Kansas City Royals: Prospect to Watch, Kelvin Gutierrez

Kelvin Gutierrez of the Kansas City Royals is currently on a nine game hitting streak with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals in Double A.

When the Kansas City Royals traded Kelvin Herrera to the Washington Nationals, they received three prospects in return. Those included outfielder Blake Perkins, pitcher Yohanse Morel, and third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez.

Gutierrez, who signed into the MLB out of the Dominican Republic in 2013 is now the 17th ranked prospect in the Kansas City Royals organization. He has spent the entirety of the year in Double A, first with Harrisburg as a part of the Nationals, and now with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Scouting Report

Gutierrez was the headliner in the deal with the Washington Nationals for Kelvin Herrera. He has the potential to hit with a lot of power, he just hasn’t quite found it yet.

As far as from a fielding standpoint, Gutierrez began his minor league career as a shortstop. He transitioned to a third base role in 2014. He boasts a plus-plus arm, grading out at 65 according to MLB Pipeline. Early on, he also struggled with fielding consistency, but he has since improved.

Season Statistics

On the season, Kelvin Gutierrez has played in 110 total games. Of those, 52 have been with Northwest Arkansas. Overall, he’s slashing .283/.333/.415. He tallied a total of 120 hits and 61 RBIs. In addition, he has hit 10 long balls so far and stolen 18 bases.

With the Naturals, specifically, he is slashing .294/.348/.443.  The last time Gutierrez did not yield a hit in a game was on August 12. He has tallied 14 hits in the past nine games.

When will he make his MLB debut?

MLB Pipeline predicts that Kelvin Gutierrez will make his debut in 2019. With Mike Moustakas gone, there is a need at third base. The future lineup for the Kansas City Royals is very much unknown, and also dependent on moves made in the offseason.

What do you think, Royals fans? Does Kelvin Gutierrez have a chance to take on the starting third base role in the 2019 season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!