The Guards outfielder Oscar Gonzalez has had a crazy career.
Gonzalez was one of the most sought-after players of the 2014 international class, and Cleveland made signing him a priority. He consistently ranked in the bottom half of Cleveland’s Top 30 prospect lists from 2017-2020 based on his plus power and excellent speed, but also his penchant for undisciplined at-bats. Following a mediocre 2021 season with AAA Columbus, he fell off most Top 30 lists and, since he signed in 2014, became a minor-league free agent.
But Cleveland knew what they had in Gonzalez, and resigned him for the 2022 season. He made his major league debut this summer and hit .296/.327/.461 with 11 HR over 362 at-bats, good for a 125 OPS+. He also had two game-winning hits during the 2022 playoffs, walking-off Corey Kluber and the Rays to win the Wild Card series, and walking off the Yankees to win game three of the ALDS.
Great season, sure. But I am worried that with a winter to develop a scouting report on Gonzalez, major league pitchers are going to exploit his aggression and serve him up a wicked sophomore slump. But Gonzalez has contact skills that remind me of a discount Vladimir Guerrero, so even with the strikeouts, there is the potential he can still be a productive bat.