Oscar Gonzalez

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #26 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: 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 Arizona League. After a strong start to the 2019 season with high Class A Lynchburg, he earned a late-summer promotion to Double-A Akron.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Gonzalez has good bat-to-ball skills and has ranked second in the system in hits in each of the last two years. But he's an ultra-aggressive hitter and has struggled with his plate discipline at times. He has above-average raw power and can get to it in games, but it more typically plays as doubles pop right now. 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 since leaving the Dominican Summer League.
  
  THE FUTURE: Whatever outfield corner Gonzalez ends up in, it will be up to his bat to push him through the minor leagues. Gonzalez will return to Double-A Akron to start 2020 and has the tools to eventually put himself in the big league picture.
• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #22 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: 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 Arizona League. He reached full-season ball in 2018 with low Class A Lake County, where he produced a solid season.
  
  Scouting Report: Gonzalez stands out most for his well above-average raw power, and he does a good job of getting to it in games. He is very aggressive at the plate and he'll need to improve his plate discipline as he advances, but his bat-to-ball skills are better than his strikeout rate (22.3 percent) indicates and he ranked fifth in the Midwest League in hits (135). 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 since leaving the Dominican Summer League, partially in deference to Will Benson.
  
  The Future: Whatever outfield corner Gonzalez ends up in, it will be up to his bat to push him through the minor leagues. He will advance in 2019 to high Class A Lynchburg, where he and Benson will again be paired together.
• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #20 prospect in 2018
  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.
• 
  Ranked Cleveland Guardians #27 prospect in 2017
  The Indians' top target in the 2014 international class, Gonzalez signed for $300,000 that July. He made his U.S. debut in 2016 in the Rookie-level Arizona League and won MVP honors after leading the circuit in home runs (eight) and slugging percentage (.566). His performance earned him a promotion to short-season Mahoning Valley at the end of the season. Gonzalez has both plus power and arm strength. He's more power than pure hitter, and will need to improve both his pitch recognition and his approach at the plate as he faces more advanced pitchers. But he has power to all fields and plenty of bat speed, giving him the tools to develop. His average speed and plus arm give him a chance to play right field, but he primarily played left field in 2016. Wherever Gonzalez ends up defensively, his bat will have to push him through the minor leagues. He will likely advance to full-season ball and low Class A Lake County sometime in 2017 as a 19-year-old.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Arizona Complex League #13 prospect in 2016
  No AZL player this season personifies the label of high-risk, high-reward more than league MVP Gonzalez. Signed for a $300,000 in 2014, he possesses plus raw power and an accurate, 70 arm on the 20-80 scouting scale. Gonzalez struggled to hit in his first pro season in the Dominican Summer League but started to show flashes of big-time potential this season, when he led the league in slugging percentage (.566) and tied for the lead in homers (eight). Gonzalez has a strong, athletic frame, moves well for his size with average speed and has potential right-field tools. He needs to improve his pitch recognition and plate discipline and not spin off pitches, as well as become much more consistent at the plate. A rotational swing and lack of plate discipline is most concerning to observers. Gonzalez is not just a dead pull hitter, showing the ability to hit home runs the opposite way. "When he hits it, it goes a long way," Indians manager Anthony Medrano said. "He hits it hard. The ball comes off his bat very well."

• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  When Gonzalez first signed with the Indians, Francisco Lindor had yet to make his Cleveland MLB debut. Now seven years later, Gonzalez is having a breakout season, having already set a career high in home runs. The 6-foot-4, 240 pound Gonzalez has long had plus-plus raw power, but this year he's doing a better job of swinging at pitches that he can actually connect with. The likelihood that Gonzalez will turn into a mashing everyday hitter is still slim. He's also got a plus arm in the outfield. He's more likely to be an up-and-down power bat. But it's a possibility now, which is an impressive development for a player who has already been Rule 5 eligible and unpicked for three seasons.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: 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 Arizona League. After a strong start to the 2019 season with high Class A Lynchburg, he earned a late-summer promotion to Double-A Akron.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Gonzalez has good bat-to-ball skills and has ranked second in the system in hits in each of the last two years. But he’s an ultra-aggressive hitter and has struggled with his plate discipline at times. He has above-average raw power and can get to it in games, but it more typically plays as doubles pop right now. 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 since leaving the Dominican Summer League.
  
  THE FUTURE: Whatever outfield corner Gonzalez ends up in, it will be up to his bat to push him through the minor leagues. Gonzalez will return to Double-A Akron to start 2020 and has the tools to eventually put himself in the big league picture.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: 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 Arizona League. After a strong start to the 2019 season with high Class A Lynchburg, he earned a late-summer promotion to Double-A Akron.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Gonzalez has good bat-to-ball skills and has ranked second in the system in hits in each of the last two years. But he's an ultra-aggressive hitter and has struggled with his plate discipline at times. He has above-average raw power and can get to it in games, but it more typically plays as doubles pop right now. 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 since leaving the Dominican Summer League.
  
  THE FUTURE: Whatever outfield corner Gonzalez ends up in, it will be up to his bat to push him through the minor leagues. Gonzalez will return to Double-A Akron to start 2020 and has the tools to eventually put himself in the big league picture.