Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Padres
Background: Even though he wasn’t the best player on his Chula Vista, Calif., high school team, Gonzalez’s talent wasn’t a secret. The Florida Marlins selected him with the first overall pick of the 2000 draft, beginning a strange yet fulfilling odyssey. The Marlins traded Gonzalez to the Rangers in July 2003 for closer Ugueth Urbina, who helped them win a World Series before landing in prison. The Rangers then shipped him to the Padres along with pitcher Chris Young in January 2006 for Adam Eaton and setup man Akinori Otsuka. Gonzalez is now becoming the face of the Padres franchise.
What’s up: Any list of underrated and unappreciated must include Gonzalez. Playing on an offensively challenged Padres team, in a canyon of a home ballpark, the left-handed slugger continues to put up huge numbers. He entered the weekend with an NL-best 66 RBIs. His 21 home runs ranked third in the league. He was batting .290. “He has great hands, great balance and uses the whole field,” said manager Bud Black, whose Padres will be at Coors Field for a three-game series beginning Monday.
What’s next: He’s heading to the All-Star Game or George Mitchell will launch another investigation.
Renck’s take: There’s nothing like the beauty of a left-handed swing, and few in today’s game take a cut like Gonzalez. To appreciate him, you need to understand the lineup around him — or lack thereof. The Padres rank 29th in runs, 26th in batting average. There are nights when Gonzalez and Brian Giles appear to be the only thing separating the Padres from the Portland Beavers. “The thing I admire most about him is that he’s tough and he plays every day. And it’s obvious that we don’t have a lot of guys protecting him,” Padres catcher Josh Bard said.
