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Guardians Remain Lucky To Even Have Oscar Gonzalez

By Andres Chavez June 23, 2022

Oscar Gonzalez #39 of the Cleveland Guardians runs out a double during the eighth inning against the Oakland Athletics at Progressive Field on June 11, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio.
(Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

 

The Cleveland Guardians have a lot of prospects they had to protect on their 40-man roster to avoid losing them.

Lots of young pitchers and infielders currently in the minors are members of the 40-man roster.

Unfortunately, those roster spots are at a premium, and teams often have to risk losing good players because of it.

This almost happened to the Guardians over the offseason with a player who is currently performing very well in the majors: outfielder Oscar Gonzalez.

The 24-year-old is hitting .333/.363/.500 with a couple of home runs in 102 plate appearances so far.

However, if there had been a Rule 5 Draft, he could very well be with another organization at this point.

“Reminder Oscar Gonzalez was left unprotected after the 2021 season and decided to re-sign with the #Guardians on a minor league contract for the 2022 season. Could have been selected in the Rule 5 draft but it was canceled this year due to the strike (lockout),” Guardians Prospective tweeted.

Reminder Oscar Gonzalez was left unprotected after the 2021 season and decided to re-sign with the #Guardians on a minor league contract for the 2022 season. Could have been selected in the Rule 5 draft but it was canceled this year due to the strike.#ForTheLand

— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) June 23, 2022

 

Gonzalez Believed There Was A Path Towards Playing Time In Cleveland, And He Was Right

Gonzalez was, for a time, free to sign with any team, but opted to stay in the organization knowing he could win at-bats with his performance.

He has done just that.

As you probably can imagine, someone who hits 31 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A will attract a lot of interest around the league.

But he chose to stay, and proceeded to hit nine home runs in Triple-A before earning a shot.

He probably won’t bat .333 all year, but is capable of hitting around .280 and it’s obvious he has 30-homer power.

He has earned his playing time with the Guardians: it will be up to him to keep it.

Filed Under: Daily News Tagged With: cleveland guardians

About Andres Chavez

Sportswriter, fantasy sports enthusiast. Covering MLB, NBA, and NFL from every possible angle.

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