It’s been a little while since I’ve gone in depth on some scouting reports on some of the Tigers minor leaguers, so I thought I would get to a few over the course of the next month as I continue to see some of these players. Mind you I am not a professional scout, just someone who has a passion for reporting on prospects, and has picked up some things along the way.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let’s take a look at David Gonzalez.

Background:

Gonzalez is a 19 year old switch hitting SS out of Velenzuela, who is beginning his third season with the Tigers organization. In 2011, as a 17 year old, Gonzalez hit .255 in the Venezuelan Summer League, but showed an aptitude to get on base, drawing 51 walks to 33 strikeouts. Last season, the Tigers decided to bring Gonzalez stateside where he hit .243 for the Gulf Coast League Tigers. Once again, Gonzalez showed an aptitude for getting on base, posting an OBP of .343. To start 2013, Gonzalez began in extended spring training, but got the nod early in the season to join the full season West Michigan Whitecaps. Thus far, Gonzalez is hitting .254 for the Caps,  with an OBP of .360.

Scouting Report:

I found Gonzalez to be an intriguing prospect when I went to West Michigan. There are no loud tools offensively to speak of, but as a 19 year old in full season ball, Gonzalez is handling himself well. At the plate, Gonzalez is a pest. He doesn’t give away any at-bats, and works the count in hopes of setting the table for the run producers. From the left side, he looks uncomfortable and lacks bat speed. From the right side, his swing is more confident and has a bit more authority to it, making much louder contact from the right hand side. Gonzalez shows good hand eye coordination in the box, but due to his lack of physicality, there is no power there and even as he adds strength, I don’t see a ton more to come. As a runner, we are talking average running speed, but given his instincts, I could eventually see a guy who steals bags at a good rate, but not a lot of them. Physically, Gonzalez looks to have a body similar to Ramon Santiago of the Tigers with only so much room to grow. The offensive profile isn’t sexy, but he can definitely make pitchers work, and be a pest in the box who posts a strong OBP.

Defensively, the words above average potential come to mind. The arm looked plenty good enough for Gonzalez to stick at SS, and his footwork around the bag was really nice, at one point making a nice jumping throw avoiding a sliding runner. Gonzalez has made some errors, but that isn’t abnormal for shortstops at this stage of their development.

Verdict:

I think some patience should be exercised here with Gonzalez. I don’t think the Tigers intended to have him playing in West Michigan at this point, but he is doing a good enough job to stay there. He isn’t getting blown away in terms of striking out. He just isn’t physical enough at this point to drive the baseball. I have to say he grew on me though in my viewings, and while I am not going to project him as anything more than a utility guy at this point, I am going to track him over the next couple of years.

Avisail Garcia had three more hits to bring his two-game AAA total to five hits (all singles).

Jordan Lennerton also had three hits in four at-bats, and Kevin Russo had a pair of singles.

Nick Castellanos was 0-4 with two strikeouts.

Matt Hoffman struck out one and didn’t walk a batter in an inning of scoreless relief. He has a 2.16 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 8.1 innings.

February 19, 2013; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers outfielder Tyler Collins (72) poses for a picture during photo day at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

AA: Erie 6, Altoona 3

Eugenio Suarez was 2-4 with a triple in his AA debut. He finished his season stint in Lakeland with an .847 OPS.

Tyler Collins was “only” 1-4, but the hit was a home run — his sixth of the year and fifth in the last four days. His OPS is up to .878.

Patrick Cooper struck out six, walked three, allowed a home run, and two earned runs in six innings. Blaine Hardy struck out two and walked one in two innings. Will Startup struck out three and allowed one run in two innings.

A-Advanced: Daytona at Lakeland – PPD

A: Cedar Rapids 8, West Michigan 6

Devon Travis had two hits including a home run to lift his season slash line to .347/.407/.551. He’s angling for a mid-season promotion.

Zach Kirksey also was 2-4 with a home run.

Austin Schotts was lifted from the game after only one at-bat.

Endrys Briceno got knocked around in his six innings. He struck out five, but allowed six earned runs to score on three walks and eight hits. Julio Felix struck out one in 2.0 scoreless innings, and Logan Ehlers allowed two runs on two strikeouts, two walks, and two hits in one inning of work.

Bryan Holaday was 3-3 on the day. He’s hitting a none-too-shabby .265/.324/.426 on the year.

Avisail Garcia was 2-4 (with two strikeouts) in his AAA season debut.

Casey Crosby struck out seven in five innings of work while allowing only two runs. He appeard to struggle with his command, however, as he also walked five batters.

AA: Erie 9, Binghamton 1

February 25, 2013; Clearwater, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder Tyler Collins (72) hits a RBI triple in the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Bright House Networks Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Collins homered twice in Erie’s 9-1 win, marking the third day in a row in which he’s taken an opposing pitcher deep. Collins’ slow start is officially a distant memory; his slash line is now up to .260/.326/.532. His OPS is 1.107 in his last ten games.

Jamie Johnson and Danield Fields each also had two hits, and Hernan Perez added a triple.

Kyle Lobstein got the win going seven innings while allowing just one unearned run to score. He struck out six and walked two.

A-Advanced: Daytona 6, Lakeland 2

Jeff McVaney went 3-4 with a triple to continue his season-long tear; he’s now batting .327/.368/.533 on the year.

Tyler Hanover, Chad Wright, Mike Hernandez, and Pat Leyland(!) each also had two hits. Leyland has hits in all four games he’s played this year, and an .801 OPS to show for it. My personal infatuation with Pat Leyland is indeed inexplicable.

Drew VerHagen was the starter for the Flying Tigers. He pitched five innings with five strikeouts, one walk, and no home runs allowed, but still managed to allow six runs (five earned) to score. BABIP is a sunofagun. Nick Avila pitched four scoreless innings in relief with one strikeout.

A: West Michigan 4, Cedar Rapids 3 (10)

Jeff Holm was barreling the ball all day, recording three hits and a sacrifice fly in five trips to the plate. He’s hitting .393/.452/.525.

Danry Vasquez drove in the winning run with an RBI single in the bottom of the tenth inning. He was 1-3 plus two walks on the evening.

Devon Travis had a hit and two walks, and Austin Schotts was 1-4 with a single.

Jordan John struck out six and walked two in 5.1 innings of work. He gave up a Byron Buxton home run.