Massive Red Sox prospect mentored by David Ortiz turning heads
When David Ortiz walks into Red Sox camp, he is not possible to overlook. Even in retirement, the Hall of Fame slugger stays a larger-than-life determine who towers over the energetic gamers who flock to him for recommendation.
Needless to say, it was a surreal scene a few weeks again when Ortiz discovered himself wanting up at a 19-year-old teenager who managed to make even Big Papi look small.
Standing at 6-foot-6, 277 kilos, Justin Gonzales is a mammoth Red Sox minor leaguer who has emerged as one of many membership’s breakout prospects this spring. The outfielder is at the moment ranked because the group’s No. 6 prospect in response to MLB Pipeline, and through his restricted alternatives filling in with the massive league membership, he is already posted some stunning exit velocities that rank among the many hardest hit balls by anybody within the sport.
He’s actually caught Ortiz’s consideration, who mentioned he believes Gonzales has the makings of a star.
“Oh my god, he’s a big kid man,” Ortiz informed the Herald in Fort Myers. “I hope he stays healthy and continues working extremely hard, I mean, he’s got so many tools to begin to be a superstar.”
Originally signed for $250,000 out of the Dominican Republic as a global free agent forward of the 2024 season, Gonzales made an instantaneous impression in his first yr with the group, incomes the membership’s Latin Program Player of the Year. He made his stateside debut in 2025, batting .281 with 4 residence runs, 23 doubles, 12 stolen bases and a .753 OPS in 93 video games, most of these coming at Low-A Salem.
Gonzales additionally participated within the 2025 Futures at Fenway South showcase, hitting a towering residence run over JetBlue Park’s Green Monster, and he’s anticipated to play in subsequent week’s Spring Breakout showcase as nicely.
But these days Gonzales has actually made his mark with the massive league membership.
Every sport all through the spring the Red Sox carry up a handful of minor leaguers to function backups and fill-ins, and with nearly your entire massive league outfield group away for the World Baseball Classic, many of the membership’s prime outfield prospects have acquired much more alternatives than common.
But none have made an influence like Gonzales, who shocked the baseball world on March 2 in Dunedin when he hit a single that was measured at 117.3 mph off the bat. According to Statcast, it was the second-hardest hit ball by any participant in MLB this spring as much as that time, and in response to MLB.com’s Ian Browneit might’ve ranked because the thirty first hardest-hit ball within the majors all through the 2025 season. For perspective, that is on pair with superstars like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Speaking to the Herald by telephone earlier this week, Gonzales acknowledged he did not anticipate that to occur, no less than not so quickly.
“Very surprised,” Gonzales mentioned, with Red Sox participant growth supervisor Justin Frometa aiding with the interpretation. “Obviously (I’m going to) keep working hard and hopefully God willing I know there’s more in the tank because I’m trying to get to 120-plus.”
Beyond that scorched single, Gonzales additionally hit a lineout 110 mph to the shortstop in his first sport with the massive league membership on Feb. 26. Most just lately he had an RBI single within the membership’s rain-shortened 2-0 win over the Rays on March 7.
“I learned a lot being up there,” Gonzales mentioned of his time with the main league group. “You kind of see the way big leaguers go about their business, how they act and the way they handle themselves so it’s a big learning experience for me.”
“The more we see him the better it’s going to be for him,” Red Sox supervisor Alex Cora mentioned. “Good kid too, he enjoys playing the game, so we’ll see him around.”
Although nobody would dispute Gonzales’ monster potential, he nonetheless has a protracted solution to go earlier than he can absolutely harness his pure talents. One space of focus has been chopping down his floor ball proportion, which was an eye-watering 57.4% final yr in response to FanGraphs, and driving the ball within the air extra.
Besides the Red Sox’s hitting coaches, that message has additionally been despatched by Ortiz, who took his fellow Dominican Republic countryman beneath his wing.
“He’s like a father to me,” Gonzales mentioned. “Talking to David, he’s a very humble legend, right? You open (your) ears and you listen to him because you know what he’s done in this game. Ultimately when I have these conversations with David he reminds me, big guys like me and him, we don’t need to try to hit the ball hard, that happens naturally, we just need to find the barrel and hit the ball in the air. If we’re able to do both of those things all other things will take care of themselves.”
Ortiz mentioned he sees plenty of himself within the younger slugger.
“I’ll tell you what, I was a kid just like that,” Ortiz mentioned. “When I was that age I don’t see myself being what I am today, or what I was when I played. You worked at it, you were disciplined, and it’ll take you there. So once you put that together, plus the God-given talent that you get, you can begin to be anything you want, you’ve just got to keep working.”
Although it should most likely be a few years earlier than Gonzales is prepared for primetime, the younger slugger has visited Fenway Park as soon as earlier than as a part of the membership’s minor league awards presentation towards the tip of 2024. He described that as a “beautiful and wonderful experience” that he’ll always remember, and he typically thinks about sooner or later making it again and taking the sector in a Red Sox uniform.
“I’m always thinking about how exciting that will be,” Gonzales mentioned. “My goal is to get there and hit a lot of home runs when I’m there.”
USA-DR showdown for the ages
It was extra of a grind than anybody would have anticipated, however Team USA survived pool play and beat Canada within the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals Friday, organising a titanic showdown with the Dominican Republic within the semifinals Sunday night time.
It’s not an exaggeration to say this sport may characteristic the best assortment of baseball expertise ever assembled for a significant sport.
The star energy that’ll be on show Sunday at loanDepot Park in Miami shall be nothing in need of breathtaking. Paul Skenes, the sport’s prime younger arm and the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, will face a Dominican Republic lineup that ought to embody superstars like Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado and Junior Caminero, amongst others. Meanwhile the Dominican Republic will attempt to deal with an American lineup led by Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Bobby Witt Jr. and an entire bunch extra.
Given how younger a number of the groups’ stars are — Roman Anthony and Caminero may nonetheless have 20 years of massive league baseball in entrance of them — it is going to be many years earlier than the complete extent of those rosters’ greatness is understood. But would anybody be stunned if the 2 groups wound up combining for 10 or extra Hall of Famers? Wouldn’t shock me, and it is even potential this sport may problem the 1932 World Series between the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs, whose rosters featured 13 future Hall of Famers.
It shall be one for the ages, and regardless of the result, baseball followers all over the place ought to respect the spectacle the World Baseball Classic has develop into.
Smith named Opening Day starter
What a journey it has been for Shane Smith, the Danvers native and former Governor’s Academy star who has emerged as considered one of baseball’s very unlikely success tales in recent times.
Having overcome a litany of accidents that restricted him to a handful of innings at Wake Forest, Smith went undrafted in 2021 however emerged by way of the minor league ranks, finally going to the Chicago White Sox because the No. 1 general decide within the 2024 Rule 5 Draft. Smith made essentially the most of his massive league alternative as soon as with the White Sox, establishing himself as Chicago’s greatest starter and incomes All-Star honors as a rookie.
Now, Smith has been introduced because the White Sox’s Opening Day starter. He will take the mound in opposition to the Brewers when Chicago kicks off the common season on March 26.
