Gio Gonzalez Stats & Scouting Report

IP	1933
ERA	3.702
WHIP	1.324
BB/9	3.795
SO/9	8.66

Full name Giovany Aramis González
Born 09/19/1985 in Hialeah, FL
Profile Ht.: 6'0" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: L
School Monsignor Edward Pace
Debut 08/06/2008
Drafted in the C-1 round (38th overall) by the Chicago White Sox in 2004 (signed for $850,000).

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Gonzalez entered the year as Florida's top prep talent but slipped to No. 2 after Hurley's performance and his own missteps. Gonzalez was kicked off the Monsignor Pace High team that spent several weeks ranked No. 1 in the country after an argument between his mother and Pace's coach over younger brother Max' playing time. Similar issues prompted Gonzalez to transfer from Hialeah High, where he had pitched in two state title games, winning once and losing once. His track record on the field, as well as his stuff and great feel for pitching, still have him poised to go late in the first round. Gonzalez pitches in the 87-90 mph range, touching 93-94, and complements it with what may be the nation's best curveball, a tight spinner that he commands well. He's also shown good feel for a changeup. He has polish and could move quickly. His build (6 feet, 170 pounds) gives some scouts pause about his durability.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The White Sox drafted Gonzalez in the sandwich round in 2004, sent him to the Phillies for Jim Thome in 2005 and brought him back as part of a package for Freddy Garcia in 2006. After Gonzalez led the minors with 185 strikeouts in 150 innings in 2007, Chicago sent him, Fautino de los Santos and Ryan Sweeney to the A's for Nick Swisher. Gonzalez's best pitch is a 75-78 mph curveball with sharp break and two-plane depth. He throws the curve often, and it has helped him average 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings in the minors. His fastball can touch 93 mph, though it more often sat at 87-91 last season with some run and sink. He has a simple, fluid delivery and throws from a high three-quarters arm slot. Gonzalez has been a prolific strikeout pitcher, but his fastball command is below average and led to an excess of walks in his brief stint with Oakland. He needs to repeat his delivery with more frequency, which in turn will lead to better command. After a long season, he lost velocity early in his big league starts. He'll have to upgrade his 80-84 mph straight changeup to have a legitimate third weapon against major league hitters. Gonzalez should begin 2009 in Oakland's rotation. He could become a frontline starter if he improves his changeup and command.
A supplemental first-round pick of the White Sox out of a Miami high school in 1985, Gonzalez signed for $850,000. He had been projected to go in the first round until he was dismissed from his high school team after his mother got into a dispute with his coach over her other son's playing time. Gonzalez had barely turned 20 when he was traded for the first time, going to the Phillies as a key piece in the Jim Thome trade after the 2005 season. He was back with Chicago 13 months later, returning as part of a deal for Freddy Garcia. Gonzalez has spent the last two seasons in Double-A and should benefit from the experience. He was as close to overpowering as anyone in the Southern League last year, striking out a minors-best 185 in only 150 innings and holding hitters to a .216 batting average and 10 homers--down from 24 at Reading the year before. He also cut his walks significantly, showing better command and confidence. Gonzalez' bread and butter is a sharp-breaking two-plane curveball that he doesn't hesitate to throw in any count. It complements a fastball that generally parks in the low 90s but can spike upward to 96 mph. His fastball has some natural sink, allowing him to get his share of groundballs. He can change speeds with his fastball, adding and subtracting throughout the game and sometimes saving his best velocity for the late innings. Gonzalez is as effective against righthanded hitters as he is against lefties, making it difficult for opposing managers to stack a lineup to face him. He has a fundamentally simple, smooth and repeatable delivery from a high three-quarters arm slot. His changeup isn't at the same level of his other two pitches but improved considerably in 2007, largely because he was committed to throwing it. At times when he throws across his body, Gonzalez will miss his intended location. His command is merely average and will be tested as he faces more advanced hitters, though he should be able to throw enough strikes. When the White Sox traded him away, some club officials questioned his makeup, especially a tendency to come unraveled on the mound when things got tough. He also carried some baggage from his suspension at the end of his senior season. Chicago has no makeup concerns at this point because he has matured as a pitcher and as a person. Gonzalez will go to big league camp for the third time in the spring. He's in a good situation, as he'll get a look but won't be especially under the gun. The likelihood is that he'll will open 2008 in the rotation at Triple-A Charlotte, though there does figure to be at least one opening for a starter in Chicago. Gonzalez figures to make his major league debut at some point this year and has the ability to develop into a No. 2 or 3 starter.
The White Sox signed Gonzalez for $850,000 as the 38th overall pick in the 2004 draft, then packaged him with Aaron Rowand and minor league lefty Daniel Haigwood in the Jim Thome trade following the 2005 season. They brought him back from the Phillies 13 months later, along with Gavin Floyd, for Freddy Garcia. Gonzalez spent 2006 in Double-A as a 20-year-old, holding his own despite erratic command at times. He has a fundamentally sound delivery that he repeats well, creating effortless 92-95 mph velocity with his fastball. His low-80s hammer curveball always has been his goto pitch, and he'll use it in any count. He located his changeup better in 2006, and it shows flashes of being a third plus pitch. Though there were questions about his durability, he pitched a career-high 155 innings and added 16 more in the Arizona Fall League. Gonzalez will need better command with his fastball and more consistency with his changeup to succeed at higher levels. He fell behind in the count early and often in Double-A, leading to too many homers and walks. Gonzales has all the makings of a legitimate No. 2 starter, but they have no reason to rush him. He'll likely return to Double-A.
A supplemental first-round pick out of a Miami high school in 2004, Gonzalez jumped into full-season ball within two months of signing. He finished his first full year in high Class A and could move even faster after coming to the Phillies in the Jim Thome trade with the White Sox. Gonzalez has clean, effortless mechanics and creates easy velocity into the low 90s, topping out at 93-94. His hard curveball is his go-to pitch and he mixes in a quality changeup. He has gained confidence in his changeup and throws all three pitches at any time in the count. Gonzalez has a lean upper body with the potential to gain some strength, but the question of durability is going to continue to follow him, especially after he encountered back and shoulder problems last year. He figures to make his Double-A debut at age 20, with a shot at reaching Philadelphia at 21 or 22.
A top pitching prospect since he won Florida 6-A state title games at Miami's Hialeah High as a freshman and sophomore, Gonzalez transferred to private Monsignor Pace High for his senior season. The White Sox might not have been able to grab him with the No. 38 pick had he not been dismissed from the team following a dispute between his mother and the coach over his brother's lack of playing time. He signed for $850,000. Gonzalez has an advanced feel for pitching for someone so young, with good command of a nice collection of pitches. His 87-90 mph fastball peaks at 94, but his out pitch is a tight curveball he throws in any count. He also has a decent changeup. Because he does not have a powerful build, some scouts wonder about Gonzalez' durability. He carries himself with an air of cockiness that could get tiresome, especially if he struggles. Gonzalez handled low Class A in his pro debut but probably will begin 2005 back in Kannapolis. He should move faster than most high school pitchers.

Minor League Top Prospects

The only returnee from last year's PCL Top 20--he ranked eighth in 2008--Gonzalez again put up a spectacular strikeout rate (10.5 per nine innings) in his second stint with Sacramento. He joined the Athletics for good in late June, but command issues continued to plague him in the major leagues. Gonzalez has plenty of stuff. His fastball sits in the low 90s and can reach 94 mph. His curveball is an even deadlier pitch, a 12-to-6 downer with tight spin, late break and plenty of depth. His changeup has some sink and deception, though it has too much velocity at times. Gonzalez has trouble commanding his fastball and changeup, making it hard for him to set up his curveball. He also has to learn to keep his emotions in check and not allow one bad pitch to affect his next one. He should be at least a No. 3 starter if he throws more strikes.
Another trade acquisition by the A's, Gonzalez led the minors in strikeouts in 2007 before becoming part of the Nick Swisher deal with the White Sox. Despite being the second-youngest regular starter in the league at age 22, he led the PCL in whiffs per nine innings (9.4) and earned his first big league promotion in August. Gonzalez is best known for his sharp curveball, which he commanded better late in the season. He also has a lively fastball that usually clocked in at 90-93 mph, but the pitch that made the biggest difference for him was his changeup. He began throwing it more once he realized how effective it could be, keeping hitters off balance and not allowing them to sit on his other two pitches. His biggest weakness is his spotty command, which was exposed in his first taste of the majors. Nevertheless, he has the stuff and mound presence to become a No. 2 starter.
More than one scout referred to Gonzalez as the league's pitcher closest to the majors after Parra graduated to Milwaukee. For the third straight summer, he pitched at least 130 innings, and his 185 strikeouts were a career high and tops in the minors. Gonzalez has a polished three-pitch repertoire that's highlighted by one of the minors' best breaking balls. He has great feel for and confidence in his two-plane curveball, which changes hitters' eye level and grades as a plus-plus pitch. He adds and subtracts from his fastball, which ranges from 86-92 mph and has occasional run and sink. He also has feel for a changeup, which provides him with a legitimate third weapon. He has solid-average command, though he has a tendency to fall off the mound to the third-base side, causing him to miss his spots. "I can remember one outing where he had our hitters talking to themselves," Sauveur said. "He's got big league stuff."
Part of the Jim Thome trade with the White Sox, Gonzalez had a productive first full season in the Phillies system. He showed durability by logging a career-high 155 innings as a 20-year-old and finished second in the league with 166 strikeouts. Gonzalez has a repeatable delivery and quick arm, but he's just 5-foot-11, which hinders to create good plane on his fastball. It sits at 87-91 mph and touches 93, but it lacks life and gets pounded when he leaves it up in the zone. He surrendered 24 home runs, tied for the most in the EL. Gonzalez possesses a well above-average downer curveball that remains his go-to offering. His changeup is a reliable third pitch. Without a plus fastball and fringy command--he led the league with 81 walks--he might move to the bullpen in the big leagues.
Gonzalez had the right recipe for success for a young pitcher in the Sally League: throw your curveball where you want, when you want. It doesn't hurt that he's lefthanded and commands his fastball relatively well, either. His fastball sits at 90-92 mph, gets up to 93-94 at times and has decent life, but it's his curveball that sets him apart. "Elbert has a higher ceiling, but Gonzalez was the best lefty in the league that I saw," Knorr said. "His curve was unreal and he throws it anytime, anywhere." The knock on Gonzalez is his durability. Including his promotion to high Class A, he made just 23 total starts and missed time on two separate occasions, once with tightness in his lower back and once with tightness in his throwing shoulder.
One of the youngest players in the CL, Gonzalez also was its best lefthanded pitching prospect. Few southpaws anywhere can match his combination of a low-90s fastball, hammer curveball and a much-improved changeup. Gonzalez' out pitch in the past was his curveball, but he has gained more confidence in his changeup and now throws both pitches in any count. He works quickly with clean mechanics and features an exaggerated leg kick in his delivery. There have been durability concerns in Gonzalez's past, and those resurfaced again this year as he missed time with back and shoulder strains. He also sat out Winston-Salem's one-game playoff against Salem with shoulder discomfort.
Gonzalez stopped briefly in the Appy League before moving up to the low Class A South Atlantic League, where he continued to succeed despite being 18. No opposing manager was sad to see him go, not when he showed a fastball that reached 92-93 mph with good movement and a sharp, slurvy breaking ball to complement it. Gonzalez' feel for pitching was as important to his success as his repertoire. He sometimes fell victim to trying to be too fine early in the count, but often was able to work out of bad counts because of his two plus pitches. "He's ahead of his years pitching-wise," Bogar said. "He's got a good idea of what he's doing out there. He can locate well and has the kind of stuff to back it up."