Happy Birthday Alex Gonzalez and Pete Walker
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We’ve had two shortstops named Alex Gonzalez; this is the first.
This Alex was a member of the
Blue Jays from 1994 to 2001.
The Jays drafted Gonzalez in the 14th round of the 1991 amateur draft. He had the best career of any player taken in that round of that draft. He rose quickly thru the Jays minor league system and started the 1994 season as the Jay’s starting SS at the age of 21, but after 15 games, he had a .151 batting average, and the Jays gave the job to
Dick Schofield. It would have been good if the team had a bit more patience with him; Schofield was nearing the end of an ok career, but, by then, he wasn’t a guy you’d want to play short for you.
Top 60 All-Time Greatest Blue Jays: #52 Alex Gonzalez
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Alexander Scott Gonzalez | SS | 1994-2001
This is the Alex Gonzalez who played shortstop for us back in the 1990s. Not the Alex Gonzalez nicknamed “Sea Bass,” who played half a season for us, in 2010 (and was pretty good), and we flipped him to the Braves for Yunel Escobar.
We go from an excellent shortstop for two seasons to a shortstop whose peak wasn’t as high but who played 8 seasons for the Blue Jays.
Alex Gonzalez was born April 8, 1973, in Miami, Florida. Drafted in the 14th round of the 1991 amateur draft, he ended up having, easily, the best career of the player taken in that round. Alex rose very quickly thru the Jays minor league system. He started the 1994 season as the Jays’ starting SS at the age of 21, but after 15 games, he had a .151 batting average. The Jays (always know for their patience) gave the job to an aging Dick Schofield (he would hit .255/.332/.342, but wasn’t near the d