Ronald Guzman

Position: 1B
Level: Triple-A
Affiliate: Round Rock Express
League: Pacific Coast League
Born: 10/20/1994 (Age: 29)
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 205
B/T: Left / Left
Acquired: Signed as an international free agent (J2) on July 2, 2011 (TEX)

Prospect Spotlight

Guzman has long been known as one of the more projectable, high-end talents in the Rangers’ system, so at age 22, it feels like he has been around forever after debuting in the AZL at 17 years old in 2012.

Guzman has a long, lanky frame and is a good athlete, making him one of the more projectable prospects in the Rangers’ system. He moves well for his size, and he has the foot speed to test the arms in the outfield going form first-to-third base, however he is limited to first base, or a corner-outfield spot. The hit and power tools are going to be what carry this youngster at the next level, and based on what he has been able to accomplish since entering full-season ball in 2014, the Rangers’ fan base have to be seeing shades of current outfield stud Nomar Mazara.

Guzman has posted a .156 ISO mark through 452 plate appearances at High A High Desert in 2015, and he followed that up with a .189 mark in 2016 at Double-A Frisco, with the batting average, walk percentage, and strikeout rates all trending in the right direction. So far this year, he has continued those trends through 415 plate appearances for Triple-A Round Rock.

There is not a ton of effort to Guzman’s game – the swing is easy, and he does a good job keeping the barrel in the strike zone. He stays balanced, and has the ability to drive the ball with authority to the opposite field. The approach is still a bit immature in that he will over-swing trying to do too much, and roll over balls on the outer half that he should be driving in the left-center field gap. Right now the majority of his home run pop is to the pull field, but 11 of his 17 doubles in 2017 have been between center field and the left field line, so the ability is obviously there to work the ball to the opposite field.

Guzman still has a lot of room to fill out, and he will get stronger as the body reaches maturity. Body control should follow, which will translate to more consistent hard contact. He has his struggles versus lefties, hitting 90 points lower (.250) with a meager .644 OPS and almost double the strikout rates through 116 plate appearances facing southpaws. Guzman has a slightly showy style of play that can come across as lackadaisical at times, and it can lead to occasional mental lapses – something that is not uncommon for a young player. That said, this is a kid who has adjusted and hit at every level he’s been to – the ingredients are there for him to turn into a very productive, above-average major league regular.