Part of the reason the 2022 New York Yankees have been so successful has been their ability to turn average or below-average players into real, important contributors.
Outside of his 2017 numbers, aided by the sign-stealing scandal when he was with the Houston Astros, Marwin Gonzalez isn’t really known for being a star hitter.
But the Yankees, and their hitting coach Dillon Lawson, have resurrected his bat and, therefore, his career.
Marwin has been particularly hot in the month of June.
“Marwin González in June: 11-for-35 (.314), 2 HR, 4 2B, 2 BB, .951 OPS,” Talkin’ Yanks tweeted.
Marwin González in June:
11-for-35 (.314), 2 HR, 4 2B, 2 BB, .951 OPS pic.twitter.com/CsQ2KSD7uQ
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 28, 2022
A .951 OPS over a full month is nothing to sneeze at; it requires some hitting ability.
Granted, he is not really a .951 OPS hitter, but Lawson and the Yankees are helping him be an above-average one.
All He Needs To Be An Asset Is Passable Offensive Performance
With his defensive versatility, that’s all it takes for him to be an asset to the Yankees.
So far, in 2022, Gonzalez is slashing .250/.302/.398 in 96 plate appearances.
That line has helped him deliver a 100 wRC+.
In case you were wondering, wRC+ means weighted Runs Created Plus.
It’s an offensive stat that evaluates offensive performance and adjusts it to external factors such as era, ballpark, and opponent, among others.
It helps us compare players from different eras: 100 is considered average.
Anything higher would be above-average, and anything lower is considered below-average.
In conclusion, Gonzalez has been an average offensive player this year, which is a marked improvement after finishing with a 58 wRC+ in 2021 and a 67 mark in 2020.
He is a reserve player through and through, but it’s nice to know he can defend several positions and offer something offensively, unlike other utility players.
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