Bryan Gonzalez flashing raw power potential in High-A
Boston Red Sox prospect Bryan Gonzalez made his way up to Salem for a bit last season. There, the outfielder gave us glimpses of his offensive potential. Then he began 2023 in High-A, and things were going okay for the first two weeks.
However, he hit a snag. From April 20 through April 28, Gonzalez went 0-for-20 (with 13 strikeouts). The slump dropped his slash line down to .128/.227/.282.
It’s terrifyingly easy to write off a prospect, especially when they are surrounded by so much talent like Gonzalez is in a loaded Greenville Drive lineup. The important thing to remember is that these are young players trying to develop. Even the best players slump. And development isn’t necessarily always shown through results. Gonzalez is a 21-year-old who played in 32 Single-A games before the 2023 season.
How would he respond to this slump?
The right-handed hitter has gone 18-for-52 with one double, four triples, and four home runs. On Tuesday, he had his true breakout game.
Gonzalez was already showing some of the raw power that scouts saw in him this season. He had two doubles, five triples (seriously), and three home runs in 24 games (87 at-bats). In his first two at-bats on Tuesday, Gonzalez cracked two home runs. His third time up, he was walked on four pitches. He followed that up with a slow roller to second base for a single, then a screaming single to left for an RBI.
The designated hitter finished the day 4-for-4 with a walk, a steal, two home runs, two runs scored, and five RBI. He did just about everything you could do.
Gonzalez now holds a .253/.327/.549 slash line in 25 games (91 ABs). He’s hit two doubles, five triples, and five home runs. The run production is there too, with 19 RBI, 17 runs scored, and two steals.
There are still questions. Obviously, he’s not going to go 4-for-4 every game. We’ve seen Gonzalez struggle at times already this season, and it’s led to his 34 strikeouts in 91 at-bats. But we’re also seeing the plus side of the prospect now. We’re seeing that raw power potential shine through.
Five home runs in 91 at-bats is impressive in its own right. Don’t forget about those five triples, though. He’s not hitting those by accident. Gonzalez has been hitting the ball hard often, and he’s picking up extra-base hits because of it.
Bryan Gonzalez is a raw outfield prospect for the Boston Red Sox. He’s buried in rankings thanks to so much talent in the system. Both MLB’s top 30 and SoxProspect’s top 60 don’t feature the native of the Dominican Republic. That is due to his projections being carried solely by his power potential.
On Tuesday, we saw that shine through. You could argue that it’s irresponsible to hype someone up after one big game. Bryan Gonzalez has been giving the Greenville Drive an offensive boost for over two weeks, though. That was just his welcome party.
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