News
Gonzalez bashing his way to recognition
Slugger's progression surprising even the Padres
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
06/04/09 3:00 PM ET
SAN DIEGO -- The strategy that opposing pitchers are employing with Adrian Gonzalez these days to pitch the Padres first baseman away, probably doesn't seem at all a bad idea given the rate Gonzalez has turned inside pitches into home run souvenirs.After averaging 30 home runs his first three seasons with the Padres and earning a place on the National League All-Star team in 2008, the book is out on Gonzalez, who turned 27 last month and is threatening to become a household name.
But pitching the left-handed-hitting Gonzalez away is fraught with peril, just as much as missing inside with him, as 11 of his Major League-leading 22 home runs this season have gone to the opposite field with six going to right field and five to center field.
"It's a Catch-22 when a guy can do that," Padres manager Bud Black said. "If you come inside, he can hit it out to right field. If you go outside he can take you out to left field. I think you're seeing pitchers try to sink the ball down and away. But even if you do that, he's still able to get it."
It's true. Gonzalez, who takes a day off from mashing home runs on Thursday before his team begins a four-game series against Arizona on Friday at PETCO Park, has certainly had no problems going the other way.
Six of Gonzalez's last seven home runs have gone to left field as part of a torrid month of May when he hit 11 home runs in 28 games after swatting nine during the first month of the regular season, which was a franchise record for April.
"Personally, I can't complain," Gonzalez said. "I'm feeling good at the plate. I can always do a better job of not chasing pitches out of the zone, but I can't take away from my aggressiveness, either."
Last week, Gonzalez and Philadelphia's Ryan Howard shared National League Player of the Week honors as Gonzalez homered in four consecutive games, putting him on pace to nearly double the career-best 36 home runs he hit last season.
"In the last year or so, he has emerged as one of the top offensive and defensive players in this league ... and has done so in a very, very tough hitters' park," San Diego general manager Kevin Towers said of Gonzalez. "He has shown he can win games with his bat and his glove."
Gonzalez has been a big hit at home as well, as his jersey is outselling 2007 Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy this season at PETCO Park. He might not be the face of the franchise, but with thanks to a strong Latino fan base and the fact that Gonzalez is a native San Diegan, he's not far off.
"The most underrated player in the National League is Adrian Gonzalez. I think he's one of the best players in the National League on both ends of the ball," Colorado general manager Dan O'Dowd said.
"He's a clutch hitter. He's one of the most feared players in the game, and no one talks about him because he plays at PETCO [Park]. And his numbers are good even though he plays in that park. I see him being able to do everything [as a hitter]. And he's outstanding defensively."
But Towers, who swung the deal that brought the left-handed hitting Gonzalez back to his native San Diego, will be the first to admit that even he did not see all of this coming.
"I'd be lying if I said we knew Adrian would be a 30-plus [home run] guy. Maybe 20," Towers said. "We thought he would become good offensively, but we didn't think he'd become great."
Gonzalez has hit 15 home runs away from spacious PETCO Park and seven at home this season. He's never hit more than 14 home runs at PETCO Park, which is regarded as one of the toughest ballparks for hitters in the Major Leagues.
"He doesn't give you a lot of room ... you'd better not make a mistake with him," Dodgers manager Joe Torre said. "He's so quiet up there [at the plate]. But he's got a good sense, and he has good reach. Whenever we have a meeting, we talk about not letting him beat us."
While it might only seem like Gonzalez has just emerged on the scene as a player to be reckoned with, the truth is he's been building toward this ever since the Padres obtained him from the Texas Rangers before the 2006 season along with pitcher Chris Young.
Success wasn't something that Gonzalez fell into immediately. After all, he's on his third different organization, having three years in the Florida Marlins' system after he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2000. He was traded to Texas in 2003, where he spent part of two seasons, hitting .229 in 59 games.
Given an opportunity to play every day in San Diego, Gonzalez has flourished. How has he done it? Just ask his older brother Edgar Gonzalez, who is a utility man for the Padres.
"Adrian is a guy who studies pitchers, looks for tendencies. He knows how guys are going to pitch him," Edgar Gonzalez said. "Before, he was just going up there to hit. Because of that, he's able to have success. He's a smart guy and he's always going up there with a plan."
Gonzalez, while never considered a No. 1 bust, probably didn't develop as quickly as the Marlins and Rangers would have liked. So Towers, needing a first baseman, put together a deal before 2006 that landed Gonzalez.
"He's a guy who, as a young player in his first couple of years, was just trying to stick," Towers said. "It takes some guys longer. But Adrian understands the ballpark he plays in and what he needs to do to be successful. He is ... establishing himself as one of the top offensive and defensive players in the league."
Oh yes, his defense. A year ago, Gonzalez was awarded his first Gold Glove Award for his defensive play at first base.
So what's changed this season? How has Gonzalez gone for a player with 30-home run power to the one who might challenge the league leaders or possibly run away with the home run title in the National League?
"For me, it seems like he is more relaxed this year. He has only been in the league, what, three, four years? He's still learning. But he's gotten better each year," Edgar Gonzalez said. "That shows me he's becoming comfortable and he's learning the pitchers in the league."
But accolades, jersey sales and personal statistics aren't anything that concern Gonzalez. He's seen the path to success and won't be swayed from it no matter the diversions and distractions.
"If the preparation is there, the right mentality is there, over the course of the year, you're going to have results. I won't look at my stats today and say, 'Right now I'm doing OK.' I could tank today," Gonzalez said recently.
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
