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Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Former Pelican Chi Chi Gonzalez to Make MLB Debut Saturday

May 30, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


Former Myrtle Beach Pelican Chi Chi Gonzalez
Former Myrtle Beach Pelican Chi Chi Gonzalez
(Myrtle Beach Pelicans)

WOODBRIDGE, VA. (MAY 29, 2015) -- Two days after the Texas Rangers promoted former Pelicans infielder Hanser Alberto to the Major Leagues, the club is expected to recall right-handed pitcher Alex "Chi Chi" Gonzalez. He is expected to make his big league debut on Saturday as the starting pitcher for Texas against the Boston Red Sox at 7:15 p.m. ET at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Gonzalez, the Rangers first selection (23rd overall) in the 2013 MLB Draft, will be the 130th Pelicans player to make the Major Leagues after playing in Myrtle Beach.

Gonzalez, 23, earns his first call to the Major Leagues less than a year after leaving Myrtle Beach. Prior to Saturday's promotion, the right-hander had spent all of the 2015 season with the Triple-A Round Rock Express. In eight starts, Gonzalez went 3-5 with a 4.15 ERA, striking out 26 and walking 19 in 43.1 innings. He allowed three or fewer earned runs in six of the eight outings. On May 9, Gonzalez fired five scoreless innings on just two hits and a pair of walks, striking out a season-high five in a 1-0 win over the Nashville Sounds.

The 2014 Nolan Ryan Minor League Pitcher of the Year pitched for the Pelicans down the stretch in 2013, his first professional year. After nine outings, all starts for the Class A-Short Season Spokane Indians, Gonzalez earned a promotion to Myrtle Beach on August 8, 2013. He made five starts for the Pelicans posting no decisions but an ERA of 2.84 in 19.0 innings of work. He finished the regular season with nine consecutive scoreless innings and started Game 2 of the Carolina League Southern Division Championship Series, allowing 3 runs over a season-high 4.2 innings of work.

The former Oral Roberts University Golden Eagle opened last season in the Pelicans rotation, making 11 starts before a promotion to Double-A Frisco on June 9. Gonzalez lost his first two decisions with the Birds in 2014 but won his next five, posting a 5-2 record and a 2.62 ERA. In 65.1 innings, the Boynton Beach, Florida, native fanned 49 and walked 16, and his start in Myrtle Beach earned him a Midseason All-Star selection in the Carolina League. He was one of eight Pelicans to make the All-Star roster.

Gonzalez made a handful of notable starts in his short stint in the Carolina League. On May 3 at home against the Frederick Keys, Gonzalez fired eight scoreless innings for his second win of the year. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in Frederick on May 20 in an eventual 3-1 win for the Birds. He pitched seven complete innings of one-run ball, allowing just four baserunners on a hit and three walks.

At the time of his promotion to Double-A, Gonzalez ranked among the Carolina League leaders in ERA (5th, 2.63), WHIP (3rd, 1.11), and opponents' batting average (4th, .222).

The former first-rounder was named Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Month in May. He went 4-0 during the month with a 1.59 ERA in five starts, which included a 14.2 innings scoreless streak, the longest such streak by a Pelicans pitcher for the year at the time.

He finished last season with Double-A Frisco, posting a 7-4 record and a 2.71 ERA for the RoughRiders. He started Frisco's playoff opener and earned the victory on September 3 against the Midland Rockhounds, tossing six innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts.

For the year, he combined to go 12-6 with a 2.66 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 26 outings, 25 starts. He compiled the lowest ERA among Texas farmhands and tied for the organizational lead in wins.

For his efforts, he appeared on Baseball America's League Top 20 Prospects in both the Carolina League (No. 10) and the Texas League (No. 5) at the end of the season. He began the 2015 season as the sixth-best prospect in the system according to Baseball America's Prospect Handbook.

As a collegiate pitcher, Gonzalez was named the 2013 Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year, finishing second in the nation with 126 strikeouts. He went 9-5 with a 1.83, walking just 27 hitters in 15 starts as a junior at Oral Roberts. He also earned Summit League Pitcher of the Year honors for his freshman season and was named a 2011 NCBWA Freshman All-American.

The Rangers take the field with Chi Chi Gonzalez on the hill at 7:15 p.m. ET against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, May 30.

The Pelicans continue their seven-game, two-city road trip with a series opener against the Potomac Nationals at Pfitzner Stadium on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. ET.

The 2015 season marks the 17th season for the Pelicans franchise and first as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. For information on tickets to see the Pelicans in 2015, please call (843) 918-6000, e-mail info@myrtlebeachpelicans.com, or visit www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.

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Former Myrtle Beach Pelican Chi Chi Gonzalez
Former Myrtle Beach Pelican Chi Chi Gonzalez
   

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