Carlos Gonzalez (OF-COL)

Injury He suffered a myriad of injuries in 2014 including having a tumor surgically removed from his finger.  After he returned, he tore the patellar tendon in his left knee which required season-ending surgery. 

2014 Season – Gonzalez could not stay on the field consistently and was highly disappointing when he did play.  He finished the season batting only .238 with 11 home runs, 38 RBI, 35 runs scored and three stolen bases in just 70 games.

Reason For Optimism  

  • Gonzalez is only 29-years old and is still in his prime.
  • He has been cleared to start taking batting practice and do some running drills.  It is expected he will have no restrictions by the time spring training begins.
  • Gonzalez is one of the few hitters with true five-category value and has produced elite offensive production when healthy.
  • He still plays half of his games in Coors Field which is always an advantage for a hitter of CarGo’s caliber.

Reason For Concern

  • He has never played in more than 145 games in his career and has been plagued with a variety of injuries every year since 2011.
  • The multitude of injuries to his knees, including the surgery he underwent in 2014, could limit his base-stealing.
  • Given his lengthy and consistent injury history, there is little reason to doubt that he won’t miss significant time again in 2015.

2015 OUTLOOKGonzalez became one of the most sought after players in fantasy baseball after his breakout 2010 season.  His rare combination of power, speed and batting average made him an instant first round pick.  But he has been in steady decline since 2012 including appearing in only 70 games in 2014 due to several different injuries.  He is too untrustworthy to spend an early round draft pick on, but he could be a bargain if you are patient and first build your roster with more consistent players.  Expect him to play somewhere between 100-120 games and improve significantly from his paltry .238 batting average last year.  He should be able to swat 20 home runs and drive in 75 runs with that amount of game time, but do not expect 20+ stolen bases as he had accomplished each year between 2010-2013.

If you are wondering the best way to evaluate players such as CarGo so that you can be prepared for your draft, then be sure to find out how to get your free copy of the incredible 2015 Fantasy Alarm Baseball Draft Guide.

Michael A. Stein, Esq. is the Chief Justice of Fantasy Judgment, the industry's premier dispute resolution service, and co-host of the Fantasy Alarm Podcast.  You can contact him at michael.stein@fantasyjudgment.com or on Facebook and Twitter (@FantasyJudgment),