Erik Gonzalez always seemed to have a happy persona during his time with the Indians.
The utility infielder had a constant smile on his face while in the clubhouse. He was also a good teammate, continually hanging over the dugout railing and shouting encouragement during games.
Yet Gonzalez felt a little part of himself dying last season, his 11th in the Cleveland organization -- and third at the major league level -- since being signed as an amateur free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2008.
“I was starting to lose my passion for baseball,” Gonzalez said. “I was talking to my agent to try to move to another team. I just want the chance to play.”
Gonzalez is getting a fresh start with the Pirates, who acquired him Nov. 14 in a five-player trade. It appears he is the heavy favorite to beat out rookie Kevin Newman for the starting shortstop job in spring training. That was reaffirmed Tuesday when the Blue Jays signed veteran shortstop Freddy Galvis to a one-year, $5-million contract as a free agent. The Pirates had been linked to Galvis throughout the offseason.
Clint Hurdle raved about Gonzalez’s potential during the Winter Meetings in December. He continued to praise him effusively last Saturday during PiratesFest at PNC Park.
“We’ve had people that’ve seen this man play defense and said, ‘This guy can be dynamic,’” Hurdle said. “‘OK’ wasn’t a word that came out of anybody’s mouth. ‘Above average. Dynamic. Very good. More range than anybody you’ve had at short.’”
Also, at PiratesFest, Neal Huntington called Gonzalez “a young Freddy Galvis.” It seems a rather odd comparison considering Galvis is just two years older at 29, but it was clearly a vote of confidence.
Huntington also compared Newman to Jordy Mercer, who was the Pirates’ primary shortstop the past five seasons. The Pirates did not attempt to re-sign Mercer in free agency this winter and he joined the Tigers on a one-year, $5.25-million deal.
“We feel both players can be what they were or better,” Huntington said. “There’s the really good chance they’re going to be as good if not better than what Freddy Galvis or any of the others who are out there right now, or any of the players who we can get in a trade right now.”
Gonzalez didn’t get much of a chance to play during his time with the Indians, stuck behind shortstop Francisco Lindor, second baseman Jason Kipnis and third baseman Jose Ramirez. Last season, Ramirez finished third in the American League MVP voting and Lindor was sixth as Cleveland won its third straight Central title.
Over those three years, Gonzalez made 33 starts at second base, 10 at third base, nine at shortstop, three at first base and one each in left field and right field. In 162 career games, he has hit .263/.292/.389 with five home runs, a subpar 79 OPS+ and 0.9 WAR.
Last season, Gonzalez had a .265/.301/.375 line in 81 games. However, from Aug. 1 on, he hit just .150/.190/.175 in 27 games after batting .284/.320/.405 in his first 54 games.
The bat is certainly questionable based on those numbers. Yet Gonzalez believes he will be a productive hitter if given the chance to play more frequently, and the Pirates feel he can be at least average offensively.
“It’s hard when you only play once a week to keep your timing,” he said. “I did the best I could to stay ready. I worked hard every day before games.
“I do think I learned a lot about hitting from my teammates. I talked to Lindor a lot, talked to Ramirez, talked to (designated hitter Edwin) Encarnacion. They are all great hitters, and they helped me.”
A large reason why the Pirates did not retain Mercer is because he had minus-9 defensive runs saved last season, which ranked 18th among major league shortstops.
Gonzalez is confident he can be a plus defender, saying, “I’ve been a shortstop since I was 6 years old and started playing baseball in the Dominican. That's my position."
Not surprisingly, Gonzalez is excited about the possibility of playing on a regular basis. It is an opportunity that seems more real by the day with spring training less than two weeks away.
“When I listened to the news (of the trade), I was really happy for me, and my family too,” he said. “It’s what we have been waiting for.”
