Juan González
Encyclopedia
Juan Alberto González Vázquez (born October 20, 1969 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
), nicknamed "Juan Gone", "Juando", and "Igor", is a former Major League Baseball
right fielder
. Juan González developed into one of the most prolific RBI men to anchor a lineup since World War Two. A full-time player at the age of 21 and a two-time MVP before his 30th birthday, González explained his propensity for bringing runners home merely by saying, "I concentrate more when I see men on base.". One of the premier run producers and most feared hitters of the 1990s, González averaged 37 HR and 117 runs batted in per season between 1991 and 1999. He won the AL MVP award twice in that time span, 1996 and 1998. Gonzalez was known as a screaming line drive hitter, not a majestic fly-ball hitter as many HR hitters of the '90's.
volleyball
player Elaine López, sister of fellow major leaguer Javy López
, during the early 1990s. This marriage broke down when a local newspaper released a cover photo of singer Olga Tañón
kissing González during a concert in San Juan
. A scandal followed, with González divorcing Elaine López and marrying Tañón, who said she had no idea González was married to Lopez when she kissed him. González and Tañon had a daughter together, Gabriela González Tañón, in 1998. González and Tañon divorced less than two years later. His daughter later became one of only fifty people in the world (and the first Puerto Rican) ever to have been diagnosed with Sebastian syndrome, a mild blood clotting disorder.
González has a friendship with George W. Bush
which began when González debuted with the Texas Rangers who at the time were owned by Bush. Gonzalez stated that "a friendship that goes beyond baseball was created between them" and during his time in office Bush invited González to the White House twice. The first of reunions took place on April 16, 2001 and the second on December 3, 2007; in this reunion he was accompanied by historian Luis Rodriguez Mayoral. The discussion lasted thirty-five minutes and involved Gonzalez's future in the Major Leagues and other baseball related topics, as well as the happenings of their respective careers. During this visit to Washington D.C. Gonzalez was also involved in a meeting with Rudy Giuliani
and a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center
in order to visit Puerto Rican soldiers that were injured in the Iraq War.
After being divorced 3 times, Gonzalez stated in a 2007 interview that his personal life was now in order. "I'd rather have health and my family, my relationship with God than money," he said. "How many people who can buy whatever they want have committed suicide? God is first, then your kids, your family, good health."
as an amateur
free agent
in Puerto Rico
on May 30, 1986, at the age of 16 (after signing Sammy Sosa
and before signing Iván Rodríguez
two years later). González grew up in a rough area of Puerto Rico, where he learned to hit bottlecaps and corks with a broomstick handle in the Alto de Cuba barrio. Juan has always wanted to serve as a role model for the kids of Puerto Rico, as they are faced with the downfalls of drugs and prostitution frequently. Gonzalez avoided such temptations growing up. His father, a math teacher, and mother, a housewife, made sure Gonzalez and his two sisters behaved properly and stayed away from negative influences. Gonzalez moved his family out of the barrio early in his MLB career. He payed utility bills for down-on-their-luck friends and plans on working to construct recreation facilities and a baseball diamond in his home town. One of Juan's managers, Johnny Oats
, believed that until you've walked where Juan Gonzalez has walked, you just won't understand. Speaking from experience, as Oates has walked the streets of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, during visits multiple times, he had this to say: "I don't think you can appreciate how far he's come until you've been there," Oates said. "We might be making choices between going to the movies or going to the skating rink. But look at the choices the kids there were faced with growing up – do you want to do drugs or get beaten up? I think it says so much about him that he was able to rise above the peer pressure in Vega Baja. He had enough intelligence to say, 'I don't want to do that.'"
In Puerto Rico he's known simply as "Igor", the nickname he's carried since he was a 9-year-old fascinated by the professional wrestler "Igor the Magnificent."
"I watched wrestling all the time and I still like it," Gonzalez said. "One day when I was nine, I told another guy, 'I'm Igor.' And he said,'Okay, your name is Igor from now on.' And I've been Igor since then."
In the Puerto Rico youth league, Gonzalez batted cleanup behind future Yankee center fielder Bernie Williams
, where both competed against Gonzalez' future teammate Iván Rodríguez.
, .303 on-base percentage, and a .266 slugging percentage in 60 games. He only had five extra-base hits (none of them home run
s) in 233 AB and struck out 57 times. He tied Harvey Pulliam
by grounding into a Gulf Coast League
-leading 9 double plays.
In 1987, González showed some improvement with the Gastonia Rangers
, though Mark Whiten
and Junior Felix
were deemed better outfield prospects in the South Atlantic League
. In ratings by Baseball America, Gonzalez tied Ryan Bowen
for 10th place on the prospect listing. He finished with .265 AVG
, .306 OBP, and .401 slugging percentage with 14 home runs and 74 RBI.
Gonzalez spent 1988 with the Charlotte Rangers
and batted .256/~.327/.415 with 8 home runs in 277 AB. One of his outfield teammates that year was Sammy Sosa. The next year, he showed more improvement with the Tulsa Drillers
hitting .293/~.322/.506 with 21 home runs and led the Texas League
with 254 total bases. He outhomered Sosa by 14 and was third in the League in home runs, behind teammate Dean Palmer
(25) and Chris Cron
(22). Gonzalez was rated the league's #4 prospect by Baseball America, behind Ray Lankford
, Andy Benes
and Jose Offerman
. Lankford and Warren Newson
joined him in the TL All-Star outfield. He was called up by the Texas Rangers in September of that year, but only hit .150/.227/.250. During his time with the Rangers that year, Gonzalez only hit 1 HR. That HR was the first HR ever hit by a teenager (19 yrs old) for the Rangers.
In 1990, González – playing with the Oklahoma City 89ers – led the American Association in home runs (29), RBI (101) and total bases (252). He made the AA All-Star outfield alongside Lankford and Bernard Gilkey
and was named the league MVP. Baseball America named him the top prospect in the league in a poll of managers. He finished with .258/~.343/.508 for the 89ers. In the AAA All-Star Game, González hit 4th for the AL prospects and played as a designated hitter
. He went 2 for 5 with a double, one of the game's two homers, two runs and two RBI in the AL's 8–5 loss. González was again called up by the Rangers and did far better this time, batting .289/.316/.522.
In 1992, Juan improved by leaps and bounds. He finished with a .260 batting average
, 43 HR, and 109 RBI's. Juan spent most of his time in CF in '92, playing 123 games there, 31 in LF and making just one appearance in RF, while DH-ing 4 games. Juan was the American League home run champion (one more than Mark McGwire
) while also ranking 3rd in TB (309), 4th in Extra Base Hits (69), 5th in SLG (.529%), 7th in RBI (109) while winning his first Silver Slugger
award. Winning the HR Crown at the age of 22 made him the youngest player to lead the majors since Johnny Bench in 1970.
In 1993, González broke through to true stardom. He led the AL for the second consecutive year with 46 bombs, while raising his batting average an impressive 50 points to .310, all this to go along with a league-leading slugging percentage of .632%. That production garnered González an invite to his first All-Star
team. During the 1993 All-Star Weekend, he participated in the only Home Run Derby
of his career. Juan and Ken Griffey, Jr.
put on an amazing display of raw-power, as they each golfed 7 homers a piece. Gonzalez, however, wowed the national audience even more, becoming the first player to hit a homer into the facade of the upper deck in left field (estimated 473 feet) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the green wall behind the center-field fence (estimated 455 feet). Gonzalez then defeated Griffey in a winner-take-all playoff for the individual Home Run Derby
title, 5–4. When asked about the title, Gonzalez responded: "It was very exciting to surprise everybody. I never thought in my mind that I'd win the Home Run Derby. I even surprised myself." Juan also finished fourth in voting for the 1993 AL MVP and earned his second consecutive Silver Slugger award.
In 1994, the Rangers moved from Arlington Stadium
to The Ballpark in Arlington. González batted 19 home runs in 1994 due to injuries, but belted 27 home runs in 1995, in just 90 games.
From 1995 - 1998, González was an RBI machine, averaging more than an RBI per game (514 RBI, 511 G). This made him the first player since World War II to drive in a run per game for any four-year period. He won two MVP awards in this stretch (1996 and 1998). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
listed him as the player who had the highest ratio of slugging percentage to on-base percentage in baseball history at that time, ahead of Dave Kingman
and Tony Armas
and 4th in RBI per game by an outfielder (behind Sam Thompson
, Joe DiMaggio
and Babe Ruth
). James also ranked González as the 52nd-best right fielder in baseball history as of mid-2000.
In 1996, González had one of his best seasons hitting .314 with a .643 slugging percentage. He edged Alex Rodríguez
by one first-place vote (11–10) and 3 award points (290–287) in a very close vote to win the American League MVP. He won his third Silver Slugger
as an outfielder and was second in the AL in slugging (87 points behind McGwire). Was selected to the Associated Press Major League All-Star Team and The Sporting News A.L. All-Star squad at season's end. González was also named the Puerto Rico Pro Athlete of the Year by Associated Press and the DFW Metroplex Pro Athlete of the Year by the Dallas All Sports Association. He received the honorable selection of American League Player of the Month in July, leading the majors in batting (.407), homers (15), rbi (38), slugging (.917) and total bases (99). González was also the A.L. Player of the Week for July 29-Aug. 4. González had a pair of 21-game hitting streaks, June 25 – July 19 and August 8–31, matching the 3rd longest hitting streaks in team history with Mickey Rivers (1980) being the only other Ranger with 2 20-game hitting streaks in the same season. On July 30, González went 5–5 vs. New York, a career best and tied the club record for hits in a game. González was also chosen as a member of the Major League Baseball All-Star Team that traveled to Japan for 8-game exhibition series in November, batting .500 (10–20) with one homer and 3 rbi in 7 games. That year, the Texas Rangers made the playoffs, and in the 1996 American League Division Series
, González homered five times in four games and batted .438/.526/1.375 with 9 RBI. Texas ended up losing in four games to the New York Yankees
. González tied Jeffrey Leonard
's 1987 NLCS record by homering in four straight post-season games and joined Reggie Jackson
and Ken Griffey, Jr. as the only players to hit five home runs in a single post-season series. Including the playoffs, Gonzalez amassed some rather ridiculous numbers for the season:
González' 1996 stats including playoffs>
In 1997, González batted .296/.335/.589 as a DH-RF for the Rangers, winning his fourth Silver Slugger. In 133 games he was 4th in slugging, 6th in total bases (314), third in homers (42) and RBI (131), 10th in extra-base hits (69) and tied for 6th with 10 sacrifice flies. González missed the first month of the season and was not activated from the DL until May 2 due to a torn ligament in his left thumb. Despite the injury he still managed to earn American League Player of the Month honors in September (.337, 10 hr, 26 rbi) and was the Rangers Player of the Month in both August and September. González was selected to Baseball America's American League All-Star Team.
In 1998, he reached the 100 RBI mark before the All-Star break (101), being the first player (and still most recent) to do so since Hank Greenberg
63 years earlier. He hit cleanup for the AL in the 1998 All-Star
Game and decisively won the AL MVP award. González was 10th in the 1998 AL in batting average, second in slugging, fourth in OPS, 6th in hits (193), 4th in total bases (382), first in doubles (50), tied for fourth in home runs (45), first in RBI (157) in 154 games, tied for 8th in OPS+ (149), second in extra-base hits (97), tied for third in sac flies (11), tied for sixth in intentional walks (9) and tied for third in double plays ground into (20). In April, he drove in 35 runs, a major league record for the month that still stands today. González produced the 5th season ever of at least 50 doubles and 40 home runs. González started 115 games in right and 36 as the dh.
Became the 1st 5-time winner of the Rangers Player of the Year Award and was also named as the A.L.'s Most Valuable Player by USA Today and USA Today Baseball Weekly. González was selected to major league all-star teams selected by the Associated Press (of) and Baseball America (dh) and to The Sporting News A.L. all-star squad (of). He was named as an outfielder on the A.L. Silver Slugger Award team for the 5th time in his career, his 3rd consecutive year. González shared Rangers Player of the Month honors with Ivan Rodriguez in April and won the award outright in May. González also received the American League Player of the Week, for Aug. 31-Sept. 6. He received 21 of 28 1st place mvp votes and 7 2nd place votes for 357 total points to defeat Boston's Nomar Garciaparra, who had 5 1st place votes and 232 points. Juan also became the 1st native of Latin America to ever win multiple mvps since the award was instituted in 1931. This award also made him the 16th player to capture 2 mvps in a 3-year span. The Rangers reached the playoffs, only to be swept by the Yankees. González batted only 1 for 12 in the Division Series
.
In 1999, he was 9th in the AL in average, 4th in slugging, 6th in OPS, 10th in runs (114), 6th in total bases (338), 6th in home runs (39), 5th in RBI (128), 7th in extra-base hits (76) and 2nd in sacrifice flies (12). However, he and the Rangers wound up being swept for the second consecutive year by the Yankees in the Division Series
. Juan wasn't able to do much in the 3-game series, hitting .182/.250/.455 with 1 HR, but, Juan's solo bomb was the only run the Rangers scored in the series.
González announced just before the 1999 All-Star Game that if the fans did not elect him to the starting lineup, he would refuse an invitation to be added to the roster (as a result he was not invited). Gonzalez believed that the system was flawed, he thought managers and players should vote for the starters, not the fans. A few weeks later Gonzalez didn't dress for the Hall of Fame exhibition game because (according to the media) the uniform pants the Rangers brought for him were too large. Gonzalez later had this to say about the incident "I couldn't play because my right wrist was sore. The pants they gave me were size 40. I wear 34. They were clown pants."
González's four-year peak aligned with the first three post-season appearances in the Rangers' franchise history.
González' Stats with the Rangers>
along with Danny Patterson
and Gregg Zaun
in a blockbuster nine-player deal with the Detroit Tigers
for Frank Catalanotto
, Francisco Cordero
, Bill Haselman
, Gabe Kapler
, Justin Thompson
, and Alan Webb
. He became the first two-time MVP to be traded since Dale Murphy
was sent from Atlanta to Philadelphia in 1990. Detroit Tiger general manager Randy Smith was paying a high price for Gonzalez by trading six young players, but he couldn't pass up on acquiring Gonzalez, who he referred to as "a two-time MVP and future Hall of Famer", even though Gonzalez would more than likely be a one-year rental (and was).
Gambling that they would be able to extend his contract past the 2000 season, the Tigers reportedly offered Gonzalez an eight-year, $140 million contract soon after the deal was struck. Gonzalez refused, which turned out to be the bigger gamble. He began the season badly, hobbled by foot pain and unable to adjust to the spacious dimensions of Detroit's new Comerica Park
, where the left-center field fence stood nearly 400 feet from home plate. By mid-season he had announced that the Tigers would have to bring the fences in if they wanted to re-sign him as a free agent.
Detroit shopped Gonzalez before the trading deadline, but a deal that would have sent him to the Yankees for outfielder Ricky Ledee and two minor leaguers was scuttled when the outfielder made it clear that he didn't want to play in New York. The Puerto Rico native stumbled through the rest of the season and saw his production dip to an all time low (22 HR, 67 RBI in 115 games). After missing the last weeks of the 2000 season, he was granted free agency on November 1.
On January 9, 2001, he signed a one-year $10 million contract with the Cleveland Indians
. Gonzalez opened the season with a great start, batting .388 (40–103) with 9 homers and 32 RBIs in season's first 25 games through May 2. Gonzalez completed the first half on a torrid pace. He was voted in as an All-Star starter and batted 5th in the 2001 All-Star Game
. Gonzalez hit .347 with 23 HR 83 RBI in 79 games (.640 SLG% / 1.031 OPS%) in the first half.
He appeared to be on his way to easily capturing the RBI title, but an RBI drought at the end of the season (0 RBI in last 10 games) allowed Brett Boone to pass him by one. Gonzalez hit over .300 in each of season's 1st 5 months before dropping to .299 for the month of September. His top months were .387 (36–93) in April and .356 (26–73) in July. Gonzalez was hitting as high as .360 on June 5, then went 17–64 (.266) in next 17 contests, dropping to .338 through June 26. Had a .351 (73–208) mark in next 56 games and was at .344 overall, 2nd in the A.L., through Sept. 9. After this he hit just .130 (6–46) in final 13 games, going 3–34 (.088) in last 10 contests. Gonzalez was hitless in his final 15 trips after his single on Sept. 24. Despite his cold streak over the last week and a half of the season, he still finished with a .325 BA /.370 OBP/.590 SLG% and an 147 OPS+ close to his MVP seasons. He also won his sixth Silver Slugger and finished fifth in MVP voting. His .325 average was one point shy of his career high (1999) and marked his 5th .300 season, 3rd in the last 4 years.
He was sixth in the 2001 AL in batting average, 5th in slugging, 6th in OPS, 9th in home runs (35), second in RBI (140, (in 140 games) one behind leader Bret Boone
),8th in OPS+, tied for third in double plays grounded into (18) and led the league with 16 sacrifice flies. Gonzalez was also a 2nd team selection on Baseball America's Major League all-star squad and was named as the Indians player of the year by Baseball America. This proved to be the last season in which Gonzalez averaged an RBI a game. Although Gonzalez finished the regular season rather slowly, he showed up in a big way in the playoffs where he had a .348 BA/.348 OBP /.739 SLG for Cleveland in the Division Series
with 3 doubles, 2 homers and 5 RBI in 5 games. Despite this Cleveland still fell in defeat.
Gonzalez had a season best 15-game hitting streak from Aug. 29-Sept. 19 at .345 (20–58) and hit safely in 10 straight games from April 17–27. Gonzalez also had a 4 hit game April 11 at the Chicago White Sox. Gonzalez batted .368 (43–117) vs. left-handers, 3rd best in the A.L. and had a .335 (53–158) mark with runners in scoring position, the 8th highest. As the DH, he hit .392 (31–79), this was the highest average in A.L. among players with 35 or more DH at bats, with 8 homers and 33 rbi in 21 games.
González' Stats >
Through 11 full major league seasons, González had 392 homers and 1263 RBI, an average of 36 homers and 115 RBI per year. He had driven in 1161 runs over the last 10 seasons, the most of any major league player in that time frame.
and Fred McGriff
joined Sosa and Gonzalez, which Texas lost to the Chicago Cubs 4–3. His first season back in Arlington he had a .358 (29–81) average versus Lefties and hit .328 (21–64) with runners in scoring position while posting a .307 mark(42–137) in Arlington. He hit just .171 (6–35) with 2 homers and 4 RBI as the DH. He had Texas' only hit, a leadoff double in the 8th, off Cory Lidle on July 19 at Oakland.
In 2003, Gonzalez started the first few weeks rather slowly. He had a .230 average with 4 homers and 8 RBI in his 1st 18 games through April 20. He quickly picked it up though and went on a .349 (29–83) tear with 9 homers and 24 RBI in his next 21 games, improving to .293 by May 5. As of May 7, Gonzalez was tied for the Major League Lead in HR with 12. He followed that up by going just 8-for-39 (.205) in his next 9 games, falling to .276 through May 25. He started a hot streak yet again though by hitting .321 (42–131) with 10 homers and 36 RBI in the next 34 games. But his season was cut short by a calf injury on July 19. At the time, Gonzalez was hitting .294 and ranked 3rd in HR (24) 4th in SLG% (.572) and 7th in RBI (70) in the AL. Gonzalez was on pace to recapture his 2001 Indians form, but the calf injury lingered and the injury proved to be the end of his season.
Gonzalez hit 2 homers in a game 4 times: April 5 vs. Seattle; April 29 and May 1 at Toronto and July 10 against Minnesota. Juan's 47 career multi-homer games are 12th most all-time. He also hammered 5 homers in 3 games, April 29 – May 1 at Toronto, the 4th time in Rangers history that feat had been accomplished. He had a season best 5 RBI on April 29 at Toronto and drove in 4 runs in a game on 3 occasions. Gonzalez had 18 RBI in a 9-game span, April 22 – May 1, including 10 in 3-game series at Toronto, April 29 – May 1. He was selected as A.L. co-player of the week for April 28 – May 4. He also had a season high 9-game hitting streak, June 3–17.
He started 57 games in right field and 24 games as the designated hitter. He did not make an error in 108 total chances in the outfield and was tied for 6th in the league in outfield assists (10), despite his short season. He ranked 5th on the club in home runs (24), and completed his 11th season with 20 or more home runs. The Rangers were however preparing for a youth movement and on October 26, 2003, he was granted free agency.
2003 stats>
. However, his back worsened during in the middle of May and his season came to an end. He ended up hitting .276/.326/.441 in 33 games. His $4.5 million deal was one of the largest on the club so on October 28 of the same year, the Royals granted free agency.
He was signed by the Cleveland Indians
for the 2005 season, and was activated in May. Despite a thorough workout regimen, Gonzalez suffered a major hamstring injury (he tore his right medial hamstring totally off the bone at the knee joint) in his first plate appearance of the season while running out a grounder. This put him out for the season after just one at-bat.
González signed on with the independent Atlantic League
in 2006, playing for the Long Island Ducks
. He hit .323/.377/.515 in 36 games, with 6 HR and 23 RBI. His time was again limited by injuries.
The St. Louis Cardinals invited Gonzalez to spring training prior to the 2008 season. He was one of 26 non-roster invitees, participating in full roster workouts that began on February 19, 2008. He hit .308 with a .462 SLG% in spring training with 1 home run, 1 double and 5 RBI in 9 games. However, he was put on the inactive list with an abdominal strain and he returned to Puerto Rico with an invitation to rejoin the Cardinals once he was healthy. Gonzalez decided to stay in Puerto Rico, and did not rejoin the Cardinals.
, González hit .269/~.345/.500 for the Criollos de Caguas
and hit 9 home runs, one less than former league leader Greg Vaughn
.
During the 1992–1993 season, he batted .333 for the Santurce Crabbers
and won the league MVP award despite not playing until after the All-Star break. He hit 7 home runs and led the league despite playing in only 66 games. González did not accompany Santurce to the 1993 Caribbean Series. The next season, he ended up hitting .268 with 7 homers, 3 behind Phil Hiatt
.
In 1995, González joined the San Juan Senators for the 1995 Caribbean Series and hit .375 with 6 RBI as the Puerto Rican "Dream Team" won the title. González hit 5th, between Carlos Delgado
and Rubén Sierra
on a team that also boasted Roberto Alomar
, Bernie Williams
, Carlos Baerga
and Edgar Martínez
. San Juan outscored their opponents 49–15.
During the 2006–2007 Puerto Rican League, in 33 games playing for the champion Carolina Giants, González hit .281 with 18 RBIs and 4 homers. In 12 playoff games, he batted .369 with 3 home runs and 5 RBIs. González claims he is healthy and no longer feels pain in his legs. He was 10 for 26 (.385) in the 2007 Caribbean Series and made the All-Star team at DH.
Right now he is the owner of the baseball team in his hometown Vega Baja in the Confederative Baseball League in Puerto Rico. Where he also plays as a DH. Aside from baseball, Juan focuses on helping the community in Puerto Rico, with one condition: he doesn't want any attention from the media when he becomes involved in a cause. "What value does it have to help someone and then publicizing it in newspapers? That is not giving. I help, but I ask them to please not say anything." – Gonzalez.
claims to have given steroid injections, according to Canseco's book Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big
. González was also one of many players who were named in the Mitchell Report
, in regards to a 2001 incident in which a piece of team luggage belonging either to González or his personal trainer was found to contain then legal (but now illegal) drugs. It is still disputed whether or not the bag actually contained steroids. A story ran in the New York Daily News that claimed the bag contained steroids. But, the team and MLB looked into the matter and nothing was ever proven. According to Gonzalez's then trainer, Angel Presinal, the bag contained Soladek, (a painkiller) Dolo-neurobion, (a vitamin B complex used in fighting the flu,) and Clenbuterol, (a stimulant similar to ephedrine, which is believed within the bodybuilding community to promote muscle tone and weight loss.) These three substances are currently available for purchase without a prescription at a Santo Domingo pharmacy. Gonzalez said the bag was Presinal's, while Presinal said the bag was Gonzalez's but refuted that the bag contained steroids. Gonzalez immediately cut ties with Presinal following the incident. Gonzalez has refuted the idea of ever taking steroids multiple times, and is in fact a vegetarian.
"I have nothing to hide," responded Gonzalez. "Nothing. And I offered to be tested, whenever they wanted. If you have nothing to hide, there is nothing to worry [about]," Gonzalez said.
Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
Vega Baja is a municipality in north central Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Morovis; east of Manatí; and west of Vega Alta. Vega Baja is spread over 13 wards and Vega Baja Pueblo...
), nicknamed "Juan Gone", "Juando", and "Igor", is a former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
right fielder
Right fielder
A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...
. Juan González developed into one of the most prolific RBI men to anchor a lineup since World War Two. A full-time player at the age of 21 and a two-time MVP before his 30th birthday, González explained his propensity for bringing runners home merely by saying, "I concentrate more when I see men on base.". One of the premier run producers and most feared hitters of the 1990s, González averaged 37 HR and 117 runs batted in per season between 1991 and 1999. He won the AL MVP award twice in that time span, 1996 and 1998. Gonzalez was known as a screaming line drive hitter, not a majestic fly-ball hitter as many HR hitters of the '90's.
Personal life
González has been married four times. He was married to Puerto RicanPuerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
player Elaine López, sister of fellow major leaguer Javy López
Javy López
Javier López Torres is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Atlanta Braves , Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox . He batted and threw right-handed...
, during the early 1990s. This marriage broke down when a local newspaper released a cover photo of singer Olga Tañón
Olga Tañón
Olga Tañón is a two-time Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy-winning Merengue and Latin Pop artist. Tañón has earned 5 Latin Grammy Awards and 19 Premios Lo Nuestro awards during her career.-Early years:...
kissing González during a concert in San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. A scandal followed, with González divorcing Elaine López and marrying Tañón, who said she had no idea González was married to Lopez when she kissed him. González and Tañon had a daughter together, Gabriela González Tañón, in 1998. González and Tañon divorced less than two years later. His daughter later became one of only fifty people in the world (and the first Puerto Rican) ever to have been diagnosed with Sebastian syndrome, a mild blood clotting disorder.
González has a friendship with George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
which began when González debuted with the Texas Rangers who at the time were owned by Bush. Gonzalez stated that "a friendship that goes beyond baseball was created between them" and during his time in office Bush invited González to the White House twice. The first of reunions took place on April 16, 2001 and the second on December 3, 2007; in this reunion he was accompanied by historian Luis Rodriguez Mayoral. The discussion lasted thirty-five minutes and involved Gonzalez's future in the Major Leagues and other baseball related topics, as well as the happenings of their respective careers. During this visit to Washington D.C. Gonzalez was also involved in a meeting with Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
and a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
in order to visit Puerto Rican soldiers that were injured in the Iraq War.
After being divorced 3 times, Gonzalez stated in a 2007 interview that his personal life was now in order. "I'd rather have health and my family, my relationship with God than money," he said. "How many people who can buy whatever they want have committed suicide? God is first, then your kids, your family, good health."
Biography
González was signed by the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
as an amateur
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
on May 30, 1986, at the age of 16 (after signing Sammy Sosa
Sammy Sosa
Samuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
and before signing Iván Rodríguez
Iván Rodríguez
Iván Rodríguez Torres , nicknamed "Pudge" and "I-Rod", is a Major League Baseball catcher...
two years later). González grew up in a rough area of Puerto Rico, where he learned to hit bottlecaps and corks with a broomstick handle in the Alto de Cuba barrio. Juan has always wanted to serve as a role model for the kids of Puerto Rico, as they are faced with the downfalls of drugs and prostitution frequently. Gonzalez avoided such temptations growing up. His father, a math teacher, and mother, a housewife, made sure Gonzalez and his two sisters behaved properly and stayed away from negative influences. Gonzalez moved his family out of the barrio early in his MLB career. He payed utility bills for down-on-their-luck friends and plans on working to construct recreation facilities and a baseball diamond in his home town. One of Juan's managers, Johnny Oats
Johnny Oates
Johnny Lane Oates was an American professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees from 1970 to 1981...
, believed that until you've walked where Juan Gonzalez has walked, you just won't understand. Speaking from experience, as Oates has walked the streets of Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, during visits multiple times, he had this to say: "I don't think you can appreciate how far he's come until you've been there," Oates said. "We might be making choices between going to the movies or going to the skating rink. But look at the choices the kids there were faced with growing up – do you want to do drugs or get beaten up? I think it says so much about him that he was able to rise above the peer pressure in Vega Baja. He had enough intelligence to say, 'I don't want to do that.'"
In Puerto Rico he's known simply as "Igor", the nickname he's carried since he was a 9-year-old fascinated by the professional wrestler "Igor the Magnificent."
"I watched wrestling all the time and I still like it," Gonzalez said. "One day when I was nine, I told another guy, 'I'm Igor.' And he said,'Okay, your name is Igor from now on.' And I've been Igor since then."
In the Puerto Rico youth league, Gonzalez batted cleanup behind future Yankee center fielder Bernie Williams
Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...
, where both competed against Gonzalez' future teammate Iván Rodríguez.
1986–1990: minor leagues
González debuted with the 1986 GCL Rangers and finished with .240 batting averageBatting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, .303 on-base percentage, and a .266 slugging percentage in 60 games. He only had five extra-base hits (none of them home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s) in 233 AB and struck out 57 times. He tied Harvey Pulliam
Harvey Pulliam
Harvey Jerome Pulliam is a former outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies . He also played two seasons in Japan for the Orix BlueWave...
by grounding into a Gulf Coast League
Gulf Coast League
The Gulf Coast League is a minor league baseball league which operates in Florida. It is a Rookie League, with a season running from mid-June to late August. The season is 60 games long and teams in the league are divided into three divisions, East, North and South...
-leading 9 double plays.
In 1987, González showed some improvement with the Gastonia Rangers
Gastonia Rangers
The Gastonia Rangers were a class A minor league baseball team located in Gastonia, North Carolina. The team played first as the Rangers in the Western Carolinas League , then later in the same league renamed as the South Atlantic League , and were affiliated with the Texas Rangers. Their home...
, though Mark Whiten
Mark Whiten
Mark Anthony Whiten is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and switch-hitter batter who played for the Toronto Blue Jays , Cleveland Indians , St. Louis Cardinals , Boston Red Sox , Philadelphia Phillies , Atlanta Braves , Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees...
and Junior Felix
Junior Felix
Junior Francisco Félix Sánchez is a former professional baseball player who played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from -....
were deemed better outfield prospects in the South Atlantic League
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...
. In ratings by Baseball America, Gonzalez tied Ryan Bowen
Ryan Bowen (baseball)
Ryan Eugene Bowen is a former professional baseball pitcher. Bowen pitched all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball from 1991 until 1995 for the Houston Astros and Florida Marlins....
for 10th place on the prospect listing. He finished with .265 AVG
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, .306 OBP, and .401 slugging percentage with 14 home runs and 74 RBI.
Gonzalez spent 1988 with the Charlotte Rangers
Charlotte Rangers
The Charlotte Rangers, based in Port Charlotte, Florida, were an American minor league baseball team that existed from 1987 through 2002. The team played at Charlotte County Stadium as a Class A Florida State League affiliate of the Texas Rangers, who at the time made their spring training base in...
and batted .256/~.327/.415 with 8 home runs in 277 AB. One of his outfield teammates that year was Sammy Sosa. The next year, he showed more improvement with the Tulsa Drillers
Tulsa Drillers
The Tulsa Drillers are a minor league baseball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies major-league club.-Stadium:...
hitting .293/~.322/.506 with 21 home runs and led the Texas League
Texas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
with 254 total bases. He outhomered Sosa by 14 and was third in the League in home runs, behind teammate Dean Palmer
Dean Palmer
Dean William Palmer is a former third baseman in Major League Baseball who had a 14-year career from 1989 to 2003...
(25) and Chris Cron
Chris Cron
Christopher John Cron was a Major League Baseball first baseman. He is the cousin of Major League Baseball player Chad Moeller....
(22). Gonzalez was rated the league's #4 prospect by Baseball America, behind Ray Lankford
Ray Lankford
Raymond Lewis Lankford and grew up in Modesto, California where he attended Grace M. Davis High School. Ray was a former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Padres from to . He was known for his combination of power, speed, and defensive...
, Andy Benes
Andy Benes
Andrew Charles Benes is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. During a 14-year career from 1989-2002. Benes played for four different teams: the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Mariners, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Arizona Diamondbacks...
and Jose Offerman
José Offerman
José Antonio Offerman Dono is a former professional baseball player who played professional baseball for nearly 20 years...
. Lankford and Warren Newson
Warren Newson
Warren Dale Newson is a former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of eight seasons in Major League Baseball from 1991-98. Newson played for the Chicago White Sox , Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers...
joined him in the TL All-Star outfield. He was called up by the Texas Rangers in September of that year, but only hit .150/.227/.250. During his time with the Rangers that year, Gonzalez only hit 1 HR. That HR was the first HR ever hit by a teenager (19 yrs old) for the Rangers.
In 1990, González – playing with the Oklahoma City 89ers – led the American Association in home runs (29), RBI (101) and total bases (252). He made the AA All-Star outfield alongside Lankford and Bernard Gilkey
Bernard Gilkey
Otis Bernard Gilkey is a former Major League Baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, and Atlanta Braves. Primarily a left fielder, Gilkey occasionally played right field as well. He also played a small number of games as a center field,...
and was named the league MVP. Baseball America named him the top prospect in the league in a poll of managers. He finished with .258/~.343/.508 for the 89ers. In the AAA All-Star Game, González hit 4th for the AL prospects and played as a designated hitter
Designated hitter
In baseball, the designated hitter rule is the common name for Major League Baseball Rule 6.10, an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, known as the designated hitter , to bat in place of the pitcher each time he would otherwise come to...
. He went 2 for 5 with a double, one of the game's two homers, two runs and two RBI in the AL's 8–5 loss. González was again called up by the Rangers and did far better this time, batting .289/.316/.522.
1991–1999: Glory days in Texas
In 1991, Texas gave their highly touted prospect a chance to be an everyday player. González didn't disappoint, batting .264 while jacking 27 HR and driving home 102 men. González came up as a center fielder, as did teammate Sammy Sosa; but the Rangers opted to keep González and trade Sosa. Gonzalez split his time in the OF between CF (93 games) and LF (92 games). González thrilled the club in his first full season at the young age of 21, as his 27 HR's led the Rangers. His 102 RBI was good enough for 2nd on the club, and 7th in the AL. Two of those HR's were Walk-Off's for the young González. The first coming off Steve Searcy and the Tigers on May 15th, the second off Rick Honeycutt and the Athletics on October 6th.In 1992, Juan improved by leaps and bounds. He finished with a .260 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
, 43 HR, and 109 RBI's. Juan spent most of his time in CF in '92, playing 123 games there, 31 in LF and making just one appearance in RF, while DH-ing 4 games. Juan was the American League home run champion (one more than Mark McGwire
Mark McGwire
Mark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
) while also ranking 3rd in TB (309), 4th in Extra Base Hits (69), 5th in SLG (.529%), 7th in RBI (109) while winning his first Silver Slugger
Silver Slugger
The Silver Slugger Award is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball...
award. Winning the HR Crown at the age of 22 made him the youngest player to lead the majors since Johnny Bench in 1970.
In 1993, González broke through to true stardom. He led the AL for the second consecutive year with 46 bombs, while raising his batting average an impressive 50 points to .310, all this to go along with a league-leading slugging percentage of .632%. That production garnered González an invite to his first All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
team. During the 1993 All-Star Weekend, he participated in the only Home Run Derby
Home Run Derby
The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance...
of his career. Juan and Ken Griffey, Jr.
Ken Griffey, Jr.
George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. , nicknamed "Junior" and "The Kid", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and during his final years, designated hitter...
put on an amazing display of raw-power, as they each golfed 7 homers a piece. Gonzalez, however, wowed the national audience even more, becoming the first player to hit a homer into the facade of the upper deck in left field (estimated 473 feet) at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the green wall behind the center-field fence (estimated 455 feet). Gonzalez then defeated Griffey in a winner-take-all playoff for the individual Home Run Derby
Home Run Derby
The Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance...
title, 5–4. When asked about the title, Gonzalez responded: "It was very exciting to surprise everybody. I never thought in my mind that I'd win the Home Run Derby. I even surprised myself." Juan also finished fourth in voting for the 1993 AL MVP and earned his second consecutive Silver Slugger award.
In 1994, the Rangers moved from Arlington Stadium
Arlington Stadium
Arlington Stadium was a baseball stadium located in Arlington, Texas, United States, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. It served as the home for the Texas Rangers from 1972 until 1993, when the team moved into The Ballpark in Arlington .-1960s:The stadium was built in 1965 as Turnpike...
to The Ballpark in Arlington. González batted 19 home runs in 1994 due to injuries, but belted 27 home runs in 1995, in just 90 games.
From 1995 - 1998, González was an RBI machine, averaging more than an RBI per game (514 RBI, 511 G). This made him the first player since World War II to drive in a run per game for any four-year period. He won two MVP awards in this stretch (1996 and 1998). The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract
The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract is a reference-type book written by Bill James featuring an overview of baseball decade by decade, along with rankings of the top 100 players at each position. The original edition was published in 1985 by Villard Books, followed by The New Bill James...
listed him as the player who had the highest ratio of slugging percentage to on-base percentage in baseball history at that time, ahead of Dave Kingman
Dave Kingman
David Arthur Kingman , nicknamed "Kong" and "Sky King", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder, first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter. The towering 6' 6" Kingman was one of the most feared sluggers of the 1970s and 1980s...
and Tony Armas
Tony Armas
Antonio Rafael Armas Machado is a former Venezuelan professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball. He was one of the top sluggers in the American League in the early 1980s. Twice Armas led the league in home runs, and led all of Major League Baseball in RBIs in...
and 4th in RBI per game by an outfielder (behind Sam Thompson
Sam Thompson
Samuel Luther Thompson was a 19th century Major League Baseball player. "Big Sam" was known for his offensive production and was second on the career home runs list at the time of his retirement...
, Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
and Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
). James also ranked González as the 52nd-best right fielder in baseball history as of mid-2000.
In 1996, González had one of his best seasons hitting .314 with a .643 slugging percentage. He edged Alex Rodríguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
by one first-place vote (11–10) and 3 award points (290–287) in a very close vote to win the American League MVP. He won his third Silver Slugger
Silver Slugger
The Silver Slugger Award is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position in both the American League and the National League, as determined by the coaches and managers of Major League Baseball...
as an outfielder and was second in the AL in slugging (87 points behind McGwire). Was selected to the Associated Press Major League All-Star Team and The Sporting News A.L. All-Star squad at season's end. González was also named the Puerto Rico Pro Athlete of the Year by Associated Press and the DFW Metroplex Pro Athlete of the Year by the Dallas All Sports Association. He received the honorable selection of American League Player of the Month in July, leading the majors in batting (.407), homers (15), rbi (38), slugging (.917) and total bases (99). González was also the A.L. Player of the Week for July 29-Aug. 4. González had a pair of 21-game hitting streaks, June 25 – July 19 and August 8–31, matching the 3rd longest hitting streaks in team history with Mickey Rivers (1980) being the only other Ranger with 2 20-game hitting streaks in the same season. On July 30, González went 5–5 vs. New York, a career best and tied the club record for hits in a game. González was also chosen as a member of the Major League Baseball All-Star Team that traveled to Japan for 8-game exhibition series in November, batting .500 (10–20) with one homer and 3 rbi in 7 games. That year, the Texas Rangers made the playoffs, and in the 1996 American League Division Series
1996 American League Division Series
-Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, October 1:Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MarylandIt was Baltimore's first playoff game since the clinching Game 5 of the 1983 World Series. For the Indians, it was their second consecutive division title. Charles Nagy and David Wells matched...
, González homered five times in four games and batted .438/.526/1.375 with 9 RBI. Texas ended up losing in four games to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
. González tied Jeffrey Leonard
Jeffrey Leonard
Jeffrey N. Leonard is a former left fielder in Major League Baseball with a 14-year career from to...
's 1987 NLCS record by homering in four straight post-season games and joined Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Reginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
and Ken Griffey, Jr. as the only players to hit five home runs in a single post-season series. Including the playoffs, Gonzalez amassed some rather ridiculous numbers for the season:
Statistics
| 1996* | |||||||||
| Batting Average | .315 | ||||||||
| Games | 138 | ||||||||
| At Bats | 557 | ||||||||
| Total Bases | 370 | ||||||||
| Home Runs | 52 | ||||||||
| Runs Batted In | 153 | ||||||||
| Hits | 177 | ||||||||
| Runs Scored | 94 | ||||||||
| Slugging Percentage | .664 | ||||||||
| AB/HR | 10.712 | ||||||||
| * indicates entire season including playoffs | |||||||||
In 1997, González batted .296/.335/.589 as a DH-RF for the Rangers, winning his fourth Silver Slugger. In 133 games he was 4th in slugging, 6th in total bases (314), third in homers (42) and RBI (131), 10th in extra-base hits (69) and tied for 6th with 10 sacrifice flies. González missed the first month of the season and was not activated from the DL until May 2 due to a torn ligament in his left thumb. Despite the injury he still managed to earn American League Player of the Month honors in September (.337, 10 hr, 26 rbi) and was the Rangers Player of the Month in both August and September. González was selected to Baseball America's American League All-Star Team.
In 1998, he reached the 100 RBI mark before the All-Star break (101), being the first player (and still most recent) to do so since Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
63 years earlier. He hit cleanup for the AL in the 1998 All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
Game and decisively won the AL MVP award. González was 10th in the 1998 AL in batting average, second in slugging, fourth in OPS, 6th in hits (193), 4th in total bases (382), first in doubles (50), tied for fourth in home runs (45), first in RBI (157) in 154 games, tied for 8th in OPS+ (149), second in extra-base hits (97), tied for third in sac flies (11), tied for sixth in intentional walks (9) and tied for third in double plays ground into (20). In April, he drove in 35 runs, a major league record for the month that still stands today. González produced the 5th season ever of at least 50 doubles and 40 home runs. González started 115 games in right and 36 as the dh.
Became the 1st 5-time winner of the Rangers Player of the Year Award and was also named as the A.L.'s Most Valuable Player by USA Today and USA Today Baseball Weekly. González was selected to major league all-star teams selected by the Associated Press (of) and Baseball America (dh) and to The Sporting News A.L. all-star squad (of). He was named as an outfielder on the A.L. Silver Slugger Award team for the 5th time in his career, his 3rd consecutive year. González shared Rangers Player of the Month honors with Ivan Rodriguez in April and won the award outright in May. González also received the American League Player of the Week, for Aug. 31-Sept. 6. He received 21 of 28 1st place mvp votes and 7 2nd place votes for 357 total points to defeat Boston's Nomar Garciaparra, who had 5 1st place votes and 232 points. Juan also became the 1st native of Latin America to ever win multiple mvps since the award was instituted in 1931. This award also made him the 16th player to capture 2 mvps in a 3-year span. The Rangers reached the playoffs, only to be swept by the Yankees. González batted only 1 for 12 in the Division Series
1998 American League Division Series
-Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox:-Game 1, September 29:Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkScott Brosius was the hero of Game 1, as Todd Stottlemyre faced David Wells. In the bottom of the second, Stottlemyre yielded two runs when Brosius singled in Jorge Posada after Chad Curtis doubled and...
.
In 1999, he was 9th in the AL in average, 4th in slugging, 6th in OPS, 10th in runs (114), 6th in total bases (338), 6th in home runs (39), 5th in RBI (128), 7th in extra-base hits (76) and 2nd in sacrifice flies (12). However, he and the Rangers wound up being swept for the second consecutive year by the Yankees in the Division Series
1999 American League Division Series
-Cleveland Indians vs. Boston Red Sox:-Game 1, October 5:Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New YorkThe Yankees once again swept the Rangers and held them to one run through three games. In Game 1, Aaron Sele went against Orlando Hernández...
. Juan wasn't able to do much in the 3-game series, hitting .182/.250/.455 with 1 HR, but, Juan's solo bomb was the only run the Rangers scored in the series.
González announced just before the 1999 All-Star Game that if the fans did not elect him to the starting lineup, he would refuse an invitation to be added to the roster (as a result he was not invited). Gonzalez believed that the system was flawed, he thought managers and players should vote for the starters, not the fans. A few weeks later Gonzalez didn't dress for the Hall of Fame exhibition game because (according to the media) the uniform pants the Rangers brought for him were too large. Gonzalez later had this to say about the incident "I couldn't play because my right wrist was sore. The pants they gave me were size 40. I wear 34. They were clown pants."
González's four-year peak aligned with the first three post-season appearances in the Rangers' franchise history.
Statistics
| 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |
| Batting Average | .264 | .260 | .310 | .275 | .295 | .314 | .296 | .318 | .326 |
| Home Runs | 27 | 43 | 46 | 19 | 27 | 47 | 42 | 45 | 39 |
| Runs Batted In | 102 | 109 | 118 | 85 | 82 | 144 | 131 | 157 | 128 |
| Hits | 144 | 152 | 166 | 116 | 104 | 170 | 158 | 193 | 183 |
| Runs Scored | 78 | 77 | 105 | 57 | 57 | 89 | 87 | 110 | 114 |
| On Base Percentage | .321 | .304 | .368 | .330 | .324 | .368 | .335 | .366 | .378 |
| Slugging Percentage | .479 | .529 | .632 | .472 | .594 | .643 | .589 | .630 | .601 |
| * Bold number indicates he led the league in that category. | |||||||||
2000–2001: Detroit and Cleveland
Following the 1999 season, with one year left on his contract, the slugger was traded by the Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
along with Danny Patterson
Danny Patterson
Daniel Shane Patterson is a former relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Texas Rangers and the Detroit Tigers ....
and Gregg Zaun
Gregg Zaun
Gregory Owen "Gregg" Zaun is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He is the nephew of former MLB catcher Rick Dempsey. Zaun was a high school teammate of Mark Loretta...
in a blockbuster nine-player deal with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
for Frank Catalanotto
Frank Catalanotto
Frank John Catalanotto is a former Italian American baseball outfielder. Nicknamed "Little Cat", the Long Island native bats left-handed and throws right-handed...
, Francisco Cordero
Francisco Cordero
Francisco Javier Cordero is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds...
, Bill Haselman
Bill Haselman
William Joseph Haselman is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He served as the first base coach for the Boston Red Sox in . Before taking over the role of first base coach, Haselman served as bullpen coach...
, Gabe Kapler
Gabe Kapler
Gabriel "Gabe" Stefan Kapler is an American Major League Baseball outfielder.He has played portions of 13 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Tampa Bay Rays...
, Justin Thompson
Justin Thompson
Justin Ray Thompson is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Detroit Tigers from 1996 to 1999 and the Texas Rangers in 2005.-Career:...
, and Alan Webb
Alan Webb
Alan Webb may refer to:* Alan Webb , , English actor* Alan Webb , , American track athlete* Alan Webb , retired English association football player* Allan Webb , Anglican bishop...
. He became the first two-time MVP to be traded since Dale Murphy
Dale Murphy
Dale Bryan Murphy is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman. During an 18-year baseball career, 1976–1993, he played for three different teams, but is noted for his time with the Atlanta Braves...
was sent from Atlanta to Philadelphia in 1990. Detroit Tiger general manager Randy Smith was paying a high price for Gonzalez by trading six young players, but he couldn't pass up on acquiring Gonzalez, who he referred to as "a two-time MVP and future Hall of Famer", even though Gonzalez would more than likely be a one-year rental (and was).
Gambling that they would be able to extend his contract past the 2000 season, the Tigers reportedly offered Gonzalez an eight-year, $140 million contract soon after the deal was struck. Gonzalez refused, which turned out to be the bigger gamble. He began the season badly, hobbled by foot pain and unable to adjust to the spacious dimensions of Detroit's new Comerica Park
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is an open-air ballpark located in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It serves as the home of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball's American League, replacing historic Tiger Stadium in 2000....
, where the left-center field fence stood nearly 400 feet from home plate. By mid-season he had announced that the Tigers would have to bring the fences in if they wanted to re-sign him as a free agent.
Detroit shopped Gonzalez before the trading deadline, but a deal that would have sent him to the Yankees for outfielder Ricky Ledee and two minor leaguers was scuttled when the outfielder made it clear that he didn't want to play in New York. The Puerto Rico native stumbled through the rest of the season and saw his production dip to an all time low (22 HR, 67 RBI in 115 games). After missing the last weeks of the 2000 season, he was granted free agency on November 1.
On January 9, 2001, he signed a one-year $10 million contract with the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
. Gonzalez opened the season with a great start, batting .388 (40–103) with 9 homers and 32 RBIs in season's first 25 games through May 2. Gonzalez completed the first half on a torrid pace. He was voted in as an All-Star starter and batted 5th in the 2001 All-Star Game
2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 72nd playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 10, 2001 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington, home of the...
. Gonzalez hit .347 with 23 HR 83 RBI in 79 games (.640 SLG% / 1.031 OPS%) in the first half.
He appeared to be on his way to easily capturing the RBI title, but an RBI drought at the end of the season (0 RBI in last 10 games) allowed Brett Boone to pass him by one. Gonzalez hit over .300 in each of season's 1st 5 months before dropping to .299 for the month of September. His top months were .387 (36–93) in April and .356 (26–73) in July. Gonzalez was hitting as high as .360 on June 5, then went 17–64 (.266) in next 17 contests, dropping to .338 through June 26. Had a .351 (73–208) mark in next 56 games and was at .344 overall, 2nd in the A.L., through Sept. 9. After this he hit just .130 (6–46) in final 13 games, going 3–34 (.088) in last 10 contests. Gonzalez was hitless in his final 15 trips after his single on Sept. 24. Despite his cold streak over the last week and a half of the season, he still finished with a .325 BA /.370 OBP/.590 SLG% and an 147 OPS+ close to his MVP seasons. He also won his sixth Silver Slugger and finished fifth in MVP voting. His .325 average was one point shy of his career high (1999) and marked his 5th .300 season, 3rd in the last 4 years.
He was sixth in the 2001 AL in batting average, 5th in slugging, 6th in OPS, 9th in home runs (35), second in RBI (140, (in 140 games) one behind leader Bret Boone
Bret Boone
Bret Robert Boone is a former Major League Baseball second baseman.-Personal life:Boone was born in El Cajon, California to Susan G. Roel and Bob Boone. He is a graduate of El Dorado High School and the University of Southern California. He is the grandson of former major leaguer Ray Boone and...
),8th in OPS+, tied for third in double plays grounded into (18) and led the league with 16 sacrifice flies. Gonzalez was also a 2nd team selection on Baseball America's Major League all-star squad and was named as the Indians player of the year by Baseball America. This proved to be the last season in which Gonzalez averaged an RBI a game. Although Gonzalez finished the regular season rather slowly, he showed up in a big way in the playoffs where he had a .348 BA/.348 OBP /.739 SLG for Cleveland in the Division Series
2001 American League Division Series
-New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics:-Game 1, October 9:Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington-Game 2, October 11:Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington-Game 3, October 13:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio-Game 4, October 14:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio...
with 3 doubles, 2 homers and 5 RBI in 5 games. Despite this Cleveland still fell in defeat.
Gonzalez had a season best 15-game hitting streak from Aug. 29-Sept. 19 at .345 (20–58) and hit safely in 10 straight games from April 17–27. Gonzalez also had a 4 hit game April 11 at the Chicago White Sox. Gonzalez batted .368 (43–117) vs. left-handers, 3rd best in the A.L. and had a .335 (53–158) mark with runners in scoring position, the 8th highest. As the DH, he hit .392 (31–79), this was the highest average in A.L. among players with 35 or more DH at bats, with 8 homers and 33 rbi in 21 games.
Statistics
| 2000 | 2001 | |
| Team | Detroit | Cleveland |
| Games | 115 | 140 |
| Batting Average | .289 | .325 |
| Home Runs | 22 | 35 |
| Runs Batted In | 67 | 140 |
| Hits | 133 | 173 |
| Runs Scored | 69 | 97 |
| On Base Percentage | .337 | .370 |
| Slugging Percentage | .505 | .590 |
Through 11 full major league seasons, González had 392 homers and 1263 RBI, an average of 36 homers and 115 RBI per year. He had driven in 1161 runs over the last 10 seasons, the most of any major league player in that time frame.
2002–2003: Return to Texas
On January 8, 2002, González made his return to Arlington by signing a two-year $24 million contract with the Texas Rangers. He hit .282/.324/.451 (94 OPS+) the first year in 70 games. On June 18, he participated in the first MLB game ever with four players with 400+ home runs to that point. Rafael PalmeiroRafael Palmeiro
Rafael Palmeiro Corrales is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and left fielder. Palmeiro was an All-American at Mississippi State University before being drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1985...
and Fred McGriff
Fred McGriff
Frederick Stanley McGriff is a left-handed former Major League Baseball player who starred for several teams from the mid-1980s until the early 2000s. A power-hitting first baseman with a tall, lanky build, the five-time All-Star became, in , the first player since the dead-ball era to lead both...
joined Sosa and Gonzalez, which Texas lost to the Chicago Cubs 4–3. His first season back in Arlington he had a .358 (29–81) average versus Lefties and hit .328 (21–64) with runners in scoring position while posting a .307 mark(42–137) in Arlington. He hit just .171 (6–35) with 2 homers and 4 RBI as the DH. He had Texas' only hit, a leadoff double in the 8th, off Cory Lidle on July 19 at Oakland.
In 2003, Gonzalez started the first few weeks rather slowly. He had a .230 average with 4 homers and 8 RBI in his 1st 18 games through April 20. He quickly picked it up though and went on a .349 (29–83) tear with 9 homers and 24 RBI in his next 21 games, improving to .293 by May 5. As of May 7, Gonzalez was tied for the Major League Lead in HR with 12. He followed that up by going just 8-for-39 (.205) in his next 9 games, falling to .276 through May 25. He started a hot streak yet again though by hitting .321 (42–131) with 10 homers and 36 RBI in the next 34 games. But his season was cut short by a calf injury on July 19. At the time, Gonzalez was hitting .294 and ranked 3rd in HR (24) 4th in SLG% (.572) and 7th in RBI (70) in the AL. Gonzalez was on pace to recapture his 2001 Indians form, but the calf injury lingered and the injury proved to be the end of his season.
Gonzalez hit 2 homers in a game 4 times: April 5 vs. Seattle; April 29 and May 1 at Toronto and July 10 against Minnesota. Juan's 47 career multi-homer games are 12th most all-time. He also hammered 5 homers in 3 games, April 29 – May 1 at Toronto, the 4th time in Rangers history that feat had been accomplished. He had a season best 5 RBI on April 29 at Toronto and drove in 4 runs in a game on 3 occasions. Gonzalez had 18 RBI in a 9-game span, April 22 – May 1, including 10 in 3-game series at Toronto, April 29 – May 1. He was selected as A.L. co-player of the week for April 28 – May 4. He also had a season high 9-game hitting streak, June 3–17.
He started 57 games in right field and 24 games as the designated hitter. He did not make an error in 108 total chances in the outfield and was tied for 6th in the league in outfield assists (10), despite his short season. He ranked 5th on the club in home runs (24), and completed his 11th season with 20 or more home runs. The Rangers were however preparing for a youth movement and on October 26, 2003, he was granted free agency.
Statistics
| 2003 | 2003* | ||||||||
| Games | 82 | 138 | |||||||
| Batting Average | .294 | .294 | |||||||
| Home Runs | 24 | 40 | |||||||
| Runs Batted In | 70 | 118 | |||||||
| Hits | 96 | 162 | |||||||
| Runs Scored | 49 | 83 | |||||||
| On Base Percentage | .329 | .329 | |||||||
| Slugging Percentage | .572 | .572 | |||||||
| * indicates projected stats over entire season. | |||||||||
2004 to 2008: Ending of MLB Career
On January 6, 2004, González was signed by the Kansas City RoyalsKansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
. However, his back worsened during in the middle of May and his season came to an end. He ended up hitting .276/.326/.441 in 33 games. His $4.5 million deal was one of the largest on the club so on October 28 of the same year, the Royals granted free agency.
He was signed by the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
for the 2005 season, and was activated in May. Despite a thorough workout regimen, Gonzalez suffered a major hamstring injury (he tore his right medial hamstring totally off the bone at the knee joint) in his first plate appearance of the season while running out a grounder. This put him out for the season after just one at-bat.
González signed on with the independent Atlantic League
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
in 2006, playing for the Long Island Ducks
Long Island Ducks
The Long Island Ducks is an American professional baseball team based in Central Islip, New York. They are a member of the Liberty Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
. He hit .323/.377/.515 in 36 games, with 6 HR and 23 RBI. His time was again limited by injuries.
The St. Louis Cardinals invited Gonzalez to spring training prior to the 2008 season. He was one of 26 non-roster invitees, participating in full roster workouts that began on February 19, 2008. He hit .308 with a .462 SLG% in spring training with 1 home run, 1 double and 5 RBI in 9 games. However, he was put on the inactive list with an abdominal strain and he returned to Puerto Rico with an invitation to rejoin the Cardinals once he was healthy. Gonzalez decided to stay in Puerto Rico, and did not rejoin the Cardinals.
Career in Puerto Rico
In the 1989–1990 Puerto Rican Professional Baseball LeaguePuerto Rican Professional Baseball League
The Puerto Rico Baseball League formerly known as Liga de Béisbol Profesional de Puerto Rico or LBPPR, is the main professional baseball league in Puerto Rico. In 2007, the LBPPR recessed for the first time since its creation...
, González hit .269/~.345/.500 for the Criollos de Caguas
Criollos de Caguas
The Criollos de Caguas are a baseball team in the Puerto Rican Professional Baseball League. Based in the city of Caguas, they have won 15 domestic titles and three Caribbean World Series....
and hit 9 home runs, one less than former league leader Greg Vaughn
Greg Vaughn
Gregory Lamont Vaughn is a former Major League Baseball left fielder and right-handed batter who played for the Milwaukee Brewers , San Diego Padres , Cincinnati Reds , Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Colorado Rockies . He was born in Sacramento, California, where he attended Kennedy High School...
.
During the 1992–1993 season, he batted .333 for the Santurce Crabbers
Santurce Crabbers
Cangrejeros de Santurce, Spanish for "Santurce Crabbers", refers to several teams based in San Juan, Puerto Rico:* Cangrejeros de Santurce , baseball team of the Puerto Rico Baseball League...
and won the league MVP award despite not playing until after the All-Star break. He hit 7 home runs and led the league despite playing in only 66 games. González did not accompany Santurce to the 1993 Caribbean Series. The next season, he ended up hitting .268 with 7 homers, 3 behind Phil Hiatt
Phil Hiatt
Phillip Farrell Hiatt in Pensacola, Florida, is a retired Major League Baseball utility player.Hiatt played college baseball at Louisiana Tech University....
.
In 1995, González joined the San Juan Senators for the 1995 Caribbean Series and hit .375 with 6 RBI as the Puerto Rican "Dream Team" won the title. González hit 5th, between Carlos Delgado
Carlos Delgado
Carlos Juan Delgado Hernández is a retired Puerto Rican professional baseball player. With 473 home runs and 1,512 RBI, he holds the all-time home run and RBI records among Puerto Rican players....
and Rubén Sierra
Rubén Sierra
Rubén Angel Sierra García is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Sierra also goes by the nicknames El Caballo and El Indio....
on a team that also boasted Roberto Alomar
Roberto Alomar
Roberto "Robbie" Alomar Velázquez is a former Major League Baseball player , regarded by many as one of the best second basemen in MLB history. During his career he won more Gold Gloves than any other second baseman in history, and also won the second-most Silver Slugger Awards for a second...
, Bernie Williams
Bernie Williams
Bernabé Williams Figueroa Jr. is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and Puerto Rican musician.-Early life:...
, Carlos Baerga
Carlos Baerga
Carlos Obed Baerga Ortiz is a former Major League Baseball player. After spending most of his career as a second baseman, he was used at various positions late in his career.-Cleveland Indians:...
and Edgar Martínez
Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martínez , nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and designated hitter. He spent his entire 18-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. He is the cousin of Carmelo Martínez.-Seattle Mariners:On December 19, 1982, the Seattle Mariners signed...
. San Juan outscored their opponents 49–15.
During the 2006–2007 Puerto Rican League, in 33 games playing for the champion Carolina Giants, González hit .281 with 18 RBIs and 4 homers. In 12 playoff games, he batted .369 with 3 home runs and 5 RBIs. González claims he is healthy and no longer feels pain in his legs. He was 10 for 26 (.385) in the 2007 Caribbean Series and made the All-Star team at DH.
Right now he is the owner of the baseball team in his hometown Vega Baja in the Confederative Baseball League in Puerto Rico. Where he also plays as a DH. Aside from baseball, Juan focuses on helping the community in Puerto Rico, with one condition: he doesn't want any attention from the media when he becomes involved in a cause. "What value does it have to help someone and then publicizing it in newspapers? That is not giving. I help, but I ask them to please not say anything." – Gonzalez.
Canseco's Allegations
González was one of several baseball players who Jose CansecoJosé Canseco
José Canseco Capas, Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball manager, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and former Major League Baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former major league player and current teammate Ozzie Canseco...
claims to have given steroid injections, according to Canseco's book Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big
Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big
Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits & How Baseball Got Big is a 2005 book by Jose Canseco and his personal account of steroid usage in Major League Baseball. The book is autobiographical, and it focuses on Canseco's days as a major leaguer, his marriages, his daughter, and off-field...
. González was also one of many players who were named in the Mitchell Report
Mitchell Report (baseball)
The Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball, informally known as the "Mitchell Report", is the result of former Democratic United States Senator from Maine...
, in regards to a 2001 incident in which a piece of team luggage belonging either to González or his personal trainer was found to contain then legal (but now illegal) drugs. It is still disputed whether or not the bag actually contained steroids. A story ran in the New York Daily News that claimed the bag contained steroids. But, the team and MLB looked into the matter and nothing was ever proven. According to Gonzalez's then trainer, Angel Presinal, the bag contained Soladek, (a painkiller) Dolo-neurobion, (a vitamin B complex used in fighting the flu,) and Clenbuterol, (a stimulant similar to ephedrine, which is believed within the bodybuilding community to promote muscle tone and weight loss.) These three substances are currently available for purchase without a prescription at a Santo Domingo pharmacy. Gonzalez said the bag was Presinal's, while Presinal said the bag was Gonzalez's but refuted that the bag contained steroids. Gonzalez immediately cut ties with Presinal following the incident. Gonzalez has refuted the idea of ever taking steroids multiple times, and is in fact a vegetarian.
"I have nothing to hide," responded Gonzalez. "Nothing. And I offered to be tested, whenever they wanted. If you have nothing to hide, there is nothing to worry [about]," Gonzalez said.
Accomplishments
- 3-time All-StarMajor League Baseball All-Star GameThe Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
(19931993 Major League Baseball All-Star GameThe 1993 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 64th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 13, 1993 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland,...
, 19981998 Major League Baseball All-Star GameThe 1998 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 69th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 7, 1998 at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado, the home of the...
, 20012001 Major League Baseball All-Star GameThe 2001 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 72nd playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 10, 2001 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington, home of the...
) - American League MVP (1996, 1998)
- 3-time Top 10 MVP (9th, 1997; 4th, 1993; 5th, 2001)
- His 434 career home runs ranks 37th on the all-time list
- 6 Silver Slugger awards (1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001)
- 2-time American League Home Run ChampionHome Run DerbyThe Home Run Derby is an event played prior to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game. It is a contest among the top home run hitters in Major League Baseball to determine who can hit the most home runs. The event is currently sponsored by State Farm Insurance...
(1992, 1993) - 5 40+ HR Seasons (1992, 43; 1993, 46; 1996, 47; 1997, 42; 1998, 45)
- Finished Top 5 in RBI 5 times. (1993, 4th, 118; 1996, 2nd, 144; 1997, 3rd, 131; 1998, 1st, 157; 1999, 5th, 128; 2001, 2nd, 140)
- Finished Top 5 in slugging percentage 5 times. (1992, 5th, .561%; 1993, 1st, .632%; 1996, 2nd, .643%; 1997, 4th, .589%; 1998, 2nd, .630%; 1999, 4th, .601%; 2001, 5th, .590)
- Became just the 2nd player in major league history to have at least 100 RBI before the All-Star Break. (101 in 1998, second to Hank GreenbergHank GreenbergHenry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
who had 103) - Holds all-time record for RBI in the month of April (35 in 1998.)
- Ranks 4th all-time in plate appearance/HR with 16.49 (#1 Mark McGwireMark McGwireMark David McGwire , nicknamed "Big Mac", is an American former professional baseball player who played his major league career with the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is currently the hitting coach for the St...
– 13.14 #2 Babe RuthBabe RuthGeorge Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
– 14.87 #3 Sammy SosaSammy SosaSamuel Peralta "Sammy" Sosa is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder. Sosa played with four Major League Baseball teams over his career which spanned from 1989-2007....
– 16.25) - Ranks 7th all-time in RBI/game with .831.
- Ranks 15th all-time in AB per HR with 15.1 AB/HR.
- Ranks 17th all-time in slugging percentage with .561%
- 9th Youngest ever to hit 300 Career HR (28 years, 334 days)
- Tied for 1st in postseason history in home runs in a single Division Series with Ken Griffey, Jr.Ken Griffey, Jr.George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. , nicknamed "Junior" and "The Kid", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and during his final years, designated hitter...
(Gonzalez – 5 HR in 4 games 1996, Griffey – 5 HR in 5 games in 1995) - Tied for 2nd in most HR in a single playoff series with 5 HR in just 4 games in 1996. (Reggie JacksonReggie JacksonReginald Martinez "Reggie" Jackson , nicknamed "Mr. October" for his clutch hitting in the postseason with the New York Yankees, is a former American Major League Baseball right fielder. During a 21-year baseball career, he played from 1967-1987 for four different teams. Jackson currently serves as...
1977, 5 HR in 6 Games, Chase UtleyChase UtleyChase Cameron Utley is a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. A native of the Greater Los Angeles area, he was raised in the city of Long Beach. He was a star baseball player at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, before moving on to UCLA...
2009, 5 HR in 6 Games, Ken Griffey, Jr.Ken Griffey, Jr.George Kenneth "Ken" Griffey, Jr. , nicknamed "Junior" and "The Kid", is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and during his final years, designated hitter...
1995, 5 HR in 5 Games) Nelson CruzNelson CruzNelson Ramón Cruz Martínez is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Texas Rangers.-Baseball career:...
is 1st with 6 HR in 6 games in 2011. - Ranks 2nd in postseason history in slugging percentage in a single playoff series (1.375% in 19961996 American League Division Series-Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, October 1:Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MarylandIt was Baltimore's first playoff game since the clinching Game 5 of the 1983 World Series. For the Indians, it was their second consecutive division title. Charles Nagy and David Wells matched...
) - Ranks 2nd in postseason history in OPS in a single Division Series (1.901 in 19961996 American League Division Series-Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, October 1:Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MarylandIt was Baltimore's first playoff game since the clinching Game 5 of the 1983 World Series. For the Indians, it was their second consecutive division title. Charles Nagy and David Wells matched...
) - Ranks 5th in postseason history in OPS in a single playoff series among qualified leaders (1.901 in 19961996 American League Division Series-Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, October 1:Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MarylandIt was Baltimore's first playoff game since the clinching Game 5 of the 1983 World Series. For the Indians, it was their second consecutive division title. Charles Nagy and David Wells matched...
) - Tied for 2nd with 10 other players in extra base hits in a single Division Series (5 in 1996 & 20012001 American League Division Series-New York Yankees vs. Oakland Athletics:-Game 1, October 9:Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington-Game 2, October 11:Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington-Game 3, October 13:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio-Game 4, October 14:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio...
) - Ranks 3rd in postseason history in total bases in a single Division Series (22 in 1996)
- Ranks 7th in postseason history in RBI in a single Division Series (9 in 1996)
- Tied for 2nd in postseason history in career HR in the Division Series (8 HR)
- Ranks 4th in postseason history in career slugging percentage in the Division Series (.742)
- Ranks 7th in postseason history in career extra base hits in Division Series (12)
- Ranks 8th in postseason history in career OPS in the Division Series (1.075)
See also
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of famous Puerto Ricans
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- List of Major League Baseball RBI champions
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions