Alex Gonzalez (infielder)
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- For the present-day baseball infielder born in 1977, see Álex González (shortstop)
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|---|---|
| Free Agent — No. -- | |
| Third Baseman | |
| Bats: Right | Throws: Right |
| Major League Baseball debut | |
| April 4, 1994 for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Selected MLB statistics (through 2007) |
|
| Batting average | .243 |
| Home runs | 137 |
| Runs batted in | 536 |
| Teams | |
Alexander Scott Gonzalez (born April 8, 1973 in Miami, Florida) is a Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. Gonzalez began his pro baseball career in the minor leagues in 1991 with the Gulf Coast league Blue Jays. The following season, he moved up to class A, playing for the Myrtle Beach Hurricanes in the Carolina League. In 1993, he moved up in the minors once again, this time to Double-A, spending the season with the Southern League's Knoxville Smokies.
Gonzalez entered the Major Leagues in 1994, spending eight years with the Toronto Blue Jays before signing with the Chicago Cubs. After brief stints with the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres, Alex signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005 as a third baseman, making the switch from shortstop. After a brief, disappointing 2006 run with the Philadelphia Phillies, Gonzalez retired from baseball. However, he came out of retirement on January 12, 2007, signing a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals. But despite a strong showing in spring training during which he batted over .400, Gonzalez failed to make the Royals' 25-man roster prior to the 2007 season, and exercised his right to become a free agent.
Gonzalez established a career-high with 20 home runs for the Cubs in 2003 and hit 20 or more doubles eight times, although his batting average (career .243 hitter) and on-base percentage (.302) always have been low.
"Gonzo" has a reputation for strong defensive play and clutch hitting; however, in the 8th inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS, he dropped a routine double-play ball that would have ended the inning with the score 3-1 in favor of the Cubs. Gonzalez's error led to seven Marlins runs which led to the Cubs losing the game, and ultimately the series. This was shortly after an incident in which a fan touched a foul ball that left fielder Moises Alou might have caught. Alou reacted with visible frustration and anger after being unable to catch the ball, although there was no legal interference on the play. The batter eventually drew a walk, and it was Gonzalez's error that opened the floodgates.
[edit] See also
[edit] High school career
At Killian High School in Miami, Florida, Alex S. Gonzalez was an All-State pick in baseball as a senior.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
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