Born05/17/1974 in Villa De Cura, Aragua, Venezuela
ProfileHt.: 5'11" / Wt.: 205 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Debut08/14/1999
Top Rankings
Minor League Top Prospects
For the second straight year, a Padres catcher jumped from the BayBears to the majors, with Gonzalez following Ben Davis to the big leagues and already battling Davis for big league playing time. Consider Gonzalez' quality average this season (.338 in 61 games, which is 60 points better than his career average coming into the season) and Cardona's power, and you have two catchers in the league who are coveted by many other organizations. "It didn't happen for him overnight," Mobile manager Mike Basso said. "We got him to start using the whole field at (Class A) Rancho Cucamonga, and he's honed his receiving as he's worked his way up." Of his defensive tools, Chattanooga's Wellman said, "He has a tremendous arm."
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