Houston Astros Marwin Gonzalez is the New Ben Zobrist

Ben Zobrist achieved a good deal of notoriety with the Tampa Bay Rays for his solid offensive production and incredible defensive versatility. The Houston Astros have the same player in Marwin Gonzalez.

When the Tampa Bay Rays first became a perennial playoff contender, one of the key players on the team was Ben Zobrist. Not only was Zobrist a solid offensive presence in the Rays lineup, but he proved his value by playing virtually everywhere on the diamond. For years, Zobrist was an underrated part of the Rays success, until fans began to realize what the utility man meant in Tampa Bay.

The Houston Astros have a similar player in Marwin Gonzalez. Although he was not on the All Star ballot this past year, Gonzalez has still had an excellent season. Heading into yesterday’s action, he had posted a .316/.394/.593 batting line, hitting 18 homers and stealing four bases. This production comes on the heels of a decent three year run, where Gonzalez had posted a solid .268/.309/.413 batting line, hitting 31 homers and stealing 18 bases.

In the midst of this breakout campaign, Gonzalez has continued to play virtually everywhere on the diamond. Last season, he was the Astros primary first baseman, with 92 games at the position. He also appeared in ten or more games at second, third, short, and left, as the Astros found ways to get him into the lineup. This year, he has been more of a super utility player, having already appeared in ten or more games at each of those positions, excluding second base, where Gonzalez had made nine appearances.

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Even with the positional changes this year, Gonzalez has been relatively solid in the field. While he is not exactly Zobrist in terms of being above average everywhere, Gonzalez has managed to be a solid player at all five positions. And let us not forget that last season, he led American League first basemen with 10 runs saved, despite having just those 92 games at first.

At just 28 years old, and with a team option for just over $5 Million next year, Gonzalez can continue to be a key part of the Astros core. Given his relative youth, and modest salary, Gonzalez could end up as an extension candidate, a piece of the Astros core.

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Marwin Gonzalez is in the midst of a breakout season, turning into the Houston Astros version of Ben Zobrist. If this breakout with the bat can be sustained, then he could prove to be just as valuable for Houston as Zobrist was in Tampa Bay.