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Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images
Toolsy young outfielder Robert Gonzalez made his full season debut in 2024. Robert Gonzalez appears to have a chance to be the next smaller signing bonus international free agent to make some impact with the Atlanta Braves.
How acquired
Gonzalez was signed by the Braves as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic for just $50k in January 2022. Gonzalez was an under the radar signing, and at least eight other players in that class signed with the Braves for more money - including Diego Benitez and Douglas Glod.
Preseason Report Card
Gonzalez was not ranked in our Preseason Top 30 prospects, though he did earn a spot on the honorable mentions for the Midseason Top 30. That midseason writeup is below:
“Gonzalez is one of the toolsiest players in the system, as a 19-year old with 80 grade speed who consistently posts exit velocities over 110 mph. Gonzalez’s pure talent also comes with some projectability for more strength, and he has shown off as of late with a .182 isolated power and a .912 OPS over the past month. Still, Gonzalez has major concerns about his approach as he struggles to recognize and lay off of breaking balls and changeups. He has made notable improvements this season though, increasing his walk rate four-fold in the last half of his time in Augusta. He is a sponge for coaching, but the increased walk rate came with an increase in strikeouts and he has yet to put it together into a significant stretch of great play. It helps that he should stick in center field, but for right now the gap between his development and his tools is just a bit too large for us to feel confident pushing him into the Top 30.”
What we saw in 2024
Gonzalez was tested hard in 2024, and his numbers reflect that. He was just 19-years-old at the start of the season and opened the year in Low-A, where he went on to slash .194/.304/.287 in 253 plate appearances. While the numbers weren’t great there, he did see an increase in his walk rate to walking 34 times, stole 19 bases in 21 tries, and did have 13 extra base hits. He was sent back to the FCL in late-July, and got in five games there before being shut down for the season.
2025 Outlook
Considering his sub-.600 OPS and the fact he will only be 20, it is pretty much expected that Gonzalez starts 2025 back in Low-A. He will get a chance to show that the small increases he made with his approach can continue and he can take his offense to the next level in order to get more out of his raw tools. Gonzalez is a candidate to either spend a full year back in Low-A, or earn a mid-season promotion to High-A if he is able to prove enough gains made with the bat. He is still an at best 2028 ETA type of player for the Braves for being ready on a full-time basis.
<img alt="New York Mets v Atlanta Braves" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xibA7XktQisLUMhZ8MjTVRKsUHo=/0x0:5023x3349/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73740796/2141957303.0.jpg">
Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images
Toolsy young outfielder Robert Gonzalez made his full season debut in 2024. Robert Gonzalez appears to have a chance to be the next smaller signing bonus international free agent to make some impact with the Atlanta Braves.
How acquired
Gonzalez was signed by the Braves as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic for just $50k in January 2022. Gonzalez was an under the radar signing, and at least eight other players in that class signed with the Braves for more money - including Diego Benitez and Douglas Glod.
Preseason Report Card
Gonzalez was not ranked in our Preseason Top 30 prospects, though he did earn a spot on the honorable mentions for the Midseason Top 30. That midseason writeup is below:
“Gonzalez is one of the toolsiest players in the system, as a 19-year old with 80 grade speed who consistently posts exit velocities over 110 mph. Gonzalez’s pure talent also comes with some projectability for more strength, and he has shown off as of late with a .182 isolated power and a .912 OPS over the past month. Still, Gonzalez has major concerns about his approach as he struggles to recognize and lay off of breaking balls and changeups. He has made notable improvements this season though, increasing his walk rate four-fold in the last half of his time in Augusta. He is a sponge for coaching, but the increased walk rate came with an increase in strikeouts and he has yet to put it together into a significant stretch of great play. It helps that he should stick in center field, but for right now the gap between his development and his tools is just a bit too large for us to feel confident pushing him into the Top 30.”
What we saw in 2024
Gonzalez was tested hard in 2024, and his numbers reflect that. He was just 19-years-old at the start of the season and opened the year in Low-A, where he went on to slash .194/.304/.287 in 253 plate appearances. While the numbers weren’t great there, he did see an increase in his walk rate to walking 34 times, stole 19 bases in 21 tries, and did have 13 extra base hits. He was sent back to the FCL in late-July, and got in five games there before being shut down for the season.
2025 Outlook
Considering his sub-.600 OPS and the fact he will only be 20, it is pretty much expected that Gonzalez starts 2025 back in Low-A. He will get a chance to show that the small increases he made with his approach can continue and he can take his offense to the next level in order to get more out of his raw tools. Gonzalez is a candidate to either spend a full year back in Low-A, or earn a mid-season promotion to High-A if he is able to prove enough gains made with the bat. He is still an at best 2028 ETA type of player for the Braves for being ready on a full-time basis.
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