Texas Rangers Top 25 Prospect Rankings: #19 Pedro Gonzalez

Pedro Gonzalez is the Texas Rangers’ 19th ranked prospect. He’s a 21-year-old outfielder with outstanding pop and exciting athleticism.

Coming in at #19 on the Texas Rangers’ list of top 25 prospects is outfielder Pedro Gonzalez. Gonzalez was drafted at the age of 16 out of the Dominican Republic. The Colorado Rockies drafted him, but sent him to the Rangers as part of the Jonathan Lucroy acquisition in 2017.

Gonzalez began his professional career as a shortstop, though, like most teenagers, he experienced a growth spurt. Now standing at 6’5”, 190 LBs, the 21-year-old has been re-positioned to center field. As he continues to bulk up, there is a good chance he’ll be designated to a corner outfield position by the time he makes his MLB debut.

He spent the 2018 season at Class-A Hickory. He slashed .234/.296/.421, hit 12 home runs, 17 doubles, 5 triples and drove in 46 runs in 337 at-bats. As you can tell by that line of numbers, Gonzalez possesses great power and good speed.

He has a lot of refining to do at the plate, but that is to be expected having only reached Single-A. Strikeouts are an issue, and a .296 OBP is not encouraging for a rising slugger. Fortunately, there is plenty of time for him to progress.

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Scouts rave about Gonzalez’s power, referring to tremendous bat speed and raw strength. He’s a four-tool player: power, speed, arm strength and glove. The only tool waiting to come along is contact.

Based on scouting grades found on MLB.com, scouts noted his arm strength as his greatest tool, grading it a 60. Next were power, speed and glove at 55, and contact the lowest grade at 45.

Pedro Gonzalez is certainly a talent for Texas Rangers’ fans to get excited about. He may begin the 2019 season at Single-A, but hopefully he’ll perform well enough to reach Double-A within the same year. He is currently projected to make his major league debut in 2021.

Much can change from now to then. Outfield is a tough place to play in this organization. Joey Gallo and Nomar Mazara are the Rangers’ corner outfielders as of now, and the organization’s top two prospects are outfielders. 23-year-old Willie Calhoun is also in the mix.

Luckily, the Rangers have a long time to wait until Gonzalez factors into any major league decisions. They have more immediate decisions to make, specifically regarding the aforementioned Gallo, Mazara, Calhoun, and their top two prospects (Leody Taveras and Julio Pablo Martinez).

Pay attention to Pedro Gonzalez as he flies under the radar in the low ranks of the minors. Before you know it, his name will be popping up quite often in conversations centered around future Texas Rangers’ stars.