Listed at 5-foot-10, 174 pounds, Carlos Gutierrez doesn’t possess the prototypical size of a professional outfielder. What he lacks in stature, he makes up for in production.
“Are the bat speed and power going to wow you? Probably not,” Giants farm director Kyle Haines said. “But the instincts combined with what he does have are really special.”
The lefthanded-hitting Gutierrez hit .339/.438/.452 through 43 games for Low-A San Jose. That’s impressive enough on its own, but it’s even more impressive when you consider injuries—mainly a lower-back issue—limited Gutierrez to three games in the Arizona Complex League in 2024.
“It’s just been some nagging injuries and randomness on the injury front that have really kept him from breaking out,” Haines said.
The Giants signed Gutierrez out of Mexico in January 2023. He turns 21 on Aug. 22.
In a brief 22-game pro debut in 2023, he hit .359 with a .906 OPS in the Dominican Summer League.
After his injury-filled 2024, Gutierrez came to spring training this year “in a great, healthy spot,” per Haines. That prompted the Giants to give him the challenge of playing in the California League.
“We knew that there’d be some growing pains, but he could handle it,” Haines said.
Haines praised Gutierrez’s bat-to-ball skills and the numbers back up that sentiment. He led all full-season minor leaguers with a .412 average and .524 on-base percentage in May.
“You could picture him playing on AstroTurf fields in the ’80s, hitting doubles and triples and stealing bases,” Haines said.
Gutierrez was 19-for-22 on his stolen base attempts this season.
“He’s an above-average runner,” Haines said, “but what he makes him so good on the bases is the combination of speed and instincts.”
Because the Giants have highly-regarded Dakota Jordan playing center field in San Jose, Gutierrez has spent most of his time in right. Haines believes Gutierrez has the ability to play center if needed.