Alexander Scott Gonzalez (born April 8, 1973 in Miami, Florida) is a shortstop and third baseman who is no longer an active Major League baseball player. He entered the league in 1993, spending 8 years with the Toronto Blue Jays before signing with the Chicago Cubs. After brief stints with the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres, Alex signed with Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005 as a third baseman, making the switch from shortstop. After a brief, disappointing 2006 run with the Philadelphia Phillies, Gonzalez retired from baseball. However, he came out of retirement on January 12, 2007, signing a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals. But despite a strong showing in spring training during which he batted over .400, Gonzalez failed to make the Royals' 25-man roster prior to the 2007 season, and exercised his right to become a free agent. An infielder is a baseball player who plays on the infield, the dirt portion of a baseball diamond between first base and third base. ... April 4 is the 94th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (95th in leap years). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball measuring the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters, respectively. ... Mark McGwire swinging for the fences. ... In baseball statistics, a run batted in (RBI) is given to a batter for each run scored as the result of a batters plate appearance. ... Major league affiliations American League (1977–present) East Division (1977–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 42 Name Toronto Blue Jays (1977–present) Ballpark Rogers Centre (1989–present) a. ... Major league affiliations National League (1876–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 10, 14, 23, 26, 42 Name Chicago Cubs (1902–present) Chicago Orphans (1898-1901) Chicago Colts (1890-1897) Chicago White Stockings (1870-1889) (a. ... The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1969 to 2004. ... Major league affiliations National League (1969–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 6, 19, 31, 35, 42 Name San Diego Padres (1969–present) Ballpark PETCO Park (2004–present) Qualcomm Stadium (1969-2003) a. ... Major league affiliations American League (1998–present) East Division (1998–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 12 42 Team = Devil Rays Name Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998–present) Ballpark Tropicana Field (1998–present) Major league titles World Series titles (0) None AL Pennants (0) None Division titles (0) None Wild card... Major league affiliations National League (1883–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 14, 20, 32, 36, 42 Name Philadelphia Phillies (1883–present) unofficially Philadelphia Blue Jays (1944-1945) Philadelphia Quakers (1882) (Commonly referred to as Blue Jays 1944-1945 despite formal name remaining Phillies) Ballpark Citizens... April 8 is the 98th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (99th in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... This article is about the city in Florida. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... The position of the shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. ... The position of the third baseman Third base redirects here. ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... Major league affiliations American League (1977–present) East Division (1977–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 42 Name Toronto Blue Jays (1977–present) Ballpark Rogers Centre (1989–present) a. ... Major league affiliations National League (1876–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 10, 14, 23, 26, 42 Name Chicago Cubs (1902–present) Chicago Orphans (1898-1901) Chicago Colts (1890-1897) Chicago White Stockings (1870-1889) (a. ... The Montreal Expos (French: Les Expos de Montréal) were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from 1969 to 2004. ... Major league affiliations National League (1969–present) West Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 6, 19, 31, 35, 42 Name San Diego Padres (1969–present) Ballpark PETCO Park (2004–present) Qualcomm Stadium (1969-2003) a. ... Major league affiliations American League (1998–present) East Division (1998–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 12 42 Team = Devil Rays Name Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998–present) Ballpark Tropicana Field (1998–present) Major league titles World Series titles (0) None AL Pennants (0) None Division titles (0) None Wild card... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Major league affiliations National League (1883–present) East Division (1969–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 1, 14, 20, 32, 36, 42 Name Philadelphia Phillies (1883–present) unofficially Philadelphia Blue Jays (1944-1945) Philadelphia Quakers (1882) (Commonly referred to as Blue Jays 1944-1945 despite formal name remaining Phillies) Ballpark Citizens... Major league affiliations American League (1969–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 5, 10, 20, 42 Name Kansas City Royals (1969–present) Ballpark Kauffman Stadium (1973–present) a. ...

Gonzalez established a career-high with 20 home runs for the Cubs in 2003 and hit 20 or more doubles eight times, although his batting average (career .243 hitter) and on-base percentage (.302) always have been low.

"Gonzo" has a reputation for strong defensive play and clutch hitting; however, in the 8th inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS, he dropped a routine double-play ball that would have ended the inning with the score 3-1 in favor of the Cubs. Seven Marlins runs ensued and the Cubs lost the game and ultimately the series. This was shortly after an incident in which a fan touched a foul ball into the stands which left fielder Moises Alou might have caught. Alou reacted with very visible frustration and anger after being unable to catch it, although there was no legal interference on the play. The batter eventually drew a base on balls, and it was Gonzalez's error that opened the floodgates. The 2003 National League Championship Series was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 7 to October 15 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion Chicago Cubs and the wild-card qualifying Florida Marlins. ... Steve Bartman (top middle wearing black sweatshirt) reaches to catch the foul ball hit by Luis Castillo that made him infamous Steve Bartman (born 1977) is a resident of the Chicago area, employee of Hewitt Associates, and a University of Notre Dame alumnus who gained notoriety on the evening of... The position of the left fielder A left fielder, abbreviated LF, is an outfielder in the sport of baseball who plays defense in left field. ... Moisés Rojas Alou (born July 3, 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an All-Star outfielder in Major League Baseball. ...

High school career

At Killian High School in Miami, Florida, Alex S. Gonzalez was an All-State pick in baseball as a senior.

External links

• Baseball Reference