Carlos Eduardo González (born October 17, 1985), nicknamed "CarGo", is a

Venezuelan Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in t ...

former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern profession ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

. Over the course of his

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL ...

(MLB) career, he played for the Oakland Athletics,

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors F ...

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

, and

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is loca ...

. A three-time All-Star, González was the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

batting champion in . He has also won two

Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball. These voters cons ...

s and is a three-time

Gold Glove Award The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

winner. While mainly a

right fielder A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In th ...

throughout his career, González was the Rockies' starting

left fielder In baseball, a left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder who plays defense in left field. Left field is the area of the outfield to the left of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound. In the numbering system ...

from 2010-2014; in 2015 he transitioned to right field.

Career

Arizona Diamondbacks

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, González signed with the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

on August 3, 2002. González began his

career in 2003 for the Rookie League

Missoula Osprey The Missoula PaddleHeads are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Missoula, Montana, and play their home games at Ogren Par ...

. González batted .258 with six

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in 72 games. In 2004, González split time between the Low Single-A

Yakima Bears The Yakima Bears were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Yakima, Washington. The Bears competed at the Class A Short Season level as members of the Northwest League from 1990 to 2012. Following the 2012 season ...

and the Single-A

South Bend Silver Hawks South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...

. In 85 games, he batted .275 with 10 home runs. González played the 2005 season again for the Silver Hawks. He led the team in games played (129) and

RBIs A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the bat ...

(92), and was also second on the team in batting average (.307), home runs (18),

at bat In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

s (515) and runs scored (91). González was named to the

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

midseason and postseason All-Star teams and was also selected as the Midwest League Most Valuable Player and Prospect of the Year. ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

'' and ''

Topps The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Formerly based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American Football Card, American football, Baseball card, baseb ...

'' each named González as a Low Class-A All-Star. ''Topps'' also chose him as the Midwest League Player of the Year. In 2006, ''Baseball America'' rated González at #32 on their top 100 prospects list and was the 6th-highest Diamondbacks player on that list. González mainly played for the High Single-A Lancaster JetHawks in 2006, but also spent some time with the Double-A

Tennessee Smokies The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Kodak, Tennessee, a suburb of Knoxville. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They play at Smokies Stadium, directly off ...

. González played in 122 games and batted .289 with a career high 23 home runs. He also led the JetHawks in home runs (21) and RBIs (93). González was also an

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League- ...

selection and a

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Le ...

postseason All-Star selection. ''Baseball America'' rated González as a High Class-A All-Star, and he received the same honor from ''Topps''. In 2007, ''Baseball America'' rated González at #18 on their top 10 prospects list and was the 3rd highest Diamondbacks player on that list. González mainly played for the Double-A Mobile BayBears, but also spent some time in Triple-A with the

Tucson Sidewinders , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. González played in 130 games and batted .288 with 17 home runs. González led the BayBears in home runs (16) and RBI (75). González was once again named to the All-Star Futures Game. On December 14, 2007, the Diamondbacks traded González, Dana Eveland,

Aaron Cunningham Aaron Roe Ward Cunningham (born April 24, 1986) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He has played in Major League Baseball for the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Cleveland Indians. Major League Career Cunningham was ...

, Chris Carter,

Brett Anderson Brett Lewis Anderson (born 29 September 1967) is an English singer best known as the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the band Suede. After Suede disbanded in 2003, he fronted The Tears with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler in 2004 ...

, and Greg Smith to the Oakland Athletics for

Dan Haren Daniel John Haren (born September 17, 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Haren played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Wa ...

and

Connor Robertson James Connor Robertson (born September 10, 1981) is an American former right-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He was drafted out of Birmingham Southern College in the 31st round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft by the Oakland ...

Oakland Athletics

On May 30, 2008, González made his MLB debut at the age of 22 against the Texas Rangers, where he got first career hit, an opposite field double down the left field line off Texas Rangers

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or dr ...

Kevin Millwood Kevin Austin Millwood (born December 24, 1974) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Co ...

. This was one of two doubles he hit in his major league debut. His next five major league hits were also doubles, making González the first player since

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Johnny Mize John Robert Mize (January 7, 1913 – June 2, 1993), nicknamed "Big Jawn" and "The Big Cat", was an American professional baseball player, coach and scout. He played as a first baseman in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 15 seasons between 1936 an ...

in 1936 to record the first seven hits of his career as extra base hits. On June 20, 2008, González hit his first career home run against the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. It was a solo home run that was hit off a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curv ...

to right-center field. He had his first 4-hit game, going 4-for-4 against the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home gam ...

on August 8.

Colorado Rockies

On November 12, 2008, González was traded with Huston Street and Greg Smith to the Colorado Rockies for

Matt Holliday Matthew Thomas Holliday (born January 15, 1980) is an American professional baseball coach and former left fielder who is the bench coach for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB from 2004 to 2018 for the Co ...

. After what many called a disappointing season with Oakland, González spent most of the season with the Rockies Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. After a series of injuries to the Rockies outfield, González was called up and started slowly, but eventually began to produce, proving himself as a nice combination of power and speed atop the lineup. In the 2009 National League Division Series against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has been Cit ...

, González tied the franchise record for the most hits in an NLDS with 10, and led the NLDS and ALDS in batting average with .588 in four games. In his 2010 season, he finished in the top 5 in home runs, batting average, RBIs, and runs scored in the National League. On July 31, 2010, in a game against the

, González

hit for the cycle In baseball, hitting for the cycle is the accomplishment of one batter who hits a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. Collecting the hits in that order is known as a "natural cycle". Cycles are rare in Major League ...

, including a

walk-off home run In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. For a home run to end the game, it must be hit in the bottom of the final inning of the game and generate enough runs to exceed the opponent's score. Because the opponent will no ...

on the first pitch in the bottom of the 9th inning. He became the first player since Dwight Evans of the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's ei ...

in 1984 to hit a walk-off home run for the cycle, according to the

Elias Sports Bureau The Elias Sports Bureau is a privately held company providing historical and current statistical information for the major professional sports leagues operating in the United States and Canada. Elias is the official statistician for Major League Ba ...

. Manager Jim Tracy labeled González as not just a five-tool player, but a "six-tool player." Only four other players in major league baseball history had completed a cycle with a game-ending homer:

Ken Boyer Kenton Lloyd "Ken" Boyer (May 20, 1931 – September 7, 1982) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) third baseman, coach and manager who played with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers for 15 ...

(1961), César Tovar (1972),

George Brett George Howard Brett (born May 15, 1953) is an American former professional baseball player who played all of his 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman for the Kansas City Royals. Brett's 3,154 career hits are second-mos ...

(1979), Dwight Evans (1984). Nolan Arenado repeated the feat in 2017 to make it six total players in major league history. In 2010, González garnered serious consideration as a candidate for the National League MVP award, along with

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ...

first baseman

Albert Pujols José Alberto Pujols Alcántara () (); born January 16, 1980) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball first baseman, designated hitter and third baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "The Machine", ...

and

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division and were a charter member of the American Associati ...

first baseman Joey Votto, as well as a Triple Crown candidate with the above-mentioned first basemen. However, González fell short on home runs and narrowly missed having the most RBI, but did manage to win the NL batting title in 2010 with a .336 average. He finished with 34 home runs, 117 RBI and a National League-leading 197 hits. He also led the National League in

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single, 2 for a double, 3 for a triple and 4 for a home run. For example, three singles is three total bases, whil ...

(351) and power-speed number (29.5). González received the National League

Players Choice Award The Players Choice Awards are annual Major League Baseball awards, given by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). The Players Choice Awards are given following a secret ballot by players. Four awards go to a player in each league, ...

for Outstanding Player in 2010. He then won the Players Choice Award for Player of the Year throughout Major League Baseball. González was also voted the winner of the 2010 Luis Aparicio Award, which is given to the most outstanding Venezuelan player in Major League Baseball, as voted by Venezuelan and international Spanish-speaking media. He finished third in voting by the

Baseball Writers' Association of America The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) is a professional association for journalists writing about Major League Baseball for daily newspapers, magazines and qualifying websites. The organization was founded in 1908, and is known fo ...

for

National League MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...

. For his defensive efforts in 2010, in which he only committed one error in the outfield, González won his first

Gold Glove The Rawlings Gold Glove Award, usually referred to as simply the Gold Glove, is the award given annually to the Major League Baseball (MLB) players judged to have exhibited superior individual fielding performances at each fielding position in bo ...

. On the offensive side, González received his first

. González signed a seven-year, $80.5 million contract extension with the Rockies on January 11, 2011. The contract included a $3 million signing bonus and yearly salaries through 2017 that ramp up to $20 million. It is the largest contract in MLB history for a two-year player. On May 21, 2012, he became the 22nd player in MLB history to hit a home run in four consecutive at-bats, doing this during a two-game span against the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after s ...

. In early July 2011, Gonzalez injured his right wrist and was placed on the

disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 season, it was known as the disabled list (DL). General guidelines ...

. On July 21, 2011, he yet again injured the wrist against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bo ...

. On May 14, 2013, he went 5-for-5 against the

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles W ...

, hitting 2 home runs and setting a new career high with 5 hits in one game. On June 5, 2013, he hit 3 home runs against the

Great American Ball Park Great American Ball Park is a baseball stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It served as the home stadium of the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB), and opened on March 31, 2003, replacing Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium), the Reds ...

in a 12-4 victory. In 2014, with the breakout of

Corey Dickerson McKenzie Corey Dickerson (born May 22, 1989) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has played in MLB for the Colorado Rockies (2013–2015), Tampa Bay Rays (2016–2017), ...

, González was moved out to right field. González won a Silver Slugger Award in right field for the 2015 season after hitting 40 home runs, second most in the National League. After his poor performance in the 2017 season it was highly speculated that Gonzalez would not return to play for the Rockies in the 2018 season. After the 2017 season González did temporarily leave the team, and entered free agency. However González was re-signed to a one-year, $8 million contract on March 12, 2018, to remain playing for the Rockies. In 2018, he played 132 games hitting 16 home runs and batting .276 with 67 RBI's. He entered free agency at the end of the season.

Cleveland Indians

González signed a minor league contract with the

on March 19, 2019; the deal included a non-roster invitation to spring training. He is set to make $2 million, plus $1 million in incentives, because he made the big league roster. The Indians purchased González's contract on April 14, 2019. González was designated for assignment by the Indians on May 22, 2019 after hitting .210 with 2 home runs and 7 runs batted in. After clearing waivers, González elected free agency on May 26, 2019.

Chicago Cubs

On May 30, 2019, González agreed to a minor league contract with the

. The team purchased his contract on June 3, 2019, and he was the starting right fielder in an inter-league game against the Los Angeles Angels. With one out and the bases loaded in the seventh inning, González made a highlight-reel game-saving diving catch. On June 29, he was designated for assignment for the second time in the 2019 season. On July 2, González again elected free agency.

Seattle Mariners

He was signed to a minor league contract on February 12, 2020 with the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion t ...

. Gonzalez was released by the Mariners organization on June 25, 2020.

Personal life

He was born in

Maracaibo ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...

, Venezuela. Gonzalez married a Venezuelan woman named Indonesia Riera on October 20, 2012. He is the father of a boy and twin girls.Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies says twin daughters doing well
/ref>

References

External links

Carlos González
at Pura Pelota (Venezuelan Professional Baseball League) * * : {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Carlos 1985 births Living people Águilas del Zulia players Chicago Cubs players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Columbus Clippers players Gold Glove Award winners Lancaster JetHawks players Luis Aparicio Award winners Major League Baseball players from Venezuela Major League Baseball right fielders Missoula Osprey players Mobile BayBears players National League All-Stars National League batting champions Oakland Athletics players Sacramento River Cats players Silver Slugger Award winners South Bend Silver Hawks players Sportspeople from Maracaibo Tennessee Smokies players Tucson Sidewinders players Venezuelan expatriate baseball players in the United States World Baseball Classic players of Venezuela Yakima Bears players 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2017 World Baseball Classic players