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.”
