Outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez, who the Twins acquired from the Seattle Mariners following the 2023 season along with Justin Topa, Anthony Desclafani and Darren Brown in exchange for Jorge Polanco, initially disappointed for the Twins, slashing .255/.327/.379 with four home runs and 35 RBI in 315 plate appearances for High-A Cedar Rapids in 2024, falling out of MLB’s list of top-100 prospects after ranking #79 pre-2024 and dropping from #4 to #17 in MLB’s Twins prospect rankings.
However, Gonzalez has flipped the script with his performance in 2025.
Twins have totally unlocked intriguing prospect from Jorge Polanco trade, Gabriel Gonzalez, in Year 2
Gonzalez, 21, is hitting an outstanding .319/.378/.529 with five homers, 12 doubles and 28 RBI in 156 plate appearances this year for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. His slugging percentage ranks second in the Midwest league behind Alfonsin Rosario’s .591.
According to The Gazette's Jeff Johnson, a nagging back injury hindered Gonzalez’s chances of succeeding last season. Gonzalez, who hails from Carupano, Venezuela, feels healthy this year, which is likely why he has been on such a tear at the plate.
Gonzalez is no stranger to minor league success; he posted a .879 OPS in 2022 in Rookie ball and Low-A and a .837 OPS in 2023 in Low-A and High-A.
According to MLB Pipeline, Gonzalez only plays corner outfield and possesses a plus arm.
It’s safe to say that even though Desclafani didn’t work out, and Topa was hurt most of last year, the fact that Gonzalez is playing like a top-100 prospect again means the Twins are happy with their return for Polanco, who re-signed with the Mariners after entering free agency following the 2024 season.
As long as Gonzalez continues to hit at a high level, he likely has a few years left of minor league ball before he can make his major league debut. MLB Pipeline projects his MLB debut for 2027.
Twins aim to win series against the Royals
Game 2 of the three-game set between the Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals is scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. CT on Saturday at Target Field. The projected starting pitchers are righties Zebby Matthews for Minnesota and Michael Wacha for Kansas City.