Adrian Gonzalez, a product of Chula Vista, California’s Eastlake High School, was selected first overall by the Florida Marlins in the 2000 draft. He was dealt by Florida during their 2003 World Series-winning season in exchange for closer Ugueth Urbina from the Texas Rangers, meaning he never played for the Marlins.
Gonzalez made his Rangers debut in 2004 at the age of 22, although he had a difficult time playing in 16 games. Gonzalez played in 43 games the next season, but his offensive statistics—a.678 OPS and 73 OPS+—were almost identically poor.
Early in January 2006, Texas traded Gonzalez to San Diego along with Terrmel Sledge and Chris Young to the Padres in exchange for Adam Eaton and Akinori
Gonzalez was born in San Diego and spent eight years living in Tijuana, just over the Mexican border, before moving back to the suburbs of San Diego in 1990. His career took off when he signed a big contract with the Padres, his local team.304/.362/.500 with a 127 OPS+ in 156 games while serving as the primary first baseman for San Diego. That was the first of 11 seasons in which Gonzalez’s efforts at first base added plus defense while giving his team an OPS+ of 111 or above.
Gonzalez would hit 30 home runs for the first time in his career and win his first National League MVP award in 2007. He would make his All-Star debut in 2008 after leading the NL in games played.
The following season, Gonzalez would advance even further as he set a career best for walks and home runs with 40 balls hit. His career highs were..
2010 was his final season with the Padres, and he had yet another fantastic campaign with an OPS of.904 in 160 games. Having finished fourth in the National League voting, he achieved his greatest MVP finish to date, earning recognition for his efforts.
In December 2010, the Padres traded Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for four players, including Anthony Rizzo, a prospect at first base. Despite agreeing to a contract deal with the organization in April 2011 that would last through the 2018 season, Gonzalez’s 2011 season would be his only complete season with Boston.
Following his return to the American League, he had yet another fantastic season, leading the league in hits in 159 games and starting at first base in the All-Star game. In addition, he would earn his first Silver Slugger Award and place eighth in the AL MVP voting with a 155 OPS+ that included career highs in hits (213), on-base percentage (.548), total bases (345), and batting average ..
Gonzalez was hitting above average (.300/.343./463) in the 120 games played before the trade, but his 117 OPS+ with the Red Sox was lower than it was in his six previous seasons. He finished the 2012 season with a.299/.344/.463 slugging average with the Dodgers, nearly matching his Boston stats. Along with hitting a career-high 47 doubles, he only managed 18 longballs between the two teams, which caused his home run total to drop to its lowest point in his full-time career.
Gonzalez would provide the Dodgers four seasons in a row of above-average first base play in 2013 at the age of thirty-one. Beginning in 2013, he would receive MVP votes for three consecutive seasons, with a Gold Glove and Silver
On August 7, he would smash his 300th career home run against his previous team, the Red Sox, despite his offensive numbers significantly declining in 2016.
Gonzalez only appeared in 71 games for the Dodgers in 2017 due to ailments that kept him out of action for an extended period of time. It was the first time he hadn’t played in all 156 games in a season since 2005.
As a result of top prospect Cody Bellinger’s NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2017 (partially because of his 83 starts at first base), the Dodgers traded Matt Kemp to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for Gonzalez, Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy, Charlie Culberson, and cash. In spite of
Following the transaction, Gonzalez was DFAed by Atlanta and was freed two days later. Before the 2018 season began, he signed a contract with the New York Mets. However, his stint with the Mets would only last 54 games, as they released the struggling first baseman, ending his big-league career.
But Gonzalez’s career as a player didn’t end there. Gonzalez participated in the World Baseball Classic for Mexico in the years 2006, 2009, 2013, and 2017. Gonzalez joined with Mariachis de Guadalajara in the Merican League in 2021, and he would participate in 43 games for the squad in his final season. Gonzalez would represent Mexico in the 2020 Olympics.
Over the course of his career, Gonzalez participated in 1,929 games and amassed 2,050 hits, including 317 home runs and 437 doubles, good for a lifetime 129 OPS+ and 127 wRC+. While finishing just short of 1,000 runs scored with 997, he also drove in 1,202 runs.
Throughout his career, Gonzalez led first basemen in several defensive categories. He also led the team in assists four times as first baseman, a category in which he currently stands 14th all-time. While the record for Total Zone Runs at First Base on Baseball-Reference only dates back to 1953, it does rank him as the fourth best during that time. During his stint at first base, he is credited by FanGraphs with 74 defensive runs saved above average.
Gonzalez won two Silver Slugger Awards, four Gold Gloves, and was a five-time All-Star. Eight seasons were marked by votes for MVP, and he placed in the top seven three times, including his fourth-place showing in 2010.
Gonzalez, who is 35 years old and nominated for the first time, will not be voted to the Baseball Hall of Fame due to elbow and back issues that ended his career as a full-time starter. His career 43.5 bWAR and 36.3 fWAR indicate that he was a reliable and above-average two-way player for more than ten years prior to those injuries.
Among his coaches in Mexico were his father, David, and brother David, Jr. Gonzalez also had the chance to play with his brother Edgar while he was a member of the Padres.
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