Shawn Goosenberg
First Baseman
2024 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 42
Birmingham Barons

Shawn Goosenberg was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB draft, as the 575th pick overall. Goosenberg played at Northwestern University for his collegiate career, and was an impressive player who continued to improve year over year, ending his final season in 2021 topping the Wildcats in OPS (1.143), home runs (14) and slugging percentage (.717). He dominated in Big Ten Ball, and as a result, Shawn landed himself a spot in a major league organization — which at the time was much more competitive and was “developing” young talent.

Goosenberg worked his way up the ladder over the next few years, spending a significant amount of time with the High-A Winston-Salem Dash. At the very end of 2023, Goosenberg moved up to the Double-A Birmingham Barons for three games, but returned to Winston-Salem to start 2024.

In 71 games this year with the Dash, Goosenberg slashed .272/.348/.460 with an .808 OPS in 272 at-bats. He finished second in OPS for the Dash in 2024 without spending the whole year there, and first among those that spent a decent amount of time with the team. His 51 RBIs were also second on the team, just behind Wes Kath (who had 58, in 120 more at-bats).

Goosenberg’s strong performance in High-A earned his promotion to Birmingham, where he spent the remainder of the 2024 season. In 33 games and 115 at-bats, Goosenberg’s performance didn’t measure up as well at the next level. He slashed .200/.268/.313 with a .581 OPS — a 28% decrease in OPS compared to his time with the Dash. In all fairness, 33 games is a very small sample size, and he has the whole offseason to prepare for 2025 in hopes to improve. He was able to flip the switch at Northwestern, so the ceiling is definitely higher than what he has put out so far.

On the defensive side, Goosenberg joined the team as an infielder, but he has proven to be a very versatile player that can play majority of the infield positions as well as the outfield. As a pro, Shawn has played the majority of his games (104) at first base, and has a .987 OPS in 887 total innings. In 2024, he played the majority of his innings with the Dash in left and right field prior to shifting over to first base upon joining the Barons, where he posted a .980 field percentage. Goosenberg is SO versatile he even pitched an inning with the Dash, giving up two hits but keeping an exceptional 0.00 ERA.

Shawn Goosenberg is a player to watch has he progresses as a player and within the White Sox organization, and his bat has plenty of power when he is seeing the ball well. His ability to shift around the field on defense is a major strength that could help fill holes in the lineup where needed. Congratulations to Shawn on a great 2024 season — wishing him the best has he prepares for 2025.

2024 Sox Populi White Sox Minor League All-Star Team
Ronny Hernandez (C)
Edgar Quero (C) (Player of the Year)
Caden Connor (1B)
Tim Elko (1B)
Ryan Galanie (1B)
Shawn Goosenberg (1B)
Wilmer Difo (2B)
Brooks Baldwin (SS)
Zach DeLoach (LF)
Mason Adams (RHSP)
Aldrin Batista (RHSP)
Ky Bush (LHSP)
Lucas Gordon (LHSP)
Noah Schultz (LHSP) (Pitcher of the Year)
Drew Thorpe (RHSP)
Eric Adler (RHRP)
Adisyn Coffey (RHRP)
Bryce Collins (RHRP)

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Shawn Goosenberg photo: Winston-Salem Dash