Kelvin Gutiérrez


Kelvin Manuel Gutiérrez is a Dominican professional baseball third basemen for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball.

Career

Washington Nationals

Gutiérrez was signed out of the Dominican Republic as an international free agent by the Nationals in 2013. While signed as a shortstop, the Nationals moved him to third base as his primary position. He made his professional debut in 2013 with the DSL Nationals, batting.255 in 60 games. In 2014, he played for the GCL Nationals where he compiled a.286 batting average with 25 RBIs in 53 games, and in 2015, he played for the Auburn Doubledays where he slashed.305/.358/.414 with one home run and 30 RBIs in 62 games. He spent 2016 with the Hagerstown Suns where he batted.300/.349/.406 with three home runs, 48 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases in 96 games. He also played in ten games for the Potomac Nationals at the end of the season.
In 2017, Baseball America ranked him as having the best infield arm in the Nationals organization. He was assigned to Potomac to begin the 2017 season. After ranking as the Nationals' 26th-best prospect midway through the 2016 season, Gutiérrez catapulted to the 12th spot in the system by mid-2017, according to MLB Pipeline. He was named to participate in the Carolina League All-Star Game in 2017, although he was unable to play due to an injury suffered June 9 while running the bases. He spent all of 2017 with Potomac, hitting.288 with two home runs and 16 RBIs in only 58 games due to injury. After the 2017 season ended, Gutiérrez played for the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League, leading the team in hitting with a.350 average. The Nationals added Gutiérrez to their 40-man roster after the 2017 season. He began 2018 with the Harrisburg Senators of the Class AA Eastern League.

Kansas City Royals

On June 18, 2018, the Nationals traded Gutiérrez, Blake Perkins, and Yohanse Morel to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Kelvin Herrera. Gutiérrez began the 2019 season with the Omaha Storm Chasers of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. After batting.333 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 18 games for Omaha, he made his major league debut on April 27, 2019.