Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 60 | Overall: 45

Gonzalez signed with the Royals in the 2023 international signing class out of Venezuela for $157,500 and is beginning to look like a standout from that class. After earning midseason All-Star honors in the Dominican Summer League in 2023, Gonzalez made his stateside debut in ‘24, playing in 41 games in the Arizona Complex League with a .285/.398/.384 slash line, 11 doubles, 22 stolen bases and 110 wRC+. He jumped up to Double-A for four games at the end of the year.

Another true center-field prospect in the Royals system, Gonzalez is a plus defender who looks like a natural in center already. He has average-to-a-tick-above-average arm strength that should improve as he grows. He’s 6-foot-2, 170 pounds right now and should be able to add more strength to his tall frame. That might help him find more pop in his bat. He’s more of a contact hitter with good exit velocities, an efficient mover despite his long arms and lankiness. His swing is more slashy with a lot of ground balls, but he does make quality contact -- having only struck out at a 20.3% clip in the ACL -- so there’s belief that the loft can come because of the foundation he has already. Gonzalez is a plus runner who has become more efficient on the basepaths with more reps.

Gonzalez might have the highest ceiling of all of the Royals’ center fielders because of his foundation and projection, but he still has a ways to go in his development. He’d be a prototypical leadoff hitter who can be a weapon on the bases and a defensive asset if he puts it all together. He has strong makeup too and has transitioned to full-season ball at Single-A Columbia in 2025.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 60 | Overall: 40

The Royals added Gonzalez for $157,500 out of Venezuela in January 2023, and he’s already proving to be one of the standouts of Kansas City’s international class from that year. He slashed .245/.355/.364 with 17 stolen bases over 43 games as a Dominican Summer League midseason All-Star last year and broke out a bit more in 2024 with a .285/.398/.384 line, 110 wRC+ and 22 steals in 41 games in the Arizona Complex League.

Standing in at 6-foot-2, 170 pounds, Gonzalez has a bit of a throwback centerfield prototype. His plus speed is his loudest tool, and he’s becoming more efficient on the basepaths in year two, dropping his caught-stealing count from 11 to four over similar sample sizes. Batting from the right side, he’s more of a slasher at the plate at this stage, putting more than 50 percent of his batted balls on the ground this summer. That fits his profile since he can beat out grounders and maintain a high BABIP, but his power remains a big question mark as he heads toward his 20s.

Gonzalez’s wheels make him a defensive asset in the outfield, and after spending a little time in left field in ’23, he’s been center-field-only during his first trip stateside -- a sign of just how much Kansas City values his work up the middle. Much will come down to how much pop he can grow into at the full-season level, but there are enough tools here to arch some eyebrows early in Gonzalez’s career.

Awards

CAR Player of the Month

Month	Team
04/2025

DSL Mid-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	04/02/2025	OF Asbel Gonzalez assigned to Columbia Fireflies from Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
	03/06/2025	activated CF Asbel Gonzalez.
	03/03/2025	CF Asbel Gonzalez assigned to Kansas City Royals.
	09/10/2024	OF Asbel Gonzalez assigned to Northwest Arkansas Naturals from ACL Royals.
	05/04/2024	OF Asbel Gonzalez assigned to ACL Royals from DSL Royals Ventura.
	07/29/2023	DSL AL All-Stars activated OF Asbel Gonzalez.
	07/19/2023	OF Asbel Gonzalez assigned to DSL Royals Blue from DSL Royals Gold.
	05/30/2023	OF Asbel Gonzalez assigned to DSL Royals Gold.
	01/15/2023	Kansas City Royals signed free agent OF Asbel Gonzalez to a minor league contract.