Alex Gonzalez

Alexander "Alex" González (born February 15, 1977 in Cagua, Aragua State) is a Major League Baseball shortstop and right-handed batter who plays for the Florida Marlins. He was signed by the Marlins as a non-draft amateur free agent in 1994 and made his debut in the 1998 season.

González' speed and range enabled him to make acrobatic plays, quickly drawing comparisons to Venezuelan shortstops like Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio, Dave Concepcion and Omar Vizquel. His defensive tools were so masterful that by 1999 he established himself as an All-Star.

At the batters box González does some things pretty well. He's a good bunter and has enough speed to turn singles in doubles with his hustle, and he also can show surprising power when a pitch is in his batting zone.

González played an important role in the 2003 World Series against the Yankees. After going 1-for-13 in the post-season, he hit a 500-feet walk-off home run in the 12th inning of the Game 4 to gave the Marlins a 4-3 victory and 2--2 tie in the series. The extra-inning only happened because Florida's closer Ugueth Urbina blew a 3-1 lead in the ninth. In Game 5, González hit a two-outs game-tying double and scored later in a new Marlins victory. González added an extra run in the sixth and final game, when he slid around catcher Jorge Posada, eluding him and brushing the plate with his left hand. Florida run out of odds with a 2-0 victory and won the World Championship.

In six seasons with the Marlins, González batted .244 with 53 homeruns, 251 RBI, 251 runs, 123 doubles, 20 triples, and 15 stolen bases in 687 games. In the post-season, he hit 10-for-62 for a .161 BA with one homer, six RBI, six runs, and four doubles in 17 games.