Chi Chi Gonzalez

Back in action after missing most of the last two years while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Gonzalez got his first big-league opportunities since 2016 last season, making 12 starts and two relief appearances for the Rockies. Coors Field got the best of him, as it does for most pitchers, as he finished the year with a 5.29 ERA. That was good enough for a respectable enough park-adjusted 105 ERA-, but that doesn't help fantasy owners, who have to deal with the pitcher in the park in which he actually pitches. Gonzalez's peripherals weren't particularly inspiring, either, as he struck out just 16.6% of opposing batters while walking 11.9%. The Rockies don't have much rotation depth, so Gonzalez could earn a fair number of starts again this season. That theoretically gives him value, but between his difficult home park and lack of track record, he won't be a very appealing option.

Gonzalez lost his entire 2017 campaign due to elbow issues that led to Tommy John surgery. Recovery from that surgery cost him most of 2018 as well, as he returned to throw just 10 rehab innings in the low minors late in the year. Signed to a minor-league deal by the Rockies in the offseason, Gonzalez is now three seasons removed from his last big-league pitch and four seasons removed from his last effective showing. Even during that 2015 season in which he recorded a 3.90 ERA in 67 innings for the Rangers, there were red flags, as it included an ugly 30:32 K:BB. The righty's injury struggles and performance cast doubt on the idea that he'll throw a significant number of major-league innings this season, and his difficult new home park makes any innings he does throw less appealing. Gonzalez did have some prospect pedigree, but that was a lifetime ago in the baseball world.

Once viewed as a top pitching prospect in the Rangers' farm system, Gonzalez has fallen on hard times since submitting a 3.90 ERA over 67 innings with Texas in 2015. Gonzalez had maneuvered around poor strikeout and walk rates at every stop of his career to that point, but the shaky command caught up with him in 2016, resulting in the right-hander languishing at Triple-A Round Rock for most of that season. He never received the chance to rebound from that setback to his development, as he suffered a partial UCL tear last spring that ultimately required Tommy John surgery in July. With Gonzalez set to spend the entire 2018 campaign rehabbing, the organization elected to remove him from the 40-man roster in December. The Rangers subsequently re-signed him to a minor-league deal in order to monitor his recovery, but it's hard to imagine Gonzalez resurfacing as even a back-end rotation piece for the Rangers or any other big club once he's healthy again in 2019.

Just a season removed from making 10 starts in his first taste of the major league level, Gonzalez took a major step backward in 2016. The 2013 first-round draft pick was unable to claim the Rangers final rotation spot out of spring training, and even upon his relegation to Triple-A Round Rock, he struggled significantly to the tune of a 4.70 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. This poor showing limited him to just three starts in the big leagues, where he averaged just over three innings per start while walking more batters than he struck out. Gonzalez was once a prized prospect in the Rangers system, although his window to make good on that promise is closing. The 24-year-old should open 2017 at Triple-A, where he will have to earn to right to be considered should a rotation spot open up in Arlington.

At first glance it looks like a stone-cold fluke that Gonzalez was able to muster a 3.90 ERA and 1.21 WHIP despite more walks than strikeouts. Both his walk and strikeout rate were terrible, however that didn’t stop him from posting passable results in 67 innings. His .206 BABIP was a big reason for that, and while it would never sustain over a full season, he does deserve some credit. His sinker and slider kept hitters off balance and combined for a .146 average — eighth-best among 139 pitchers who threw 300 combined sinkers and sliders. Those pitches were tough to square up, leading to a lot of weak contact (he managed just a 17 percent K rate with them), 114th among those same 139 pitchers. The strikeouts have to improve for fantasy viability, but Gonzalez was a heralded prospect so it is too early to write him off.

Gonzalez is the most advanced starting pitcher in the minors who has yet to reach Triple-A. He does not have the upside of a No. 1 or No. 2 starter, but he could be a very good third starter on a contending team in the near future. His strong four-pitch arsenal sets him apart, highlighted by a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a slider that are already big-league caliber pitches, and a curveball with the potential to be a third plus offering. In his age-22 season, Gonzalez posted a 2.62 ERA in 65.1 innings at High-A Myrtle Beach and a 2.70 ERA in 73.1 innings at Double-A Frisco. Over those two stops, he managed just 113 strikeouts in 138.2 innings, demonstrating his limitations in that department, but preventing runs should not be a problem for the 6-foot-2 righty. Given the Rangers’ lack of quality starting pitching depth, Gonzalez is a good candidate to join the rotation after a couple months at Triple-A Round Rock.