Alberto Gonzalez Stats & Scouting Report

AB	10
AVG	.3
OBP	.417
SLG	.6
HR	0

Full name Alberto Ramon Gonzalez
Born 04/18/1983 in Maracaibo, Venezuela
Profile Ht.: 5'10" / Wt.: 195 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Octavio Hernandez
Debut 09/01/2007

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

The Diamondbacks have rightly earned kudos in recent years for their successful drafts, but their Latin American scouting has been just as productive and is starting to produce big leaguers. Gonzalez has been viewed as a defensive master since signing out of Venezuela, but there were questions about his bat until the last two seasons. Now he looks like an everyday big league shortstop. Gonzalez is the best defensive player in the organization, regardless of position, and his pure shortstop actions rate an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. The Diamondbacks moved him to Triple-A for the PCL playoffs, an illustration of their confidence in his glove, and one team official said his defense had a noticeable effect on the pitchers he worked behind and on the other defenders in the infield. He has a strong arm and great range to both sides. At the plate, he has improved his approach and made some mechanical adjustments that allow him to use the whole field and stay inside the ball. He has developed good bat control and has the bat speed to hit the ball out of the park on occasion. If he continues to improve, he could be an ideal No. 2 hitter. He earned comparisons to Adam Everett for both his offense and defense. He'll open the season as Tucson's shortstop, but the long-term picture isn't clear because of Arizona's wealth of hitting prospects and young big leaguers.
The Diamondbacks have placed a premium on Latin American prospects under scouting director Mike Rizzo, and Gonzales is their latest Venezuelan find. He was slowed in the first half of 2005 by a series of nagging injuries, but hit at least .300 in every month after April and managers rated him the Midwest League's best defensive shortstop. He's fantastic with the glove, with plus range to both sides. He excels at both starting and turning double plays. His fundamentals are top notch, and he made just 11 errors all year, a remarkably low number for a low Class A shortstop. Gonzales understands his limitations offensively, using a flat, quick stroke to lace line drives all over the field. His ability to make contact is his lone offensive skill, as he offers little in the way of power or plate discipline. He's an average runner. Gonzales could reach the majors on his glove alone and projects as a utilityman. He'll move to high Class A in 2006.

Minor League Top Prospects

After a slow start, Gonzalez batted .333 over the final two months. A lot of that was the result of revamping his mental approach and making minor mechanical adjustments with the help of Smokies hitting coach Tony Dello. Where he had trouble in the past handling pitches over the inner half, Gonzalez improved after he implemented an inside-out swing, lifting balls to right field while showing some gap power. He worked to load his swing earlier, getting better balance and not pulling off balls. Rated the top defensive shortstop in the low Class A Midwest League last year, he was barely edged for that honor in the SL by Jacksonville's Chin-Lung Hu. Gonzalez makes some spectacular plays, with plus range to both sides and a strong arm.