
Marwin Gonzalez
A player that took over at third base for the injured Josh Donaldson in Minnesota, Marwin Gonzalez was the Swiss Army Knife for the Twins and he was the glue that kept them together at times. Gonzalez played in 23 games at third base, 21 at second base, 14 at first base and 8 in right field.
He’s a switch hitter that had an average of .211 with 5 home runs and 21 RBI’s for the AL Central-winning Twins in what was a down year for him at the plate. Gonzalez is looking to get back to the form he was in back in 2017 when he hit .303 and had an OPS over .900 for the Astros.
And you may ask yourself: Wasn’t that the year of the trash can scandal in Houston? It was, but research shows that interestingly enough, that Gonzalez was hitting BETTER before the Astros started doing it mid-June (.322 BA, .412 OBP, 12 HR prior).
An adequate fielder that will make the plays he’s supposed to and career .261 hitter with the ability to hit from both sides of the plate seems appealing and coming off a down year, he won’t be too pricey. He’s also in the MLB record books in the sense that he hit 25 consecutive home runs with nobody on base, a streak that may never be broken.
The biggest question when it comes to Gonzalez is his consistency. Can he get back to that 2017 form or will the jack of all trades/master of none continue to be a downside for the 31-year-old utility man? Maybe with an everyday role at one of the corner infield spots, Gonzalez can become an important piece for a Brewers team that needs to find a way to be more productive on offense.