Geremi González

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**Geremi González**
Major League Baseball debut
Toronto Blue Jays — No. --
Starting Pitcher
Bats: right	Throws: right
May 27, 1997 for the Chicago Cubs
Selected MLB statistics (through 2006)
Record	30-35
Innings pitched	572.2
Strikeouts	354
Teams
Chicago Cubs (1997–1998) Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003-2004) Boston Red Sox (2005) New York Mets (2006) Milwaukee Brewers (2006)

Geremis Segundo González Acosta (born January 8, 1975 in Maracaibo, Zulia State, Venezuela) is a pitcher in Major League Baseball. Previously, González played with the Chicago Cubs (1997-98), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2003-04), Boston Red Sox (2005), New York Mets (2006), and Milwaukee Brewers (2006). He bats and throws right-handed.

The Cubs signed him as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1991 and he was a highly touted young arm in the Cubs system. He made his debut in the 1997 season and also pitched for the Cubs in 1998 before being out of baseball entirely for nearly five years due to three surgeries and a variety of injuries.

In 2003, he was regarded by Tampa Bay with the Out of Nowhere Award. González ended up being the Rays' most consistent pitcher, despite his 6-11 record. He allowed three runs or fewer in 17 starts, but received the lowest run support of any AL East starter (3.91 runs per game). He finished with a 3.91 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 156 innings.

Like so many young pitchers, González was a thrower when he was with the Cubs. Now he pitches rather than just throw hard. González has a variety of breaking pitches, and even his 92 mph fastball comes in two ways: a rising four-seamer and a sinking two-seamer, neither overpowering. He also has an above-average changeup and a decent curve. González fields his position well and has a quick delivery, giving his catcher a chance to nail runners trying to steal (he has 14 pickoffs in his career).

In four seasons before 2005, González compiled a 24-32 record with 282 strikeouts and a 4.69 ERA in 460.2 innings. Early in the 2005 season, González started three games for the Boston Red Sox, going 1-1 with a 6.65 ERA. Boston optioned him to the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox in late May 2005, then recalled him to the major league club in early July to try to fill a hole in their bullpen.

González was signed to a minor league contract by the Mets in 2006. He started three games for the Mets after being called up on May 13 2006, but performed poorly. On May 26, he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Mike Adams. When González reported to the Brewers, he informed them that the proper spelling of his first name was "Geremi"; prior to that time, he had been known as "Jeremi".^[1]