Dodgers Prospect Watch: Victor Gonzalez
Name: Victor Aaron Gonzalez
Vitals: Pitcher. 6' 0", 180, age 24, bats left, throws left. From Tuxpan, Mexico.
How acquired: Signed as an amateur free agent in 2012 out of Mexico.
Highest level of play: 2019 Oklahoma City Dodgers.
Spring Training 2020 stats: 2 GS, 3 IP, 3 Ks, 1 BB, 2 H, 1 ER, 1.00 WHIP (0-1, 3.00 ERA).
Potential date for major league debut: 2020/2021.
Baseball America scouting report (subscription required): “[Victor] Gonzalez failed to advance past low Class A in four seasons before Tommy John surgery wiped out his entire 2017 season and most of 2018. He returned a different pitcher post-surgery and vaulted three levels up to Triple-A in 2019…He now boasts a power fastball from the left side that sits 94-96 mph and reaches 98 in relief, and it plays up further with a hint of deception that allows the ball to get on hitters quicker than they expect...Gonzalez throws everything for strikes with average control and...[h]is ability to get both lefties and righties out makes him a bullpen option in 2020.”
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Comment: Both Julio Urias and Victor Gonzalez are left-handed pitchers from Mexico signed by the Dodgers in 2012. The difference between the two is that Urias was (and is) the shinier object and more highly-touted player. But in my opinion, Gonzalez may have a more defined role in the big leagues. As it stands now, Gonzalez is the Dodgers 30th ranked prospect and the organization’s second-ranked lefty pitching prospect, behind Robinson Ortiz.
In a year of rapid ascension Gonzalez started the 2019 campaign as a Rancho Cucamonga Quake (High-A), advanced to become a Tulsa Driller (Double-A) and finished the season as an Oklahoma City Dodger (Triple-A). All told, he went 5-2 with a 2.31 ERA, over 89 ⅔ innings, 93 Ks, 32 BBs and a 1.260 WHIP in 38 games. He started 13 of those games, but was more impressive in relief. In 25 appearances out of the bullpen, Gonzalez managed a 3-0 record, with a 1.80 ERA, 38 Ks, 9 BBs (4:1 K/BB ratio) and two saves, with a .189/.245/.315 opponents’ batting line. As a starter, opponents slashed .269/.343./.340.
Gonzalez is a remarkable comeback story, with the stats proving that he actually became a better pitcher following his 2017 Tommy John surgery. He pitched in 2018 but only appeared in 10 games, but as we’ve discussed, 2019 is where he really took off. He is a member of the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, and I believe he could debut in the bullpen for the big club this year, assuming there is a season.
Jake Reiner is a native-Angeleno and is currently a sports and news reporter for KCBS/KCAL, Channels 2&9, where he has covered the Dodgers, Lakers, Chargers, and most recently traveled with the Rams for the entire season as the beat reporter for KCBS. Follow him on Twitter.
