Ronald Guzman

Position: 1B
Level: Triple-A
Affiliate: Round Rock Express
League:
Age: 21 yrs, 8m
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 205
B/T: Left / Left
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent (J2) on July 2, 2011 (TEX)

Prospect Spotlight

It’s been a tumultuous career for the tall, lanky first baseman. Guzman’s ability to make contact was lauded when he first signed with the Rangers in 2011, but his contact issues and massive struggles at Class A Hickory in 2014 (where he hit .218 with 24% K rate in 445 Abs) cratered his prospect stock. After an encouraging bounce-back season in 2015, where he hit a combined .283 with 12 homers and 87 RBIs for Class A Hickory and High A High Desert, a strong start to his 2016 Double-A campaign may have him firmly back on track as a prospect of import.

At present, Guzman is hitting .343 over his first 28 games, good for fourth best in the Texas League, and over the last four series he’s slashing an impressive .364/.426/.655, with three home runs and almost half of his hits going for extra bases. Despite the gaudy slugging of late, Guzman’s hit tool is still ahead of his power for now, and the over-the-fence pop may not project to be what one would expect out of a typical top-shelf first baseman. Accordingly, Guzman will have to continue hitting for average, and developing his on-base skillset, in order to maintain value as a corner defender at the highest levels.

So far he’s doing just that as a 21-year-old in the Texas League, but keep an eye on his contact rate as teams start to get their third and fourth looks at him – Guzman’s striking out at a 25% clip thus far in 2016. – Mauricio Rubio