ALEX GONZALEZ:
Stopping short

Alex Gonzalez prepares to bunt against the Tigers in Detroit.

Alex Gonzalez will never be named Rookie of the Year, and has yet to make an All-Star team or win a World Series, but with his talent that accomplishment doesn't seem far off.

"This kid's got a chance to be a good player. Certainly help this ball club win some divisions, and hopefully there's some world series wins," said former Toronto Blue Jays' manager Cito Gaston.

"When I was out on the field I wanted to play every position. If I was playing 3rd and the ball was going to the right I'd run out to right field for the ball. I was going for every single ball that was hit."

Primarily a pitcher and shortstop in little league, Gonzalez had to choose one in high school and decided on shortstop, "because I wanted to play every day and I wanted to hit. I knew I wouldn't get that opportunity if I was a pitcher." In high school he earned All-State honors and in his sophomore year made the varsity team, graduating in 1991. That June the Toronto Blue Jays drafted the young shortstop in the 14th round, 380th overall.

His father, an electrical engineering professor at University of Miami, had encouraged and worked with Gonzalez and they went to the college games together. "It was kind of a dream of mine to play there for my father to watch me." With his family's support Gonzalez signed with Toronto and advanced to the Rookie League in Florida.

Living on his own for the first time at the age of 18, Gonzalez said "everything was such a new experience for me that I learned a lot about myself -- how to take on responsibilities where I had to pay all my bills, budget myself. I also learned the pressures of having to work every day and of having to perform every day."

He enjoyed his time with the Knoxville Smokies in AA where he met fellow future Jays, Carlos Delgado (first baseman) and Shawn Green (right fielder) and was part of a team that made it to the championships. "We had good fan support which made it a nice plus, because in the minor leagues you don't get a lot of fan support. You might average 800 to 1,000 fans but we were getting about 3,000," he added with a smile.

His AA manager, Garth Iorg, believes that Gonzalez's "got all the athletic skills to be something special." In time Gonzalez is "going to become a steady hitter, get better each year as he plays in the major leagues," Iorg added.

Lost for words, his emotions hard to describe, Gonzalez admitted "it was kind of a dream that came true. I really didn't know what to expect going out there in front of 50,000 people." In his first appearance he made a few nice defensive plays and in his first at bat he had a sacrifice bunt.

A couple games later, Gonzalez got his first hit on his 21st birthday. It was "a hit off pitcher for the Mariners -- a pitch I'll never forget -- you always remember that first hit. It was off (Dave) Fleming, a left-handed pitcher for the Mariners." He hit two doubles that game.

Still an aggressive player, so far Gonzalez has had his greatest success in the field. For 1997 out of 559 chances he had 209 put-outs, 342 assists with only 8 errors and led the majors with a fielding percentage of .986. In 1996 his fielding percentage was .973, with 280 put-outs, 465 assists, and 21 errors in 766 chances.

Gaston considered Gonzalez a quiet kid but a hard player who played every day and who had come far as a defensive player for the Jays. "People love the fact every time I put this guy's name in the lineup he's ready to play which a lot of people are not capable of doing," Gaston acknowledged.

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Alex Gonzalez, (right) looks at a called strike, as Matt Walbeck catches the ball for the Detroit Tigers in a game at Tiger Stadium.

In an August game against the Minnesota Twins Gonzalez was hit by a pitch from LaTroy Hawkins when squaring around to bunt. Gonzalez explained "as I was trying to get out of the way the ball just kept coming inside and hit my finger pretty much dead on." The result was a fracture on the tip of his index finger and 33 days on the disabled list.

Upshaw said at the time, with the fracture Gonzalez's timing would be off and his swing might be altered, but "sitting isn't always a bad thing. You come back more determined, especially in the middle of the season."

The brown-eyed Gonzalez admitted he "did the normal things a little kid would've done, asked for an autograph. Unfortunately I was never able to get one." He added "just going to the game, being able to see him out there was plenty enough for me being a shortstop."

"I still respect him for everything he's done and what he's doing, but I am still trying to defeat him," said the solid defenseman.

"Salt water fishing is actually my favourite kind," and in the off season "in Miami I get plenty of it which is great." While deep sea fishing, he caught a seven-foot sailfish. "I love dealing with the ocean and anything on the water." This interest has led him to examine courses in marine biology, and to snorkeling off the reef that he fishes from.

Although he enjoys fishing, the talented 6'0" 185 lb. shortstop's first love is playing the sport he works at every day -- baseball.