All that keeps this southpaw from the South Side is a biggie ... control
Left-Handed Relief Pitcher
5´10´´
173 pounds
Age: 25
2022 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 48
2023 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 40
2024 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking NR
2024 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level 0.5 years
SSS rank among all left-handed relief pitchers in the system 3
Overall 2024 stats 4-3 ⚾️ 42 games (18 finishes) ⚾️ 3 SV ⚾️ 45 IP ⚾️ 2.80 ERA ⚾️ 1.667 WHIP ⚾️ 48 K ⚾️ 46 BB
Pitching for Casa Grande Union H.S. (Ariz.), Gil Luna Jr. was named in 2016 a Louisville Slugger All-American. Supposedly it had something to do with posting a 1.16 ERA with 138 strikeouts as a junior. Not only did Luna win that award as a junior, he had a fantastic senior season as well, which enticed the prestigious University of Arizona to lure him into its program.
Luna struggled, however, in first three years as a Wildcat with ERAs of 5.32, 10.31 and 9.15. However, something clicked for him during his senior season in 2021. In 14 appearances totaling 21 1⁄3 innings, Luna posted a nifty 1.69 ERA and 1.13 WHIP by ceding just 13 hits (.178 OBA) and 11 walks (12.8%) while striking out 31 (36.1%). Based upon his potential and success that senior year, the White Sox selected him in the ninth round of the 2021 draft.
Combined with the ACL Sox and Kannapolis in 2021, Luna posted an exceptional 0.00 ERA and 0.72 WHIP over 10 relief appearances. Spanning a combined 15 1⁄3 innings, he relinquished just five hits (.106 OBA) and six walks (11.3%) while striking out 24 (45.3%): totally amazing stuff. While Luna’s walk rate was high, it was a far cry from his collegiate rate of 19.9%. It’s fair to assume coaches can live with a little higher walk rate if Luna can somehow maintain those high K rates.
After a promising mini-rookie season that caught everyone’s attention, 2022 was a major disappointment for Luna, both from a performance and health standpoint: The southpaw was active for just six weeks between Winston-Salem and a rehab stint in Arizona before getting 60-day shelved July 6 or later.
Thus the 2023 season saw Luna in the rare position as to fall completely out of our Top 100 consideration, and the numbers bore that out: Pitching slightly young for Double-A, Luna withered over 40 games, pitching to a 6.13 ERA and 1.790 WHIP. It seemed not only that the majors were far off, but that the lefty’s future in the White Sox organization was in doubt.
Thus Luna’s turnaround 2024 counts as one of the more inspiring stories of the season, as he repeated a full season at Birmingham and pretty much killed it. Age-appropriate for Double-A, Luna played a major back-end role for the eventual Southern League champs (18 finishes, three saves), with an ERA that shrunk to an extremely workable 2.80. In fact, Luna’s stat line boasted almost twice the walks (46) as hits (29).
Luna’s Baseball Cube player ratings
vs. Power 88 (-2 from two seasons ago)
Hittable 88 (-2)
Strikeouts 83 (-10)
Durability 61 (+6)
K/BB 39 (-20)
Walks 23 (-11)
Average 63.67 (-6.50)
Doubtless Luna will have to improve his command to hope to hack it in the majors. And his next test, in Triple-A, will be a major one. However, the plate is just as wide in Birmingham as it is Charlotte, so if he can temper wildness and come close at all to how unhittable he was in 2024, he’ll be South Side-bound.
100. Cole McConnell, CF
99. Drake Logan, LF
98. Marcelo Alcala, RF
97. Lyle Miller-Green, 1B
96. Jared Kelley, RHRP
95. Adrian Gil, 1B
94. Adam Hackenberg, C
93. Loidel Chapelli, 2B
92. Eddie Park, CF
91. Chase Plymell, RHRP
90. Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, RHRP
89. Tristan Stivors, RHRP
88. Pierce George, RHRP
87. Wes Kath, 3B
86. Daniel González, LHRP
85. Mikey Kane, 1B
84. Shane Murphy, LHSP
83. Connor McCullough, RHSP
82. Braden Shewmake, SS
81. Caleb Freeman, RHRP
80. Michael Turner, C
79. Drew McDaniel, RHSP
78. Jurdrick Profar, SS
77. Reudis Diaz, RHSP
76. Phil Fox, RHRP
75. Terrell Tatum, CF
74. Calvin Harris, C
73. Jacob Burke, CF
72. Alec Makarewicz, 1B
71. Carson Jacobs, RHRP
70. Nick Altermatt, RHRP
69. Drew Dalquist, RHRP
68. Zach Franklin, RHRP
67. Fraser Ellard, LHRP
66. Gil Luna, LHRP
