, 33 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, 35 walks, and 22 strikeouts in 49 regular season games (224 plate appearances). He made 39 starts in center field, one in left field, and eight at DH.

Gonzales, a right-handed hitter, slashed .320/.391/.517 with 11 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 29 RBIs, 29 runs scored, eight stolen bases, 19 walks, and 20 strikeouts in 47 regular season games (192 plate appearances). He made 31 starts at first base, 13 in right field, two in center field, and one at DH.

With a regular season record of 42-14, Red Sox Red won the DSL West by 4 1/2 games and went 6-1 in the postseason. DSL Red Sox Blue, Boston’s other Dominican Summer League affiliate, finished with a regular season record of 27-26 and did not qualify for the postseason.

Red Sox Red, meanwhile, swept DSL CLE Goryl (Guardians affiliate) in the quarterfinals and DSL Rangers Red in the semifinals on its way to the championship. It split the first two games of the best-of-three finals against the Angels before coming out on top on Saturday.

For the Red Sox as an organization, this is their first DSL title since 2016 and only their second since the Dominican Summer League was formed in 1985.

(Picture courtesy of the Dominican Summer League)

Two Red Sox prospects named Dominican Summer League All-Stars

Two young prospects have been selected to represent the Red Sox in the 2024 Dominican Summer League All-Star Game on Sunday.

First baseman/outfielder Justin Gonzales and outfielder Anderson Fermin will suit up for the American League as they go up against DSL All-Stars from the National League at the Milwaukee Brewers’ Dominican complex in Santo Domingo. First pitch is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET.

Gonzales and Fermin are two 17-year-olds who signed with Boston as international free agents back in January. The Dominican Republic natives received bonuses of $250,000 and $400,000, respectively. The former has spent his first professional season with DSL Red Sox Blue while the latter has been playing for DSL Red Sox Red.

Gonzales, a right-handed hitter, has batted .324/.402/.537 with six doubles, four triples, three home runs, 20 RBIs, 21 runs scored, three stolen bases, 13 walks, and 10 strikeouts in 30 games (122 plate appearances) for DSL Red Sox Blue. The 6-foot-4, 210-pounder has made 20 starts at first base, eight in right field, one in center field, and one at DH. He is currently regarded by SoxProspects.com as the No. 55 prospect in Boston’s farm system.

According to Ben Badler of Baseball America, Gonzales — who turns 18 in December — “already has plus raw power that could end up a plus-plus tool.” He “uses the whole field, typically stays within the strike zone, and doesn’t miss much when he does swing thanks to a fairly short stroke for his size.”

Fermin, a switch-hitter, has slashed .300/.423/.336 with two doubles, one triple, 14 RBIs, 23 runs scored, 10 stolen bases, 23 walks, and 12 strikeouts in 29 games (137 plate appearances) for DSL Red Sox Red. The 5-foot-11, 174-pounder has made 24 starts in center field, four at DH, and one in left field. He is not ranked among Boston’s top 60 prospects by SoxProspects.com.

In his recent evaluation of the Red Sox farm system, FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen classified Fermin as a “compact rookie-level hitter.” He noted that Fermin, who turns 18 in September, “tracks pitches very well and has the speed to develop in center. His sweeping, downward bat path produces very little power right now.”

While Gonzales and Fermin were selected to the Dominican Summer League All-Star Game as players, DSL Red Sox Red manager Sandy Madera was named to the American League’s coaching staff under DSL Rangers Red skipper Nick Janssen.

(Picture: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)