BA GRADE
50
Risk: V. High
Born: Jan. 10, 1998. B-T: R-R. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 180. Signed: Dominican Republic, 2014. Signed by: Ramon Pena/Felix Nivar.
Gonzalez, the Indians’ top target in the 2014 international class, made a resounding U.S. debut in 2016, when he won MVP honors in the Rookie-level Arizona League. He moved up in 2017 to the New York-Penn League as a 19-year-old. While he wasn’t as productive at the plate while facing older competition, he still excited evaluators with his raw skill set.
Gonzalez stands out most for his well above-average raw power, and he does a good job of getting to it in games. His approach at the plate is still crude and he’ll need to improve his plate discipline as he faces more advanced pitchers. But he produces plenty of bat speed and has better bat-to-ball skills than his strikeout rate (24.7 percent) indicates. Gonzalez is an average runner and has plus arm strength, giving him a chance to play right field, though he has mostly played left field the last two seasons.
Wherever he ends up defensively, the onus will be on his bat to push him through the minor leagues. He will advance to low Class A Lake County in 2018.
Year |
Club (League) |
Class |
AVG |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2015 |
Indians (DSL) |
R |
.203 |
70 |
256 |
25 |
52 |
2016 |
Indians (AZL) |
R |
.303 |
40 |
145 |
30 |
44 |
|
Mahoning Valley (NYP) |
SS |
.000 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2017 |
Mahoning Valley (NYP) |
SS |
.283 |
55 |
237 |
20 |
67 |
Minor League Totals |
.254 |
166 |
641 |
75 |
163 |
||
Year |
Club (League) |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
2015 |
Indians (DSL) |
17 |
1 |
4 |
38 |
19 |
2016 |
Indians (AZL) |
10 |
2 |
8 |
26 |
8 |
|
Mahoning Valley (NYP) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2017 |
Mahoning Valley (NYP) |
16 |
0 |
3 |
34 |
5 |
Minor League Totals |
43 |
3 |
15 |
98 |
33 |
|
Year |
Club (League) |
SO |
SB |
CS |
OBP |
SLG |
2015 |
Indians (DSL) |
65 |
1 |
3 |
.262 |
.324 |
2016 |
Indians (AZL) |
57 |
4 |
0 |
.342 |
.566 |
|
Mahoning Valley (NYP) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
.250 |
.000 |
2017 |
Mahoning Valley (NYP) |
61 |
0 |
0 |
.301 |
.388 |
Minor League Totals |
184 |
5 |
3 |
.294 |
.401 |
|