Gabriel Gonzalez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Minnesota Twins #4 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 55/Very High
  
  Track Record: Gonzalez signed with the Mariners for $1.3 million out of Venezuela and moved quickly after signing. He reached Low-A Modesto as an 18-year-old in his first season in the U.S. and opened back in Modesto in 2023. Gonzalez overcame an early arm injury to demolish California League pitching and earned a promotion to High-A Everett in the second half. He hit .298/.361/.476 with 18 homers between the two levels and finished second in the Mariners organization with 142 hits.
  
  Scouting Report: Gonzalez is a thick, stocky righthanded hitter with a bowling ball frame. He has strong hands, excellent hand-eye coordination and a fast, powerful swing that generates loud contact from line to line. He is particularly adept driving the ball the opposite way to right-center field and has a knack for delivering in clutch moments. Gonzalez impacts the ball when he finds the barrel, but he’s an extremely aggressive free-swinger who swings at too many pitches he can’t drive. His aggressiveness was exploited by more advanced pitchers in High-A, and he must reel in his approach to hit enough as he moves up. His strength gives him plus power potential if he improves his approach. Gonzalez continues to get larger every year and has slowed to a well below-average runner. He has regressed to a below-average defender in right field with limited range and is prone to misjudging fly balls. He has plus-plus arm strength and recorded 12 outfield assists in 88 games on defense last year.
  
  The Future: Gonzalez’s natural hitting gifts are exciting, but his size and aggressiveness create concern both inside and outside the Mariners organization. He needs to improve his conditioning and approach to fulfill his potential as an everyday, power-hitting right fielder.
  
  Scouting Grades Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Field: 40 | Arm: 70
• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #4 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Gonzalez signed with the Mariners for $1.3 million out of Venezuela in 2021 and quickly established himself as one of the organization's most promising offensive talents. He led the Dominican Summer League in extra-base hits in his pro debut and continued to produce in his first season stateside in 2022. Gonzalez hit a team-best .357 in the Arizona Complex League and earned a promotion as an 18-year-old to Low-A Modesto, where he impressively held his own over the season's final month.
  
  Scouting Report: Gonzalez is a physical, righthanded power hitter with a fast, powerful swing. He demolishes pitches in the strike zone with his quick hands and plus power and is adept at driving balls the other way for opposite-field home runs. He already posts exit velocities up to 116 mph--the same maximum exit velocity as Austin Riley and C.J. Cron in the majors in 2022--and has the natural hand-eye coordination, pitch recognition and contact skills to get to his power in games. Gonzalez doesn't swing and miss much for a power hitter, but he frequently chases pitches out of the zone for weak contact and has to improve his pitch selection. His hand speed, strength and natural feel for contact give him a chance to be a fringy to average hitter if he improves his swing decisions. Gonzalez has a thick, physically mature body and has already slowed to a fringe-average runner. He is limited to a corner outfield spot defensively, where he has marginal range but good instincts and plus-plus arm strength. He projects to be a fringy to average defensive right fielder as long as he doesn't get too big and lose his mobility.
  
  The Future: Gonzalez has the thump to be a middle-of-the-order power threat, but he'll need to improve his swing decisions and monitor his conditioning. He should reach High-A Everett in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 45. Power: 60. Speed: 40. Fielding: 45. Arm: 70
• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #10 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: The Mariners considered Gonzalez one of the top players in the 2020-21 international class and signed him for a $1.3 million bonus out of Venezuela. Gonzalez immediately stood out after signing and carried it over into his official pro debut. He hit .287/.371/.582 and led the Dominican Summer League with 26 extra-base hits, earning reviews as arguably the top player in the league.
  
  Scouting Report: Gonzalez is only 5-foot-11, but he has a strong, physical frame and surprisingly twitchy athleticism for his muscular build. He rotates quickly with a lot of torque in his swing to generate plus power to all fields. Gonzalez is a power hitter first, but he has a good feel for contact and projects to be an average hitter. He covers the entire plate and has an advanced sense for hunting pitches he can drive. Gonzalez is a slightly above-average runner and has the hands and instincts to play center field. He presently has enough range for the position, but he may move to right field if he loses a step. He has the above-average arm strength to stick in right field if needed.
  
  The Future: Gonzalez is set to make his stateside debut in the Arizona Complex League in 2022 and will play all season as an 18-year-old.
  

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #66 prospect in 2023

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Gonzalez signed with the Mariners for $1.3 million out of Venezuela in 2021 and quickly established himself as one of the organization's most promising offensive talents. He led the Dominican Summer League in extra-base hits in his pro debut and continued to produce in his first season stateside in 2022. Gonzalez hit a team-best .357 in the Arizona Complex League and earned a promotion as an 18-year-old to Low-A Modesto, where he impressively held his own over the season's final month.
  
  Scouting Report: Gonzalez is a physical, righthanded power hitter with a fast, powerful swing. He demolishes pitches in the strike zone with his quick hands and plus power and is adept at driving balls the other way for opposite-field home runs. He already posts exit velocities up to 116 mph--the same maximum exit velocity as Austin Riley and C.J. Cron in the majors in 2022--and has the natural hand-eye coordination, pitch recognition and contact skills to get to his power in games. Gonzalez doesn't swing and miss much for a power hitter, but he frequently chases pitches out of the zone for weak contact and has to improve his pitch selection. His hand speed, strength and natural feel for contact give him a chance to be a fringy to average hitter if he improves his swing decisions. Gonzalez has a thick, physically mature body and has already slowed to a fringe-average runner. He is limited to a corner outfield spot defensively, where he has marginal range but good instincts and plus-plus arm strength. He projects to be a fringy to average defensive right fielder as long as he doesn't get too big and lose his mobility.
  
  The Future: Gonzalez has the thump to be a middle-of-the-order power threat, but he'll need to improve his swing decisions and monitor his conditioning. He should reach High-A Everett in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 45. Power: 60. Speed: 40. Fielding: 45. Arm: 70
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: Gonzalez signed with the Mariners for $1.3 million out of Venezuela in 2021 and quickly established himself as one of the organization's most promising offensive talents. He led the Dominican Summer League in extra-base hits in his pro debut and continued to produce in his first season stateside in 2022. Gonzalez hit a team-best .357 in the Arizona Complex League and earned a promotion as an 18-year-old to Low-A Modesto, where he impressively held his own over the season's final month.
  
  Scouting Report: Gonzalez is a physical, righthanded power hitter with a fast, powerful swing. He demolishes pitches in the strike zone with his quick hands and plus power and is adept at driving balls the other way for opposite-field home runs. He already posts exit velocities up to 116 mph--the same maximum exit velocity as Austin Riley and C.J. Cron in the majors in 2022--and has the natural hand-eye coordination, pitch recognition and contact skills to get to his power in games. Gonzalez doesn't swing and miss much for a power hitter, but he frequently chases pitches out of the zone for weak contact and has to improve his pitch selection. His hand speed, strength and natural feel for contact give him a chance to be a fringy to average hitter if he improves his swing decisions. Gonzalez has a thick, physically mature body and has already slowed to a fringe-average runner. He is limited to a corner outfield spot defensively, where he has marginal range but good instincts and plus-plus arm strength. He projects to be a fringy to average defensive right fielder as long as he doesn't get too big and lose his mobility.
  
  The Future: Gonzalez has the thump to be a middle-of-the-order power threat, but he'll need to improve his swing decisions and monitor his conditioning. He should reach High-A Everett in 2023.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hitting: 45. Power: 60. Speed: 40. Fielding: 45. Arm: 70
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  
  Track Record: The Mariners considered Gonzalez one of the top players in the 2020-21 international class and signed him for a $1.3 million bonus out of Venezuela. Gonzalez immediately stood out after signing and carried it over into his official pro debut. He hit .287/.371/.582 and led the Dominican Summer League with 26 extra-base hits, earning reviews as arguably the top player in the league.
  
  Scouting Report: Gonzalez is only 5-foot-11, but he has a strong, physical frame and surprisingly twitchy athleticism for his muscular build. He rotates quickly with a lot of torque in his swing to generate plus power to all fields. Gonzalez is a power hitter first, but he has a good feel for contact and projects to be an average hitter. He covers the entire plate and has an advanced sense for hunting pitches he can drive. Gonzalez is a slightly above-average runner and has the hands and instincts to play center field. He presently has enough range for the position, but he may move to right field if he loses a step. He has the above-average arm strength to stick in right field if needed.
  
  The Future: Gonzalez is set to make his stateside debut in the Arizona Complex League in 2022 and will play all season as an 18-year-old.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 50. Power: 60. Speed: 50. Fielding: 50. Arm: 55.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Mariners considered Gonzalez one of the top players in the 2020-21 international class and signed him for a $1.3 million bonus out of Venezuela. Gonzalez immediately stood out after signing and carried it over into his official pro debut. He hit .287/.371/.582 and led the Dominican Summer League with 26 extra-base hits, earning reviews as arguably the top player in the league.
  
  Scouting Report: Gonzalez is only 5-foot-11, but he has a strong, physical frame and surprisingly twitchy athleticism for his muscular build. He rotates quickly with a lot of torque in his swing to generate plus power to all fields. Gonzalez is a power hitter first, but he has a good feel for contact and projects to be an average hitter. He covers the entire plate and has an advanced sense for hunting pitches he can drive. Gonzalez is a slightly above-average runner and has the hands and instincts to play center field. He presently has enough range for the position, but he may move to right field if he loses a step. He has the above-average arm strength to stick in right field if needed.
  
  The Future: Gonzalez is set to make his stateside debut in the Arizona Complex League in 2022 and will play all season as an 18-year-old.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  Gonzalez was signed for $1.1 million out of Venezuela in 2021 on the strength of a powerful bat, an athletic build and the ability to one day fit into the mold of a slugging corner outfielder. So far, so good for Gonzalez, who opened his career by mashing in the Dominican Summer League.
• January, 2021 Scouting Report
  Gonzalez, who is expected to sign with the Mariners, has trended up as one of the top players in Venezuela. With a strong, stocky build for a center fielder, Gonzalez is physically advanced for his age, showing a mix of strength, bat speed and leverage in his swing to drive the ball out of the park in games. He has a good track record of hitting and hitting for power against live pitching, with an aggressive approach and swing that might ultimately lead to a power-over-hit profile. He's an average runner with good defensive instincts, so he should start his career as a center fielder with a chance to stick there, though with his build he might end up in a corner. Gonzalez trains at the Dream Team Baseball Academy.