Boston Red Sox prospect Justin Gonzales had a week’s most talked-about moment in the minors, and now he’s been hit with a suspension to go with it.
Gonzales, the Red Sox’s No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, was suspended three games after an altercation Wednesday in High-A Greenville’s game against the Hub City Spartanburgers. The Drive were rained out Thursday, so there was no game in between the incident and the discipline, per a Friday report from Brendan Campbell of SoxProspects.
The flash point came after Gonzales, 19, launched his 13th home run of the season. He admired the ball, puffed out his jersey, and stared back toward the opposing catcher. When catcher Cal Stark confronted him as he crossed the plate, both benches emptied, and Gonzales slapped Stark in the head while teammates tried to pull everyone apart.
Video of the scene spread quickly across baseball social media, making the confrontation impossible to ignore.
Gonzales has become one of the most imposing names in Boston’s system. MLB Pipeline lists him at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds last season, though he said he reported to spring training this year at 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds. He also threw 98 mph from the outfield and posted the hardest exit velocity of any Red Sox player in spring training at 117 mph.
That kind of size and power makes Gonzales hard to miss, on the field or in a scrap. Stark, for his part, didn’t back down from a player built like that.
If either side said something that crossed a line, that’s not something anyone should condone. But for the Red Sox, the bigger takeaway is that Gonzales is still a teenager learning where the line is. Boston wants players with edge, and the minors are exactly where that lesson gets taught.
Through 73 High-A games this season, Gonzales is hitting .263/.379/.443 with 13 home runs, 40 RBI and 52 runs scored.
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