Seven Year MLB Infielder Signs with Wingnuts
May 6, 2015 - American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release
WICHITA, KS (May 6, 2015) - The Wichita Wingnuts roster for the 2015 season already featured a pair of former MLB talents who are expected to play in the middle of the field. Shortstop Luis Hernandez and center fielder Luis Montanez, who have combined to play eight seasons at the highest level were added earlier in the year. As of Wednesday, you can add defensive stalwart, and seven year big-leaguer, Alberto Gonzalez to the mix. This will be the first season of independent baseball for the former New York Yankee, Washington National, San Diego Padre, Texas Ranger, and Chicago Cub.
Gonzalez began his professional career in the United States as a 21-year old in 2004 as an international free agent signee of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Assigned to Single-A South Bend, he quickly showed a penchant for great work with his glove, but struggled at the plate. The next year he returned to the Silver Hawks and showed marked offensive improvement by batting .318 with 42 RBI in 95 games. This performance earned him Midwest League All-Star honors.
Following another solid season at Double-A Tennessee and a brief end of the year appearance with Triple-A Tucson, Gonzalez appeared primed to join the parent club in the desert sometime in the summer of 2007. However, during the off-season he was included as part of the trade that sent Randy Johnson from the New York Yankees back to Arizona. With players like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Robinson Cano ahead of him on the MLB depth chart, his debut in "The Show" was delayed momentarily. Gonzalez spent most of the year bouncing back and forth between the Yankees' Double and Triple-A affiliates before joining the big league club as a September call up for the final month.
The native of Maracaibo, Venezuela played 28 games with the Yankees in 2008 prior to being traded to the Washington Nationals in late July. He finished the season by batting .347 in 17 games. This led to Gonzalez playing in over 100 games at the MLB level in each of the next three seasons. The first two came with Washington, where he drove in 33 runs in 2009, and the final came as a member of the San Diego Padres in 2011 after a trade just prior to the start of the regular season.
In 2012, Gonzalez played in 24 games with Texas. He broke camp with the Cubs in 2013, but was eventually designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A. In early May, the Yankees were desperate for depth at the shortstop position and traded for Gonzalez, bringing him back to the organization where he made his MLB debut. He went 6-34 with four RBI over a 17-game span with New York, his most recent stint in the Major Leagues. His MLB numbers feature a .239 average, four home runs, and 91 RBI in 426 games.
Last season the 32-year old was invited to spring training with the Padres and began the season with their Triple-A club in Tucson. He played in 19 games there, before heading to Reynosa in the Mexican League for the rest of the summer. In a combined 52 games, Gonzalez batted .262 with three doubles, three triples, a pair of long balls, and 17 RBI.
The 11-year veteran has played all four infield positions at some point in his career and has also seen limited time in the outfield. Gonzalez owns a .972 fielding percentage, committing just 82 errors in nearly 3,000 chances.
The announcement of Gonzalez signing brings the 2015 roster to a total of 27 players. The roster can include up to 28 players until two days prior to the start of the regular season when it must be trimmed to 22. The eighth season of Wichita Wingnuts baseball begins on Thursday, May 21st in Joplin, with the home opener against the Winnipeg Goldeyes taking place on Tuesday, May 26th. For information on season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Wingnuts' main office at (316) 264-NUTS, or visit the Wingnuts' official website at www.wichitawingnuts.com.
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