Gonzalez Named American Association Defensive Player of the Year

September 2, 2016 - American Association (AA)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release

GARY, IN - The American Association announced today that Gary SouthShore RailCats catcher Jose Gonzalez is the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Field managers and league media voted on the award.

Gonzalez excelled at catching runners stealing and directing the RailCats defense. His efforts earned him the honor of being the North Team's starting catcher for the 2016 American Association All-Star Game. It was his first All-Star award of his career.

Gonzalez, 29, is in his first year as a RailCat. The veteran has made a career out of playing exceptional defense from the catcher position. He spent ten years between the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals organizations before coming to the South Shore.

The Caracas, Venezuela native immediately made his mark with the RailCats. Gonzalez was thrust into an everyday starter role once fellow catcher Jaime Del Valle went down with an injury in the first series of the year. Gonzalez flourished, especially at throwing runners out. According to Pointstreak, the league's official statistician, he is tied for the highest percentage of runners caught stealing in the Association. His 24 runners caught stealing is the highest among active players in the league.

Gonzalez' defensive efforts impressed the rest of the league and the RailCats staff. In a statement, General Manager Brian Lyter said, "Congratulations to Jose Gonzalez on being in being named the 2016 American Association Defensive Player of the Year, an honor that was very well deserved. Jose's ability to make game changing plays from behind the plate with throws to all 3 bases has been incredible to watch all season long. His ability to eliminate base runners and save outs for our pitching staff has played a key role in our success this season."

Gonzalez compiled a fielding percentage of .979 over the course of the season. He has played in the fourth most games of any player at his position. One of his greatest accomplished cannot be measured by a statistic. Gonzalez was instrumental in helping pitchers to perform their best this year. He helped a pitching staff that featured multiple true rookies and experienced heavy roster turnover to the fourth best ERA in the Association.

The veteran also contributed to the team offensively. He is hitting .236 with four home runs and 21 runs batted in. Gonzalez has drawn 25 walks on the season and boasts a .325 on-base percentage. He built impressive streaks this year. He tallied a hit in eight straight games from June 11th through June 24th and reached base 11 straight games from June 11th to June 29th.

The RailCats have a 49-47 record and finish the season with a four-game homestand against the Joplin Blasters. For more information on the Gary SouthShore RailCats call 219-882-2255.

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