Former Texas State Bobcat outfielder Jose Gonzalez finally arrived at the stepping stone of joining the big leagues, signing a minor league deal with the Houston Astros on Jan. 2.
Gonzalez, 24, is set to report to West Palm Beach, Florida, next month when MLB Spring Training begins.
Gonzalez has had a relatively long yet productive pathway to finding his way into a Major League organization. The Klein High School product began his collegiate career at Navarro College, playing two seasons before transferring to Texas State. In 2019, Gonzalez was a major contributor to his team, as he was named to the JUCO World Series All-Tournament team. Additionally, Gonzalez tied the JUCO World Series record for most home runs hit in a game with three and helped lead Navarro to the NJCAA World Series Semifinals.
Navarro College has helped produce a decent chunk of MLB-caliber players throughout its program’s history, including pitcher Spencer Arrighetti, a current member of the Houston Astros that Gonzalez played alongside in 2020.
Gonzalez, a Cypress native, transferred to Texas State in 2021 after his two-year stint with Navarro. During his three years with the program, Gonzalez was one of the Bobcats’ most consistent hitters. He played an integral role in Texas State’s Sun Belt regular season title in 2022. His accolades at Texas State include being on the All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team in 2022 and the Stanford All-Regional Team the same year.
In 2023, the outfielder was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference Preseason Team. Shortly after his collegiate career concluded, Gonzalez made his professional debut with the Williamsport Crosscutters in the MLB Draft League. In 42 games with the Crosscutters, he posted a .279/.354/.506 (batting average, on-base/slugging percentage) slash line, ranked in the top five in home runs and hit five triples.
After his time in the Draft League, Gonzalez landed with the Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers of the Pioneer League, one of the many independent leagues nationwide. With the High Wheelers in 2024, Gonzales dominated the Pioneer League en route to a league title. The outfielder slashed .370/.473/.640, producing a team-leading 19 home runs and 82 RBIs with a mammoth OPS of 1.113 in 88 games.
While it is unclear where Gonzalez will start in the minor leagues, he will likely begin his Astros career playing in High-A with the Asheville Tourists or Double-A with the Corpus Christi Hooks.
