Prospect Retro: Alex S. Gonzalez of the Devil Rays

by John Sickels on Aug 2, 2025 12:22 PM EDT in News Comment 7 comments

Prospect Retrospective: Alex Gonzalez the Devil Ray

Alex S. Gonzalez was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 13th round of the 1991 draft, out of high school in Miami. He was considered a much better prospect than most 13th round picks, but most teams were afraid that he would go to college and didn't want to take a chance early in the draft. The Jays managed to sign him. Sent to the Gulf Coast League, he hit just .209/.265/.277 in 53 games for his pro debut. At this point he would be a Grade C or C+ prospect, toolsy but needing to show he could hit.

Moved up to the Sally League in 1992, he improved a great deal, hitting .271/.325/.402 with 10 homers. His plate discipline was shaky, as shown by a 38/119/535 BB/K/AB ratio, but he showed some pop, good defensive skills, and had obviously hit much better than he had in rookie ball. Given his improvement, a Grade B rating would have been appropriate.

The Jays bumped him up aggressively to Double-A in '93 and he continued to improve, hitting .289/.340/.451 with 16 homers. He also reduced his strikeout rate, and continued to impress defensively. At this stage, as a 20-year-old in Double-A with improving offense, he'd be a Grade B+ prospect.

In Triple-A in '94, Gonzalez hit .284/.365/.435 with 12 homers. He also increased his walk rate by nearly 50% compared to previous seasons. Given a normal growth curve, he looked like a future star. Eddie Epstein gave him a straight Grade A rating in the 1995 Minor League Scouting Notebook, and I agreed with this rating.

Gonzalez hit .243/.322/.398 with 10 homers as a rookie with the Blue Jays in 1995. But he never showed the kind of skill growth that would have made him a star. His plate discipline has never been more than barely acceptable, and he is basically the same player now that he was as a rookie ten years ago. His current career numbers: .243/.303/.392. Compare those to his '95 rookie season above and you'll see what I mean. He's been completely stagnant as a player for a decade. Given how dramatically he improved in the minors between '92 and '94, it is rather puzzling that he didn't improve at all once reaching the Majors.

Similar Players to Alex S. Gonzalez:

Zoilo Versalles
Greg Gagne
Dick Green
Dickie Thon
Bobby Knoop
Shawon Dunston

0 recs | Comment 7 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Blue Jays

Is it me, or do the Jays have a consistent history of rushing their top prospects to the majors?

by silvysilv on Aug 2, 2025 1:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's Only Rushing If The Players Flops...

But yes, the Jays have just about always been aggressive promoters of their kids.

Go ahead and shoot your mouth off, like it might kill the silence.

by ESiegrist on Aug 2, 2025 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

gonzo

Gonzalez played well in Triple-A in '94, so I don't think he was really rushed in '95. He just hasn't developed as you'd expect with a normal growth curve.

by John Sickels on Aug 2, 2025 3:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I'll never forget him

as he booted the easiest 2-hopper costing the Cubs a DP in the NLCS. Should have won the Gold Glove that season.

He seems to hit the late clutch HR a lot. I think John said it best, "it's puzzling he didn't improve once reaching the majors."

Favorite Gonzalez story. During our keeper league draft we were on a teleconference as we had 4 buddies in 1 location. It's was the 3rd pick in the 1st round and my buddy says proudly, "Alex Gonzalez!" To which my other friend and I quickly said, "You mean Alex Rodriguez!"? He said, "No. I want Gonzalez." We still crack up at that one on draft day.

by So Cal Bob on Aug 2, 2025 4:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

NLCS

I always find it amazing that Steve Bartman gets torn apart year after year for being a fan, and nobody seems to remember Gonzalez booting that grounder. I'm not a Cubs fan, so I probably don't understand the whole curse thing, but seriously, the way I see it, Gonzalez's error seems more costly than Bartman going after that ball.

by Gudy2Shoes on Aug 2, 2025 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Plenty of blame

There's plenty of blame to go around on that one. Bartman cost the Cubs an out, and with it they would have given up no more than 3 runs, which would have tied the game. Alex booted a routine play that an average high school shortstop would have made. Ultimately though, Dusty's failure to go get Prior when he should have was the biggest problem that night. Well, that and Bernie Mac's "root, root, root, for the champs".

I will say this though. If Bartman were in the same situation a second time, he would react differently. I also think Alex would make the play if given a second chance. Dusty on the other hand, made the same mistake on Friday, only this time he got away with it thanks to the offense.

by RiverCats05 on Aug 2, 2025 6:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

K

I once went to a Blue Jay game with a friend who did not know much about baseball. I remember telling this person that Alex Gonzalez tended to strike out a lot, and Gonzalez made me look really smart by striking out 5 times (acually, it may have been six times, but it was certainly every single plate appearance that game).

I was happy when dumping Gonzalez was one of the first moves of the JP regime.

by superpriebe on Aug 3, 2025 11:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs