Alex Gonzalez (shortstop, Born 1973)
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Alexander Scott Gonzalez (born April 8, 1973) is an American former
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...
, who spent the majority of his 13-year career with 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) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
. Gonzalez established a career-high with 20
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s for the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
in 2003 and hit 20 or more doubles eight times. He was regarded as a glove-first player, sporting a lower-than-average batting average (career .243 hitter),
on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batting (baseball), batter reaches base (baseball), base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA ...
(.302), and OPS (.694) while leading the American league twice in fielding percentage. At Killian High School in Miami, Florida, Gonzalez was an All-State pick in baseball as a senior. He was drafted straight out of high school in the 14th round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft by the Blue Jays. He is
Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( or ) are Americans who immigrated from or are descended from immigrants from Cuba. As of 2023, Cuban Americans were the fourth largest Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanic and Latino American group in the United States aft ...
and was nicknamed "Gonzo" in order to tell the difference between him and the other Alex Gonzalez, who signed with the Blue Jays on November 26, 2009; coincidentally, they would face each other in the 2003 National League Championship Series between the Marlins and Cubs.


Professional career

Gonzalez began his pro baseball career in the minor leagues in 1991 with the Gulf Coast Blue Jays. The following season, he moved up to Single-A, playing for the Myrtle Beach Hurricanes in the
Carolina League The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...
. He was named the MVP of the Hurricanes as they won the South Atlantic League Championship. The Blue Jays named him the recipient of the Howard Webster award in 1992. In 1993, he moved up in the minors to Double-A, spending the season with the Southern League's Knoxville Smokies. Gonzalez made the AA and AAA all star teams. In 1994, Gonzalez played in the Venezuelan professional league during winter ball playing in Barquisimeto where he was named to the All Star team. After making the major league team to begin 1994, Gonzalez batted .151 in 15 games and was sent down to Triple-A Syracuse at the end of April because of a hamstring injury. With Syracuse, Gonzalez batted .284 as he spent the rest of the season in the minors due to the major league strike and made the all star team. Gonzalez was the Blue Jays starting shortstop from 1995 to 2001. In 1999, his season was cut short after starting with a .290 batting average due to a torn labrum in his throwing arm. Dr. James Andrews performed surgery in August and, after a six-month rehab, he returned to the Blue Jays as their starting shortstop. Throughout his career, Gonzalez averaged around .250 with decent power for a middle
infielder An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field, between first base and third base. Standard arrangement of positions In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns pla ...
, but was unable to hit for high average. He made up for the lack of average with good RBI production and solid defense. He finished his career with 536 RBI and 137 home runs. He led the American league twice in fielding percentage for shortstops and he holds the American league record for assists in one game with 13, and was ranked first in 1997 with Total Zone Runs as a SS with 13. After spending eight years with the Toronto Blue Jays, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs on December 21, 2001, for Félix Heredia and minor leaguer James Deschaine. Gonzalez had two of his best seasons as the Cubs starting shortstop from 2002 to 2003. He hit five walk-off home runs during his two years with the Cubs. In 2003, he hit a career-high 20
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s and advanced to the postseason with the Cubs. Gonzalez's strong point in the postseason was his offense; he batted .275 and hit 4 home runs in 12 postseason games. During the Cubs' eighth inning collapse in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS versus the Florida Marlins, which became infamous due to the Steve Bartman incident, Gonzalez committed a fielding error on a ground ball in the hole hit by Miguel Cabrera, contributing to the Marlins scoring seven runs, five unearned, afterward in that inning. On July 31, 2004, the day of the trading deadline, Gonzalez was dealt in a four-team trade to the
Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
with the Cubs acquiring
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's Nomar Garciaparra to play shortstop. After a brief stint with the Expos, he was sent as part of a conditional deal to the
San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...
on September 16. He became a
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...
after the season and signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for 2005 as a third baseman, making the switch from shortstop. Gonzalez had a productive year at 3B with the Devil Rays hitting .269 and playing good defensively. After a brief, 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 The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
. But despite a strong showing in
spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
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. Shortly thereafter, he signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
and played 5 games for Triple-A Columbus before his release.


Post-playing career

Gonzalez attended the
University of Phoenix University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the Ac ...
online and obtained a degree in business management. He is a principal at Miami Sports Management representing players in contract negotiations. He resides in Miami with his wife and children.


Acting

Gonzalez appeared "as himself" in an episode of Ken Finkleman's satirical CBC comedy '' The Newsroom'' in 1997. Gonzalez has worked as an analyst for NBC Sports and MLB Network covering season news and the World Baseball Classic.


See also

* List of Cuban Americans


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Alex S. 1973 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American sportspeople of Cuban descent Baseball players from Florida Cardenales de Lara players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Chicago Cubs players Columbus Clippers players Gulf Coast Blue Jays players Iowa Cubs players Knoxville Smokies players Major League Baseball shortstops Major League Baseball third basemen Montreal Expos players Myrtle Beach Hurricanes players NMJC Thunderbirds baseball players Philadelphia Phillies players San Diego Padres players Syracuse Chiefs players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Tampa Bay Devil Rays players Toronto Blue Jays players Miami Killian Senior High School alumni