2006 Position Analysis: SS

Nomar, oh Nomar, where have you gone? First base for the Dodgers. And Orlando, sweet Orlando, your glove never looked so good as it did here. Now it's in LosAnaheim basking in the sun. And Edgar, quiet Edgar, where will your elongated swing show up next? Atlanta, where baseball goes to be reborn. So where does this leave the Royal Rooters of Red Sox Nation? It leaves us with a man who has toiled in obscurity for the last several years. Alex González is the purest definition of the all-glove, no-stick shortstop, and he's been working inside the hollow seats of Flordia's Pro Player Stadium (I feel like I mention that every day, that's how many ex-Marlins are now on the Red Sox). Have a looksee at what he's all about.

ALEX GONZALEZ
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
1998 21 FLA NL 25 86 11 13 2 0 3 7 0 0 9 30 .151 .240 .279 24 2 0 0 1 2
1999 22 FLA NL 136 560 81 155 28 8 14 59 3 5 15 113 .277 .308 .430 241 1 3 0 12 13
2000 23 FLA NL 109 385 35 77 17 4 7 42 7 1 13 77 .200 .229 .319 123 5 2 0 2 7
2001 24 FLA NL 145 515 57 129 36 1 9 48 2 2 30 107 .250 .303 .377 194 3 3 6 10 13
2002 25 FLA NL 42 151 15 34 7 1 2 18 3 1 12 32 .225 .296 .325 49 3 2 1 4 2
2003 26 FLA NL 150 528 52 135 33 6 18 77 0 4 33 106 .256 .313 .443 234 3 5 13 13 8
2004 27 FLA NL 159 561 67 130 30 3 23 79 3 1 27 126 .232 .270 .419 235 3 4 9 4 17
2005 28 FLA NL 130 435 45 115 30 0 5 45 5 3 31 81 .264 .319 .368 160 4 3 10 5 11
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
8 Seasons 896 3221 363 788 183 23 81 375 23 17 170 672 .245 .291 .391 1260 24 22 39 51 73
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
162 Game Avg 582 66 142 33 4 15 68 4 3 31 122 .245 .291 .391 228 4 4 7 9 13
Career High 159 561 81 155 36 8 23 79 7 5 33 126 .277 .319 .443 241 5 5 13 13 17

His offensive numbers are about as atrocious as atrocious can get. 2003 and 2004 really are standout years, but only from the power standpoint. The highest OBP he's ever posted is *gag* .319. The hope is, again, that he could give the Sox a few home runs during the season, but I don't think you can really expect much more out of him offensively. Papa Jack could help his strikezone control, as could his proximity to someone like Manny, but he's really just a bitter, glove-shaped pill on an offensive powerhouse.

Gonzalez's defense has been lauded far and wide, some of it complimentary, and occasionally it's of this timbre, from Florida's Jack McKeon:

Jack McKeon has had Ozzie Smith early in his career, Garry Templeton, Barry Larkin, and Pokey Reese, among others, play shortstop for him.

''Alex González is the best I've ever had," said McKeon, insisting he's not just blowing a cloud of cigar smoke about the free agent the Red Sox just signed last week. ''Definitely the best I've ever had, defensively." *Boston.com

All of this seems to bode well for fans, who certainly tired of watching Renteria commit clutch errors all summer long. (As an aside, look for Renteria to have a solid year offensively and defensively in Atlanta. I just don't think he ever adjusted to the Boston spotlight.) Thing is, and I know I'm going to take heat for this because I'm about to use another *ahem* shallow defensive statistic (my Harball Times and Baseball Prospectus Annuals for 2006 are on their way) but Gonzalez's FPct is really not that great, being only .968 lifetime, and never having posted higher than .984 in a season. He's never won a Gold Glove. Before I get accused of being a hater, let me just say that Gonzalez is probably everything he's cracked up to be on defense. It's just interesting that for all the hype that surrounds his glove, his cursory statistics don't support it. He's got the job though, no doubts about that.

For a backup, look again to Alex Cora, who I covered in the 2B analysis. He's a capable middle infielder, also with no bat to speak of. The commitment the front office has shown to both Cora and Gonzalez is indicative of their desire to change the image of the Sox and their formula for winning games. Defense has become very important.

Final Prediction
STARTER: Alex González
BACKUP: Alex Cora