Drafted in the 33rd round (982nd overall) by the Kansas City Royals in 2005.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
After blossoming into one of the Royals' top pitching prospects, Gutierrez was held back in extended spring training last April while recovering from a minor shoulder injury. The club wound up sending him home over a disagreement about his rehab. It wasn't the first off-field issue for Gutierrez, who has had three brushes with the law in the last two years, including an assault charge last June. Fed up, Kansas City dealt him to Texas in September for catcher Manny Pina and outfielder Tim Smith. Gutierrez has an athletic frame and a live arm. He has excellent command of a 91-95 mph fastball, and his 71-75 mph overhand curveball rates as a second plus offering. He changes speeds well and has a good feel for pitching. Gutierrez flashes a quality changeup at times, but it's inconsistent. His fastball is rather straight and could make him susceptible to homers against advanced hitters. His makeup is a major concern, but the Rangers believe he's maturing and that a fresh start will do him good. Gutierrez will open the season in Double-A and looks on track to compete for a big league job at some point in 2011. His electric repertoire gives him a chance to be a frontline starter--one evaluator compares him Darryl Kile--if everything comes together.
Gutierrez has made great strides since signing as a draft-and-follow in 2006. His velocity jumped during instructional league in 2007 and he sustained the increase in 2008, which made him a different pitcher. He missed all of May with a hairline fracture in his pitching elbow, but he pitched well afterward. In the first game of the Midwest League finals, he outdueled South Bend ace Jarrod Parker with 11 strikeouts over six scoreless innings. Gutierrez pounds the lower part of the strike zone with his fastball, generating plenty of grounders. He pitched at 88-92 mph early in the season but was working at 90- 95 with good life at the end of the year. He has power and 12-to-6 break on a curveball that buries itself just as it reaches the plate. He also shows some feel for a changeup. He can locate his pitches to all four quadrants of the strike zone. He limits the running game by varying his timing to the plate and his pickoff move. After the elbow scare, Gutierrez needs to show he can stay healthy and sustain his improved velocity over a full season. When he operates in the low 90s, his other pitches play up. If he can improve his changeup, the sky is the limit. There's some talk that Gutierrez could handle a jump to Double-A Northwest Arkansas, though the Royals usually aren't that aggressive. He'll probably open 2009 in high Class A Wilmington.
Minor League Top Prospects
Gutierrez missed seven weeks early in the season after he came down with elbow tightness, but came back strong and was at his best in the playoffs. He struck out 11 over six scoreless innings in the opening game of the finals against Dayton. Gutierrez' fastball sat at 88-92 mph in April and 90-95 toward the end of the season, and his heater also features good life. He also has a legitimate 12-to-6 curveball and some feel for a changeup. He throws strikes but sometimes elevates his pitches and gets hit. "There are days when he goes out and looks like he can mow down the world," Burlington manager Brian Rupp said.
Best Tools List
Rated Best Control in the Kansas City Royals in 2009
Rated Best Curveball in the Kansas City Royals in 2009
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