White Sox Prospect Acquired In Garrett Crochet Trade Has Strong Outing

Pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez tossed five scoreless innings with eight strikeouts Sunday for the Double-A Birmingham Barons.

Wikelman Gonzalez pitches for the Portland Sea Dogs during the 2023 season. | Photo credit @MLBPipeline on X

A significant portion of the White Sox future hinges on a trade made in December with the Boston Red Sox.

The White Sox sent pitcher Garrett Crochet to Boston in exchange for four prospects: catcher Kyle Teel (White Sox No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline), outfielder Braden Montgomery (No. 5), infielder Chase Meidroth (No. 8) and pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez (No. 18).

It was a risk from the standpoint that the White Sox dealt Crochet – a 26-year-old lefty, who was an All-Star in 2024 with a 3.58 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 146 innings and could be an ace for the next decade – for a group of players unproven at the major league level. But the organization wasn't ready to compete in 2025, so it made a move to help the future.

One player Chicago got in return, Gonzalez, had a strong outing Sunday with the Double-A Birmingham Barons. Gonzalez is a 6-foot, 220-pound righty ranked 18th among White Sox prospects and fifth among its right-handed pitching prospects. Across five shutout innings, he allowed just two hits and walked four batters while striking out eight.

Gonzalez's fastball hovered around the mid-to-upper 90s and accounted for four strikeouts. He displayed a curveball with sharp, downward movement and fading changeup that kept hitters off balance. After giving up a hit to the game's second batter, Gonzalez did not allow another hit until there was one out in the fifth inning.

The 23-year-old had some command issues with four walks, but the Biloxi Shuckers had a difficult time making solid contact against the White Sox prospect. Sunday marked Gonzalez's longest start of the season and his most strikeouts, as well as his fewest hits and runs allowed.

Across three starts for the Barons this year, Gonzalez has a 3.65 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP across 12.1 innings with 18 strikeouts and 10 walks. He spent the entire 2024 season with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, pitching 83.2 innings with a 4.73 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 92 strikeouts and 46 walks.

Though he has yet to pitch at the Triple-A level, the MLB Pipeline rankings estimate Gonzalez could make his MLB debut with the White Sox in 2025.

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