In 2022, the Cleveland Guardians had a young outfielder with a promising bat already performing well in MLB, both in the regular season and the playoffs.
That hitter, Oscar Gonzalez, had a .789 OPS with 11 home runs in 91 games in that magical 2022 season in which the Guards won the division title and made it to the AL Division Series.
Gonzalez, however, wasn’t as good in 2023 and found himself being designated for assignment a few days ago.
He made his way to waivers, and the New York Yankees weren’t going to let him slip away.
“Yankees have claimed Oscar Gonzalez off of waivers, per @JackCurryYES. You might remember him from this,” Talkin’ Yanks tweeted, with a video of his walk-off hit against the Yanks in the 2022 AL Division Series.
Yankees have claimed Oscar Gonzalez off of waivers, per @JackCurryYES
You might remember him from this pic.twitter.com/PggEUqRYjN
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) December 1, 2023
That was perhaps the peak moment of Gonzalez’s young career.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth, he turned a 5-4 deficit into a 6-5 walk-off win with a base hit at Progressive Field in Game 3 of the ALDS.
Famously known for using SpongeBob’s music for his walk-up, Gonzalez made sure people went home with a smile on their faces that day.
The Yankees went on to win the next two and eliminate the Guards and end their magical run.
This year was much rougher for Gonzalez.
Alternating his playing time between Triple-A and the majors, he could never quite get going in MLB and finished with a .551 OPS in 54 games.
His plate discipline was a real problem, as he drew five walks against 46 strikeouts.
He will turn 26 in January, so if the Yankees can help him get back on track, they will have a dynamic hitting talent on the cheap.
NEXT: Guardians Reportedly Open To Offers On Star Player
