Michael Vela Gonzalez (born May 23, 1978) is an American former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

. He played in

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 ...

(MLB) for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, Texas Rangers,

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

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Gonzalez was traded twice prior to his MLB debut. First, on July 22, 2003, where he was traded by the

with Scott Sauerbeck to 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) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

for Brandon Lyon and Anastacio Martinez. Second, on July 31, 2003, where he was traded back to Pittsburgh with Freddy Sanchez and cash for Brandon Lyon, Anastacio Martinez and

Jeff Suppan Jeffrey Scot Suppan (; born January 2, 1975) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current professional baseball coach who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, ...

. Gonzalez converted all 24 save attempts during the 2006 season with the Pittsburgh Pirates before having his season end early because of an elbow injury. Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Braves with

Brent Lillibridge Brent Stuart Lillibridge (born September 18, 1983) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, a ...

for

Adam LaRoche David Adam LaRoche (born November 6, 1979) is an American professional baseball coach and former player who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Arizona Diamondb ...

and

Jamie Romak James Robert Romak (born September 30, 1985) is a Canadian former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama D ...

on January 17, .

Atlanta Braves

After experiencing a drop in velocity on his fastball in excess of in a game versus the

, the Braves quickly took precautionary measures and placed him 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 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...

on May 16, 2007, with a left elbow strain. After several

MRI Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...

s showed no damage to his elbow, a more specialized MRI was performed that indeed revealed a slight ligament tear. On May 25, 2007, it was announced that his elbow would require

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

and, consequently, he would miss at least the rest of the 2007 season, and possibly the first half of the season. In 17 innings with the Braves in 2007, Gonzalez posted a 1.59

ERA An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

with a 2–0 record and 2 saves. Gonzalez made his return on June 18, 2008, pitching a perfect 9th inning and recording a save against the Texas Rangers. On January 19, 2009, Gonzalez avoided arbitration and signed a one-year $3.45 million contract.

Baltimore Orioles

On December 16, 2009, Gonzalez agreed to a deal with the

for two years and $12 million. On December 19, 2009, Gonzalez officially signed with the Baltimore Orioles. Gonzalez underperformed early in 2010, blowing two saves in his first opportunities and hearing boos from the crowd after he blew a save chance in the home opener. On April 14, 2010, Gonzalez was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained left shoulder. He finished the year with a 4.01 ERA in 24.2 innings over 29 appearances.

Texas Rangers

On August 31, 2011, Gonzalez was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for

Pedro Strop Pedro Ángel Strop (born June 13, 1985) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago Cubs. Care ...

. In 2011, he was a combined 2–2 with a 4.39 ERA and 1 save. Gonzalez made his postseason debut with the Rangers in 2011 until the team lost the

2011 World Series The 2011 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2011 Major League Baseball season, 2011 season. The 107th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff played between the American Le ...

to the

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 (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Centra ...

Washington Nationals

On May 10, 2012, the Washington Nationals agreed to terms with Gonzalez on a 1-year, minor league deal. The Nationals called Gonzalez up to the majors on June 3.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 29, 2012, Gonzalez agreed to a one-year $2.21 million deal, pending a physical.

Second stint with Washington

Gonzalez returned to the Washington Nationals in 2014, agreeing to a minor league contract on March 4. He was released on July 5, 2014.

Toros de Tijuana

On April 8, 2016, Gonzalez signed with the

Toros de Tijuana The Toros de Tijuana (English: Tijuana Bulls) are a Mexican baseball team based in Tijuana, Mexico, that competes in the Mexican Baseball League. The team plays its home games at Estadio Chevron. Team history Original Attempt The franchise w ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. He became a free agent following the season. In 38 games 18.1 innings of relief he struggled going 0-2 with a 5.89 ERA with 15 strikeouts.

References

External links

, o
Retrosheet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Mike 1978 births Living people Aberdeen IronBirds players Altoona Curve players American baseball players of Mexican descent American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Atlanta Braves players Augusta GreenJackets players Baltimore Orioles players Baseball players from Corpus Christi, Texas Bowie Baysox players Gulf Coast Orioles players Gulf Coast Pirates players Indianapolis Indians players Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball pitchers Mexican League baseball pitchers Milwaukee Brewers players Mississippi Braves players Nashville Sounds players Norfolk Tides players Pawtucket Red Sox players Pittsburgh Pirates players Richmond Braves players San Jacinto Central Ravens baseball players San Jacinto College alumni Syracuse Chiefs players Texas Rangers players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Toros de Tijuana players 21st-century American sportsmen Washington Nationals players