Gabriel Gonzalez is a Great Hitter, but It Might not Matter

[JD-TWINS]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

Gonzalez is a free-swinging contact hitter. Well below average runner & fielder. So what good is it, if he has good arm if he doesn't get to a ball or field it? Where did they get that he has any HR potential? That evaluation has no real basis. So why do people still dream that it will somehow miraculously appear? Last year he didn't live up to his contact hitting profile, this year he is, If he was a slick fielding SS, he'd be worthy of his high ranking (some still demand an above average slugging for the position of SS) but he's not. He's a RFer at best, so many HRs are a must. So until that materializes, he shouldn't be ranked  high or even dream that he'd become a MLBer at least for the Twins,

His Slug% is currently .522.

When young, Oliva couldn’t play the OF at all, he was 4-9 in his ‘62 cup of coffee ….. went 3-7 in ‘63……couldn’t catch a fly ball or get to a fly ball ………..won a Gold Glove in ‘66. OF skills can be developed - not saying he’s going to be great but could be adequate.

Bostock & Mack were pretty good hitting corner OF’s ……… not a bunch of power with either. Seems he’s earning the benefit of the doubt?

[Road trip]

I somewhat don't get the "no power" and "he's slow" takes, but I'll admit I've not watched him.

His scouting grade was 45 speed, 50 power.  Neither is a strength, but we aren't talking Josh Willingham speed or Ben Revere power either, and they both played some corner outfield for the Twins.  In 400 minor league games he's stolen 39 bases and hit 44 home runs.  That shows some production.  He won't get faster, but his power may improve with age.

Every AA player who shows potential is a "maybe".  I look forward to seeing if he can continue to develop at AAA, and then hopefully the majors.

[Doctor Gast]

Kirby Puckett & Brian Dozier came up because they could play a premium position not that they could hit HRs or had the potential to do so. HRs came later. They are an exception not the rule. Many who even have high power rankings don't make it. Gonzalez's glove won't get him to the show to find out.

[Dman]

1 hour ago, Matthew Trueblood said:

Y'all are why so many organizations used to keep a 'Do Not Comp' list. Luis Arraez is not a person you should ever be comparing a prospect to, but you CERTAINLY shouldn't do it with a right-handed batter who's whiffing more in this, his best season by far, than Arraez ever has at a stop of any length anywhere in professional baseball. Get it together.

It's not a perfect comp as in he is exactly the same hitter. Just that like Arraez he is underrated primarily because of his defensive value.  Arraez had a very narrow path to the majors and he became an AL and NL batting champion. Not saying Gonzalez will do that, but I think his lack of defense is overblown at this point. All the top evaluators missed on Arraez because they didn't value the hit tool enough.

[Patzky]

2 hours ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

So Jamie,  did you ever like Arraez?  He is effectively the outfield version of Arraez witha little more power.  Gonzalez is also 21.  He has time to become a better defender and gain more power.  A 21 year old mashing in AA is a 21 year old mashing in AA.  Thats a hell of a feat in any situation.  It also means that bat will most likely translate.   AA is generally the make or break level, of determining MLB talent.  Not to say players cant plateau at AAA,  or be AAAA never being able to figure out the MLB level,  but the biggest hurdle is AA.  

Gonzalez after an adjustment period has improved immensely.  I have thought Gabriel has looked a little more fit this summer, I think it has also helped his performance.   Right now I think the biggest risk for Gonzalez will be the nutrition side.  He will need to keep all the athleticism he has.  He absolutely cannot go down the Sano path.  

What this article is kind of showing is that we want to peg players into boxes or cookie cutter molds.  Had you been writing articles what would you have thought of someone like Kirby Puckett.  Like Gonzalez,  shorter build,  stocky legs, he did have more speed especially early in career, but he could hit the crap out of the ball (even though a .620 OPS in AAA in 20 games and a .650 OPS in MLB the remainder of 1984).  Based on the projection you are making of Gonzalez you likely wouldn't have thought much of Puckett.  The power didn't begin to show up until he was 26.   I am not here to say Gonzalez is Kirby Puckett, just making a point.  

Gonzalez even now will be rated higher than Arraez ever was and will be given more opportunities.  Honestly,  as long as he continues to tweak and get a little better with the bat,  there is very little imagination needed to see him as an everyday MLB player.    

Perhaps someday we will have 'won' the Polanco trade.. and Justin Topa will have been long forgotten.

[LA Vikes Fan]

1 hour ago, BillyBallLives said:

Jury is still out on the trade that acquired Gonzales, but we do know the Twins traded away a proven, versatile MLB player in Jorge Polanco for two injured pitchers and a couple of maybe prospects.

Classic Falvey.

I hope Gonzales pans out, but it’s hard to see how this helps the big-league club anytime soon.

Or you could say that the Twins traded a broken down 31 year old fan favorite who we couldn’t use and who hit .213 in 2024, the year after the trade, with a .651 OPS. This year he’s hitting better with a .776 OPS but has to DH because he can’t play in the field well enough any more and can’t run. In return, we got a SP who did nothing, a RP who has been decent but not great in middle relief, and 2 prospects, one of whom is doing well enough in AA to warrant the article. Sounds like a fair trade, maybe even a win for the Twins now, and definitely a Twins win if Gonzales makes the MLB level for more than a cup of coffee. 

Im no big fan of Falvey, but this isn’t the trade to criticize. It’s frankly what we should do now with a couple guys, trade players who aren’t in our long term plans for players with upside who might be. 

[jmlease1]

10 minutes ago, Dman said:

It's not a perfect comp as in he is exactly the same hitter. Just that like Arraez he is underrated primarily because of his defensive value.  Arraez had a very narrow path to the majors and he became an AL and NL batting champion. Not saying Gonzalez will do that, but I think his lack of defense is overblown at this point. All the top evaluators missed on Arraez because they didn't value the hit tool enough.

I think you can argue that the evaluators didn't really miss on Arraez, he just managed to exceed expectations for a couple of fun seasons.

I don't know the GG has it in him to be a batting champion, but it does look like he's got enough pop in his bat and ability to take a walk to put up an OPS in the .800 range, which is just fine for a corner OF, even if they're not a great defender. If you think his slugging is a mirage, and that he simply won't be able to rack up enough doubles and get to 10-15 homers...then yeah. He won't hit enough to play corner OF. If you think his OBP is propped up too much by minor league pitchers who miss the zone wildly and he'll be swinging at everything as he tries to make the last leaps...then yeah. He's not going to get on base enough to be a corner OF.

But the numbers he's put up in the minors to date suggest a different hitter. I value results on the field more than projection or even scouting evaluation of tools, but that's a personal preference.

It can be a challenge to find a good comp for a player like GG. I think it's fair that his tools are more limited, and most of the time with guys like that their strongest tools aren't usually good enough to overcome their deficiencies, which start to show more as they move up in competition. Usually guys who are slow but have a great hit tool tend to show out power production fairly early. Guys who hit for high average but don't have big home run power often have speed as an additional tool in their bag rather than a big arm. He's an unusual prospect that maybe doesn't fit the mold well, which could lead to him be undervalued...or have a difficult path to make it to and stick in MLB?

Right now, though, he's hitting up a storm in AA at 21 and looking like he can handle more. That feels worth the risk to me.

[Mike Sixel]

I'm a much bigger believer than many here. He was a consensus top 100 guy when they got him, then he got hurt. He's going to be in the majors for 3-5 years at least. Will he be great? Probably not, given his glove. But he could be a 2 war player, and those don't grow on trees (at least not in MN). Heck, I'd put him in MN right now and see what he is and get his feet wet. But even I don't think that's realistic. 

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, JD-TWINS said:

When young, Oliva couldn’t play the OF at all, he was 4-9 in his ‘62 cup of coffee ….. went 3-7 in ‘63……couldn’t catch a fly ball or get to a fly ball ………..won a Gold Glove in ‘66. OF skills can be developed - not saying he’s going to be great but could be adequate.

Bostock & Mack were pretty good hitting corner OF’s ……… not a bunch of power with either. Seems he’s earning the benefit of the doubt?

You are focusing on 2 opposite things. Oliva had enough raw defensive tools plus proven HR power, fine for RF.

Shane Mack & Lyman Bostock played a lot of CF & were very good hitters that qualified them w/o being HR hitters.

Gonzalez's glove at best is a RFer but doesn't hit HRs to profile there. Maybe he was adjusting to a new team so he was apprehensive in RF (which made him appear slow & lazy) maybe he can improve defensively to be a better RFer (not anything more) but I don't see him ever hitting enough HRs to qualify him for a MLB call-up there.

like Oliva, Wallner has a lot of raw defensive tools to play RF. How many years has he played professional ball & how much has he improved during those years? Oliva started proball in '61, it took him until '66 to obtain a GG. Wallner started in '19. I don't see the same raw defensive tools with Gonzalez.

[gman]

If you haven't watched the Twins this year, then you might think there was no room for a player like Gonzalez. But if you have watched, then you know this team needs all the hitting they can get. He might not win a gold glove or steal 50 bases but this team needs guys who can hit.

[Dman]

6 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I think you can argue that the evaluators didn't really miss on Arraez, he just managed to exceed expectations for a couple of fun seasons.

I don't know the GG has it in him to be a batting champion, but it does look like he's got enough pop in his bat and ability to take a walk to put up an OPS in the .800 range, which is just fine for a corner OF, even if they're not a great defender. If you think his slugging is a mirage, and that he simply won't be able to rack up enough doubles and get to 10-15 homers...then yeah. He won't hit enough to play corner OF. If you think his OBP is propped up too much by minor league pitchers who miss the zone wildly and he'll be swinging at everything as he tries to make the last leaps...then yeah. He's not going to get on base enough to be a corner OF.

But the numbers he's put up in the minors to date suggest a different hitter. I value results on the field more than projection or even scouting evaluation of tools, but that's a personal preference.

It can be a challenge to find a good comp for a player like GG. I think it's fair that his tools are more limited, and most of the time with guys like that their strongest tools aren't usually good enough to overcome their deficiencies, which start to show more as they move up in competition. Usually guys who are slow but have a great hit tool tend to show out power production fairly early. Guys who hit for high average but don't have big home run power often have speed as an additional tool in their bag rather than a big arm. He's an unusual prospect that maybe doesn't fit the mold well, which could lead to him be undervalued...or have a difficult path to make it to and stick in MLB?

Right now, though, he's hitting up a storm in AA at 21 and looking like he can handle more. That feels worth the risk to me.

I just feel like there is quite a bit of bias when it comes to Gonzalez. 

As far as power he has some already his slugging proves that and there is no reason once he focuses on getting to more power that he won't be able to.

As far as being a free swinger.  He has more walks than K's at AA right now.  His eye can't be that bad.  He might have to tone down the aggressive approach some at the MLB level, but his walk to K rate seems to indicate he has a great foundation to do that.

As far as his running ability he is rated as a faster runner than both Larnach and Wallner so I am not sure where this too slow stuff comes from.  The games I have watched he moves well out there.  I don't watch every game but early in the year he looked a little stiff out there in the cold, but most guys do.  He's not gonna be Bader and get to every ball, but he isn't going to be any worse than Wallner or Larnach that I can see.

The whole premise is that he won't have enough power and I think that is short sited given the evidence. It might take some time before he clears double digit HR';s at the MLB level, but he can hit them.  He'll get better at choosing his spots and if he drops some batting average I am sure he can sell out for power like lot's of other players do.

I just don't get the negativity of a 21 year old who didn't miss a beat moving up to AA where good bats go to die.  He has a .900 OPS and has looked good at the plate all year so far. What's not to like?

[MMMordabito]

It's sad that the game has gotten to a point where a guy is OPSing 946 in the higher levels of the minors at 21 yo, and the sentiment is basically "that doesn't matter, because he probably won't hit very many home runs"

I wonder what the OPS of the MLB Twins collective DH position is this year.  I'm pretty sure they would be better off with a guy with a .946 OPS and 7 homers.  That would be the 3rd highest OPS in the AL, but it wouldn't be achieved by hitting homers and doesn't allow guys to get their "off days", so Doesn't Matter.

[Chris Hove]

To me, his profile bears a strong resemblance to Dan Gladden, with a few notable differences. They both are corner outfielders; they both are good contact gap hitters, and both of them were good fielders. I think Gonzalez has the edge in fielding and arm strength. Gladden was a great base stealer, and I think Gonzalez can be too with a different approach. His injuries have significantly hindered his progress in the SB department, and as a result, he has adjusted his approach. Neither player hit a lot of home runs, but Gladden went on to have a great career and was pivotal in the Twins winning the 91 World Series. I think Gabby could become a player like that. The power will be an issue for him, but I hope to see more at-bats and a healthier Gonzalez to realize his potential fully. Also, free swinger or not, he has a 9.8K% rate, which would be the best in the league if he had enough at-bats, and considerably lower than last year and this year in High-A. His BB% is also higher. I'm still in on him to make an impact, but not all-star potential. The guy is 21, can't give up yet IMO.

Edited July 22, 2025 by Chris Hove

[chpettit19]

22 minutes ago, Dman said:

I just feel like there is quite a bit of bias when it comes to Gonzalez. 

As far as power he has some already his slugging proves that and there is no reason once he focuses on getting to more power that he won't be able to.

As far as being a free swinger.  He has more walks than K's at AA right now.  His eye can't be that bad.  He might have to tone down the aggressive approach some at the MLB level, but his walk to K rate seems to indicate he has a great foundation to do that.

As far as his running ability he is rated as a faster runner than both Larnach and Wallner so I am not sure where this too slow stuff comes from.  The games I have watched he moves well out there.  I don't watch every game but early in the year he looked a little stiff out there in the cold, but most guys do.  He's not gonna be Bader and get to every ball, but he isn't going to be any worse than Wallner or Larnach that I can see.

The whole premise is that he won't have enough power and I think that is short sited given the evidence. It might take some time before he clears double digit HR';s at the MLB level, but he can hit them.  He'll get better at choosing his spots and if he drops some batting average I am sure he can sell out for power like lot's of other players do.

I just don't get the negativity of a 21 year old who didn't miss a beat moving up to AA where good bats go to die.  He has a .900 OPS and has looked good at the plate all year so far. What's not to like?

I guess Trevor Larnach is the reason for the "negativity." I don't think this is really "negativity" in the first place, though. I think its people being realistic. I think most people on this board are saying he's a major leaguer, but not a star. Larnach was 22 in his first full year in professional baseball with a near .900 OPS in AA. Had questions about whether or not he could ever get to real power, wasn't fast, and couldn't field. He's a 1-1.5 WAR player, at his best, in the majors. 115ish OPS+ kind of corner bat with a bad glove and no speed.

Or Miranda. He was 23 in AA because of the missed 2020 season (he reached AA at 21 like GG) but put up essentially a 1.000 OPS there. Hardly ever struck out because he was an aggressive swinger. 8% walk rate and 11% K rate. Also, essentially a 115ish OPS bat in the majors because he doesn't have much power but has big time bat to ball skills. Has no defensive value at a corner spot and no speed. A 1-1.5 WAR player, at his best, in the majors. 

That's a very realistic look at GG's future with the tools he has. He could absolutely beat that. He wouldn't be the first guy to do it. But that's the realistic view. It's not negative. A 115 OPS+ is nothing to brush off. That's a useful bat. But it's not a star. And on a corner, with no defensive value (which is the honest, realistic, likely outcome for GG) it's a 1-1.5 WAR player.

Developing your own guys like that is useful. He'll have a major league career. And maybe there's a tweak in there somewhere that boosts his power above what the projections are and suddenly he's a much better bat. I don't think most of us saying "hold on a minute" or the article itself are saying we should just kick him aside because he's useless, we're just saying he doesn't have "star" written all over him. He has 7-hole hitter in a good lineup written on him. Useful player, but not irreplaceable. 

[jmlease1]

2 minutes ago, Chris Hove said:

To me, his profile bears a strong resemblance to Dan Gladden, with a few notable differences. They both are corner infielders; they both are good contact gap hitters, and both of them were good fielders. I think Gonzalez has the edge in fielding and arm strength. Gladden was a great base stealer, and I think Gonzalez can be too with a different approach. His injuries have significantly hindered his progress in the SB department, and as a result, he has adjusted his approach. Neither player hit a lot of home runs, but Gladden went on to have a great career and was pivotal in the Twins winning the 91 World Series. I think Gabby could become a player like that. The power will be an issue for him, but I hope to see more at-bats and a healthier Gonzalez to realize his potential fully. Also, free swinger or not, he has a 9.8% K% rate, which would be the best in the league if he had enough at-bats, and considerably lower than last year and this year in High-A. His BB% is also higher. I'm still in on him to make an impact, but not all-star potential. The guy is 21, can't give up yet IMO.

Gladden was a much better defensive player than GG has shown, and a much worse hitter. I'd argue that Gladden was a bit overrated on the basepaths, as he got thrown out more than you'd like (70% success rate just isn't enough), but GG really doesn't look like he'll be much of a threat with his (lack of speed) speed. GG is going to have to hit quite a bit better than Gladden to have a significant career, unless his defense improves a lot. I don't really see the comp here.

[jmlease1]

6 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I guess Trevor Larnach is the reason for the "negativity." I don't think this is really "negativity" in the first place, though. I think its people being realistic. I think most people on this board are saying he's a major leaguer, but not a star. Larnach was 22 in his first full year in professional baseball with a near .900 OPS in AA. Had questions about whether or not he could ever get to real power, wasn't fast, and couldn't field. He's a 1-1.5 WAR player, at his best, in the majors. 115ish OPS+ kind of corner bat with a bad glove and no speed.

Interesting comp, but the LH v RH change might impact the upside, as Larnach is a platoon bat. Larnach also has the missed 2020 minor league season screwing up his development and a litany of injuries that have held him back as well. GG had a bit of a lost season in 2024 because of injuries, but so far he's been healthy in 2025.

Larnach did have 23 homers in 2023 between 2 levels, and looks like a guy who can give you 15-20 homers in a full season? If GG can be Larnach with 50 more points of BA, he's probably a good enough hitter for your corner OF and more than a 1-1.5 bWAR player in a full time role. It'll be interesting to see how he develops. I feel like Larnach's development got messed up by the missing 2020 minor league season and nagging injuries (playing through turf toe can be done, but it's going to drag you down). If GG can avoid the injury bug, I think he can be better than Larnach?

[Dman]

19 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I guess Trevor Larnach is the reason for the "negativity." I don't think this is really "negativity" in the first place, though. I think its people being realistic. I think most people on this board are saying he's a major leaguer, but not a star. Larnach was 22 in his first full year in professional baseball with a near .900 OPS in AA. Had questions about whether or not he could ever get to real power, wasn't fast, and couldn't field. He's a 1-1.5 WAR player, at his best, in the majors. 115ish OPS+ kind of corner bat with a bad glove and no speed.

Or Miranda. He was 23 in AA because of the missed 2020 season (he reached AA at 21 like GG) but put up essentially a 1.000 OPS there. Hardly ever struck out because he was an aggressive swinger. 8% walk rate and 11% K rate. Also, essentially a 115ish OPS bat in the majors because he doesn't have much power but has big time bat to ball skills. Has no defensive value at a corner spot and no speed. A 1-1.5 WAR player, at his best, in the majors. 

That's a very realistic look at GG's future with the tools he has. He could absolutely beat that. He wouldn't be the first guy to do it. But that's the realistic view. It's not negative. A 115 OPS+ is nothing to brush off. That's a useful bat. But it's not a star. And on a corner, with no defensive value (which is the honest, realistic, likely outcome for GG) it's a 1-1.5 WAR player.

Developing your own guys like that is useful. He'll have a major league career. And maybe there's a tweak in there somewhere that boosts his power above what the projections are and suddenly he's a much better bat. I don't think most of us saying "hold on a minute" or the article itself are saying we should just kick him aside because he's useless, we're just saying he doesn't have "star" written all over him. He has 7-hole hitter in a good lineup written on him. Useful player, but not irreplaceable. 

Since Keaschall doesn't really have much defensive value is that about the same area he would fall.  A 1 to 1.5 WAR player?

[Chris Hove]

16 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Gladden was a much better defensive player than GG has shown, and a much worse hitter. I'd argue that Gladden was a bit overrated on the basepaths, as he got thrown out more than you'd like (70% success rate just isn't enough), but GG really doesn't look like he'll be much of a threat with his (lack of speed) speed. GG is going to have to hit quite a bit better than Gladden to have a significant career, unless his defense improves a lot. I don't really see the comp here.

It's tough to compare right now because of the difference in competition, but Gonzalez has only made one error since arriving in Wichita. He's a career .302 hitter in the minors with almost 1,800 at-bats, but like I said, it's hard to evaluate a guy's true potential in Double-A compared to an MLB player. That's why I said profile. Gladden was and will be a better base stealer, but I don't think Gonzalez has really relied on that aspect too much due to injuries.

[chpettit19]

19 minutes ago, Dman said:

Since Keaschall doesn't really have much defensive value is that about the same area he would fall.  A 1 to 1.5 WAR player?

I think Keaschall has significantly more defensive value. He's a better 2B than GG is cOF and once his arm is back healthy he'll start playing some CF again. You add in his speed and he's a much more valuable player, in my opinion.

[Danchat]

I didn't realize Gonzalez was a career .302 hitter in the minors... but I don't see the comp to Arraez. I think the Larnach comparison is more accurate, I can see a 1-1.5 WAR player in him. I'm not worried about the power yet, he's too young for that.

I do wish we'd quit it with the subpar speed/defense prospects but I guess that's just what this front office loves. Maybe a move to 1B is warranted? I know his bat might not be quite good enough, but this organization needs depth at 1B and I'd rather have him there instead of as a mediocre OF who can't cut it once he makes it to the majors. We've had enough of those guys and give me Gonzalez over the next middling vet/Miranda/Julien at 1B, given he can handle it in the minors. He has yet to play even a single inning in the minors there so it's probably a longshot.

[chpettit19]

28 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Interesting comp, but the LH v RH change might impact the upside, as Larnach is a platoon bat. Larnach also has the missed 2020 minor league season screwing up his development and a litany of injuries that have held him back as well. GG had a bit of a lost season in 2024 because of injuries, but so far he's been healthy in 2025.

Larnach did have 23 homers in 2023 between 2 levels, and looks like a guy who can give you 15-20 homers in a full season? If GG can be Larnach with 50 more points of BA, he's probably a good enough hitter for your corner OF and more than a 1-1.5 bWAR player in a full time role. It'll be interesting to see how he develops. I feel like Larnach's development got messed up by the missing 2020 minor league season and nagging injuries (playing through turf toe can be done, but it's going to drag you down). If GG can avoid the injury bug, I think he can be better than Larnach?

Oh, he can definitely be better than Larnach. He could also be worse. But he has the same kind of concerns. Larnach was a more patient hitter than Miranda and GG, but all 3 of them had no speed, no defense, contact over power corner bat profiles as prospects. Larnach had the easier path to adding power as he was a bigger guy, but his swing needed more changes as it was naturally grooved to the left-center gap. I don't buy the 2020 excuse anymore. It certainly messed with some things in 2021, but it's 2025 now. The injuries for Larnach and Miranda are a thing, but 2020 is no longer an excuse I take.

It's far from a perfect comp. Miranda is still the guy I see most when I watch GG. Sprays the ball to all fields as a righty. Much more line drive driven but will lift some homers here and there. Seems to have that innate ability to square the ball up and hit it hard no matter where you throw it, but maybe not at crazy levels of hard. I haven't seen batted ball data on him recently, but that'd be really interesting to me. Could also be a bit of a peak into his future power potential. 

I'm absolutely not trying to rain on the GG parade. I'd give him a taste of the bigs this year if I were in charge. I love bat to ball prospects. I far prefer them over power guys you have to teach to make contact. But I'm trying to be realistic here, too. He has a lot of holes in his game right now. His 100th percentile outcome is far better than what Larnach has been. But I think his most likely outcome is pretty close to Larnach and Miranda as a 115ish OPS+ bat with negative defensive value and 1-1.5 WAR. Useful player, but not one we're building statues for.

[Road trip]

If we need to comp him to an ex-Twin, I'd go with a right handed Robbie Grossman or Steve Braun.  Limited ability defenders with average speed, marginal HR power, good hit tools and good OBP.  They both had a few good years.  Braun especially was a useful player at his peak.  Hopefully Gonzalez can exceed them.

[ziggy]

3 hours ago, LastOnePicked said:

That hurts, man.

Sorry, I should have said Oswado Arcia. But Oswaldo had better home run power.

TBH, I'm fine with a 21 year old hitting line drive doubles. Remember purposely trying for home runs does not turn out well........

[Jeff K]

2 hours ago, Patzky said:

Perhaps someday we will have 'won' the Polanco trade.. and Justin Topa will have been long forgotten.

I'm amazed at the commentary around Polanco.  He certainly wasn't missed last year and this year, he would be another DH on a team full of them.  Polanco was a very good, and likeable, Twin for many years, but let's keep in perspective where he was at in his career for the trade.  

[jmlease1]

21 minutes ago, Danchat said:

I do wish we'd quit it with the subpar speed/defense prospects but I guess that's just what this front office loves. Maybe a move to 1B is warranted? I know his bat might not be quite good enough, but this organization needs depth at 1B and I'd rather have him there instead of as a mediocre OF who can't cut it once he makes it to the majors. We've had enough of those guys and give me Gonzalez over the next middling vet/Miranda/Julien at 1B, given he can handle it in the minors. He has yet to play even a single inning in the minors there so it's probably a longshot.

We just spent our first round pick on a glove-first SS and have added several prospects in the last couple of years with speed & defense as well. People need to get past the mindset that this front office has one specific type of player they draft, because there's pretty consistently guys that come along before or after that break that mold.

First it was they only draft slow college sluggers, then it's small college pitchers, then it's they won't draft high school pitchers, or they won't draft speed or defense, and then it's they like drafting injured players (right now it seems to be "they won't draft catchers" the most) but the reality is they simply don't appear to be dogmatic about anything in the draft other than going for what they perceive as the best value in the draft and that they don't draft for "need".

I mean this year they drafted a glove first college SS, a major college/conference starter coming off an injury, a hyper athletic high school kid, a smaller (southern) college starter, a major college starter, a juco starter, and a high school SS with their first 7 picks.

I'm quite certain they plucked GG from Seattle because he was the best prospect they thought they could get from Seattle in that trade, regardless of tools/background. They're all about value. Whether they always get proper value for their picks and players...YMMV. But I simply don't see a team that falls into those neat categories of "they don't value defense" or "they're obsessed with homers" or even "they don't care about strikeouts" that people like to put on the front office.

[cheeseheadgophfan]

5 hours ago, BillyBallLives said:

Jury is still out on the trade that acquired Gonzales, but we do know the Twins traded away a proven, versatile MLB player in Jorge Polanco for two injured pitchers and a couple of maybe prospects.

Classic Falvey.

I hope Gonzales pans out, but it’s hard to see how this helps the big-league club anytime soon.

Insane take......every team in MLB would take GG for Polanco straight up right now and this is the best Polanco has played since the trade.  

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, jmlease1 said:

We just spent our first round pick on a glove-first SS and have added several prospects in the last couple of years with speed & defense as well. People need to get past the mindset that this front office has one specific type of player they draft, because there's pretty consistently guys that come along before or after that break that mold.

First it was they only draft slow college sluggers, then it's small college pitchers, then it's they won't draft high school pitchers, or they won't draft speed or defense, and then it's they like drafting injured players (right now it seems to be "they won't draft catchers" the most) but the reality is they simply don't appear to be dogmatic about anything in the draft other than going for what they perceive as the best value in the draft and that they don't draft for "need".

I mean this year they drafted a glove first college SS, a major college/conference starter coming off an injury, a hyper athletic high school kid, a smaller (southern) college starter, a major college starter, a juco starter, and a high school SS with their first 7 picks.

I'm quite certain they plucked GG from Seattle because he was the best prospect they thought they could get from Seattle in that trade, regardless of tools/background. They're all about value. Whether they always get proper value for their picks and players...YMMV. But I simply don't see a team that falls into those neat categories of "they don't value defense" or "they're obsessed with homers" or even "they don't care about strikeouts" that people like to put on the front office.

Immediate gratification ain't immediate. But Rocco! 😁😁😁

[twinstalker]

Yeah, the article is on point.  If not for last year, though, I might have more of an argument against it.  He's definitely BABIP dependent, which is okay if your BABIP is consistently high and you don't strikeout much.  Wade Boggs!  That means line drives with high exit velocities.  What can affect the ability to output that consistently?  A lot.  Minor injury, stance, trying to get more lift, not seeing the ball as well, facing better command (hello, Jose Miranda).

So I don't know what happened last year, but I suspect the Twins had plans to build his hit tool into a hit/power tool.

FYI, I follow all prospects in all orgs, and Seattle's low A (Modesto?) is a huge hit factory.  All their good and decent prospects crush there then struggle thereafter, comparatively, so that does explain some, I think.  Also recognize that Wichita and St. Paul are hitters paradises, too.

I rank Gonzalez high among Twins hitting prospects, but I shake my head every time I do, because it's not really that I believe for sure he'll make it.  Twins hitting is just really bad, with only really Jenkins and Keaschall any good.  Culpepper has a chance, but he's older than Gonzalez and doing less, sort of.  EmRod, not really.  The only reason I keep EmRod in the top 10 Twins is the power and a few unknowns.

Don't get fooled by Wichita stats...or St. Paul stats, and be very cognizant of age and K rate.

[Danchat]

1 hour ago, jmlease1 said:

But I simply don't see a team that falls into those neat categories of "they don't value defense" or "they're obsessed with homers" or even "they don't care about strikeouts" that people like to put on the front office.

Yeah, it's an overgeneralization but the majority of Falvine-developed prospects who have made it to the majors have been of that archetype with some exceptions like Brooks Lee. One guy who did not fit that mold is Noah Miller... they traded him away. Perhaps that perception will dissipate when they start calling up guys who can play defense and steal some bases.

[Mike Sixel]

3 hours ago, Danchat said:

I didn't realize Gonzalez was a career .302 hitter in the minors... but I don't see the comp to Arraez. I think the Larnach comparison is more accurate, I can see a 1-1.5 WAR player in him. I'm not worried about the power yet, he's too young for that.

I do wish we'd quit it with the subpar speed/defense prospects but I guess that's just what this front office loves. Maybe a move to 1B is warranted? I know his bat might not be quite good enough, but this organization needs depth at 1B and I'd rather have him there instead of as a mediocre OF who can't cut it once he makes it to the majors. We've had enough of those guys and give me Gonzalez over the next middling vet/Miranda/Julien at 1B, given he can handle it in the minors. He has yet to play even a single inning in the minors there so it's probably a longshot.

It's not what they love. Look at the high picks lately. But some guys have that profile, in every org. I do agree they used to draft too many guys w/o defense....for sure.