St. Paul – The Minnesota Twins got three pitchers and a hitter when they traded Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners on January 29, 2024. But that hitter was the standout prospect the Twins were getting in return for their longtime middle infielder.
Gabriel Gonzalez was Seattle’s seventh-best prospect at the time, and MLB Pipeline ranked him 79th overall at only 20 years old. Gonzalez hails from Carupano, Venezuela, and had crushed at the plate in the lower levels of the Mariners farm system. He posted a .298/.361/.476 slash line with 18 home runs, and 84 RBI in 116 games between Low-A and High-A in 2023.
However, Gonzalez didn’t put up the same numbers after the Twins traded for him last year. He spent all of the season at High-A Cedar Rapids but missed significant time due to a lower back sprain. Gonzalez only played in 81 games, putting up a .255/.326/.381 slash line with just five home runs and 37 RBI.
“I was injured twice last year, so I was working on keeping myself healthy, and off-season was getting about strength in my body and my swing,” Gonzalez said via St. Paul Saints teammate Erasmo Ramirez, who translated on his behalf. “Just keep the little things, and so far, everything has been working the way I wanted it to.”
After having a career-worst year in pro baseball, Gonzalez has made 2025 his best Minor League Baseball season. Gonzalez has put up a .329/.397/.515 slash line with 15 home runs, 64 RBI, an 8.9% walk rate, and 14.3% walk rate in 121 games.
Gonzalez experienced a meteoric rise. He started his season in High-A Cedar Rapids and moved up to Triple-A St. Paul on August 1. He was briefly the youngest player in the International League that season, before his Wichita Wind Surge teammate, Walker Jenkins, 20, was called up three weeks later.
“It’s been a total joy to be in the league, and there are not a lot of young players like me who can reach this early,” Gonzalez said. “And to be able to share the same stadium with Jenkins and have the success at this young age has been amazing.”
It’s always nice to have some familiar faces,” said Jenkins. “You come in and you’re able to see some guys like Kyler [Fedko] and Gabby, and some of these dudes that I’ve played a decent amount with. It’s nice to have them around as well.”
Gonzalez’s fast arrival to Triple-A is a testament to the work he put in this past off-season, working on strengthening his body and taking better care of his back to prevent any further sprains in the future.
As that has come together, so too have the career-high numbers at the plate this season. It’s a great testament to the work ethic he has to try to reach Triple-A at such a young age.
“Gabby’s got a really good skill at the plate of making contact,” said Saints hitting coach Shawn Schlecter. “The offensive outputs there have been great. I think what he’s continuing to learn about himself is where he can do that impact in the zone and when he can tap into that. He’s always had that good contact skill, so he’s relied on that by swinging a lot.”
Gonzalez’s work in the off-season has turned him into one of Minnesota’s best contact hitters in their farm system. They’ve been desperate for a right-handed contact-hitting corner outfielder who has some power in their swing and a good walk rate.
Austin Martin has been a reliable contact hitter since his latest call-up on August 1, hitting .295 along with a .397 on-base percentage on the season. However, he offers little power, with only one home run over 137 plate appearances.
Gonzalez could have contact and pop in his swing. If he can continue building the strength he gained this last off-season in the upcoming one, he will have a case to make his MLB debut with the Twins in 2026.
“So far, it’s just going to be continuing to work on keeping myself in physical shape,” he said. “Just working on keeping myself healthy and working on the mental side, and what the difference is between inside the ballpark and outside the ballpark. Don’t get crazy on either of those, just focus on being straight to work on stuff.”
Gonzalez has a good group of players to help support and mentor him in St. Paul to help him get there. Ramirez signed his first professional baseball contract with the Mariners in 2007, when Gonzalez was just a toddler. The age gap between the two may be significant, but the wisdom Ramirez is passing on to him is immeasurable.
“To just be sharing the locker room with guys like Erasmo Ramirez,” said Gonzalez. “He’s been giving me some advice and I’ve been taking it, and I’ve been taking it, and so far it’s been a joy.”
“The most important thing is just to enjoy it and don’t get caught up in what you see in the front,” said Ramirez. “Just don’t look at the name and say, ‘Oh my god, that’s a big leaguer throwing.’ It’s just about see the ball and hit it, make adjustments, and the better you do that, the more success you have. And that’s what you do, the little things, and so far he’s been good.”
Gonzalez, Jenkins, and Emmanuel Rodriguez all will end their 2025 seasons in St. Paul, so Twins fans have plenty to be excited about. All of them have a great chance of debuting in 2026. They may all arrive at different times, but if they can all keep up the success they’ve had at Triple-A in the majors, it may just be what the Twins need to become a winning team again.
