Twins Daily's Top 20 Minnesota Twins Prospects: #10 Gabriel Gonzalez

I'm eager to see how Gonzalez has improved to show promise in 2025. The hitting was not such a problem last year but his defense was lower than late career Josh Willingham or Delmon Young. I don't believe Gabriel has any trade value but he is young and can turn it around with improved play in 2025.

Not much to like or dislike. He does seem to be overrated as much as overlooked.

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

It's strange to me how much of other sports scouting profiles and assumptions have found their way into baseball. Add size or mass for power? Hank Aaron was 6'0 and 180lbs. Byron Buxton has a huge power at 6'2 and 190lbs. Jackson Merrill blasted 24HR last year playing home games at Petco at 6'3 195lbs. Bobby Witt, Jr. is 6'1 and 200lbs. Guys don't need to be 6'4 and 300lbs with bodies like offensive linemen to hit the ball hard.

The heavier the player gets, the harder it is to be fast. The more weight a player adds, the more force they need to exert on their body to accelerate the bat. The more mass they add, the more pressure they put on their joints and skeletal system leading to injury and degenerative conditions. Baseball is not the NFL where mass is needed to avoid being the 8-ball shooting into the side pocket.

All that aside, Gonzalez didn't truly improve as much as you'd hope over last year. I'd sure hope he's younger than the average age of his level because guys aren't even prospects anymore if they're at average age. Even at 2.2yrs younger than average, Gonzalez is no longer young for a top prospect considering age/time in pro ball. He should have been sent to the AFL to baby step him towards AA next year. AA next year is where I agree with others in the sentiment it'll be a make or break year for him.

I think it's still early to have a "likely outcome" for a 20 year prospect playing in A+ ball.

Did a double take, bean, when you wrote that Henry Aaron was 6-0 and 180.  Went and checked baseball reference and yup, that's what it says.

On the other hand, the player I remember was a lot less than 180.  More like 160.  And 6-0 was a generous measurement.  Of course that was early in his career when he was a youngster in Milwaukee.

I don’t get how he is #10?  Still far away from the majors, not gaudy #s, difficult projecting body type, poor athleticism at a corner OF spot.  
 

How doesn’t Rosario profile better?  Atleast has BP power and a big arm and has atleast played at AAA and in the AZ fall league.  I’m not even a Rosario believer.  
 

Looks like we got sold on a pretty worthless package for Polanco 

8 minutes ago, High heat said:

I don’t get how he is #10?  Still far away from the majors, not gaudy #s, difficult projecting body type, poor athleticism at a corner OF spot.  
 

How doesn’t Rosario profile better?  Atleast has BP power and a big arm and has atleast played at AAA and in the AZ fall league.  I’m not even a Rosario believer.  
 

Looks like we got sold on a pretty worthless package for Polanco 

Overall not a great return but still decent.  Its not as if Polanco did well this year at all.  

Bad defense and baserunning really limits his upside. He's going to need to hit like Josh Willingham.

Pitchers who should be top 30 prospects who you haven't mentioned yet

Charlee Soto, Andrew Morris, Marco Raya, Adrian Bohorquez, Cory Lewis, Travis Adams

Players in the top 10 you haven't mentioned yet: Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins, Luke Keaschall, Kaelen Culpepper.

Looks like Bohorquez got overlooked.

Gonzales is overrated, IMO he's comparable to Austudillo in style, except Austudillo hustled, Gonzales doesn't, Austudillo has a better glove & made better contact, SO rate. I don't see him ever making the Twins. He hasn't done anything yet to put him in my top 20.

3 hours ago, High heat said:

How doesn’t Rosario profile better?  Atleast has BP power and a big arm and has atleast played at AAA and in the AZ fall league.  I’m not even a Rosario believer.  
 

My thoughts exactly. Age is the only thing that puts Gonzalez higher than Rosario (and I've also not high on him). Just never saw what others did to put him in the top 100 last year.

People keep barking about what we got for Polanco.  Do we all realize that if the Twins see him as valuable they can get him back....and cheap?  He's a FA.  Maybe HE'S the second basemen next year.

At the time the Twins thought they were getting a solid reliever in Topa and a Top 100 prospect in Gonzalez.  DeSclafini was to even out the money as a throw-in.  Hindsight is always 20-20.  But at the time I though it was a steal for one year of Polanco. 

16 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Guys don't need to be 6'4 and 300lbs with bodies like offensive linemen to hit the ball hard.

Yes, indeed. Just like at Jose Altuve with the Astros. Tiny guy but he has 6 seasons with 20 or more homers, and in 2 of those seasons he hit over 30 dingers. As far as Gonzalez, I don't really know what to expect, but he is still young and there is always that intangible "potential."

17 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Not sure he's was worthy of being a top 100 a year ago with average speed and defense and questionable approach, (swings at everything), but he sure did have a good 2023.

I can't decide if he's a RH version of Eddie Rosario, only with fewer K's and more overall contact, or if he's an OF version of Miranda. Either way, good contact on hittable balls is excellent. And while not a large kid, he's already shown he's got some power. But like we've seen from Miranda when he's been hurt, weakly tapping out us really bad contact.

I see a future for him if his back is sound and he can look more like his 2019 self. But I also see other guys in the system that I think have higher ceilings. I don't think I'd have him at 10, but I also wouldn't want to downgrade him much considering youth and an injured plagued season in 2024.

Perhaps the best situation we can hope for Doc is that he gets a cup of coffee with the Twins late next year.  Then has a good spring in 2026 and plays some of the year with the Big Club.  Has a couple nice two week stretches where he does well, offering some hope.  Then as ERod and Jenkins both settle in, he has value so the Twins can use him in part of a package bringing in a meaningful part of their 2027 Championship team.  (I can have rose colored glasses, can't I?)

19 hours ago, bean5302 said:

It's strange to me how much of other sports scouting profiles and assumptions have found their way into baseball. Add size or mass for power? Hank Aaron was 6'0 and 180lbs. Byron Buxton has a huge power at 6'2 and 190lbs. Jackson Merrill blasted 24HR last year playing home games at Petco at 6'3 195lbs. Bobby Witt, Jr. is 6'1 and 200lbs. Guys don't need to be 6'4 and 300lbs with bodies like offensive linemen to hit the ball hard.
 

And who could forget Kirby Puckett.  5'8", 178lbs according to BREF.  Yeah, he probably got heavier as he aged, but short stature didn't prevent him from hitting the ball hard.

Heck, even all-time lumberjack Harmon Killebrew was only 6'0, 195.

17 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I think Topa is kept, and if his knee is sound...it was too end the year and he's got all offseason to further rest it...he's potentially a really solid middle man who might toss a couple innings at times, as he did for Seattle. Considering how badly the trade turned out overall for both sides, that's a bit of a win for the Twins.

Gonzalez makes the trade a steal if he can just learn to make GOOD contact by being more disciplined and not trying to hit EVERYTHING. Long way to go, but if he can do that, again IMO, he's sort of a cross between Eddie Rosario and Miranda. But he's a wait and see what he does healthy in 2025.

I think Polanco's knees are pretty shot at this point. And he's had numerous ankle injuries previously as well. IF he was signed...and I'm not advocating that...he'd be a 1B/DH/PH option, probably on a MILB deal.

100% with you Doc.  Any production from Topa = win for the Twins.  Gonzalez could tip it even more so.  Polo was a great player for the Twins, but I agree that they don't need to bring him back.