Erik González

Erik Gonzalez
(El Mago)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 195 lb.

• Debut July 16, 2016

• Born August 31, 1991 in Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata D.R.

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Biographical Information

Infielder Erik Gonzalez began his professional career in 2009 at 17 years old. He was signed by the Cleveland Indians.

After stealing 14 bases his first campaign, he hit .346/.384/.442 in 64 games for the DSL Indians in 2010. Other seasons of note include 2013, when he had 32 doubles, 12 triples and 11 stolen bases for the Lake County Captains and Carolina Mudcats (and later hit .325 in 45 games for the Leones del Escogido over the winter) and 2014, when he had 10 triples, 21 steals and a .309/.352/.428 slash line in 105 games between Carolina and the Akron RubberDucks.

In 2015, he reached Triple A for the first time, hitting .223/.277/.311 in 65 games for the Columbus Clippers. He had 18 steals on the year as a whole, including his time at Double A; going into the campaign, he was ranked the #8 prospect in the Indians' system by Baseball America. He was a Mid-Season All-Star in 2010, 2014 and 2016 and a MiLB.com Organization All-Star in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

After being ranked the #12 prospect in the Indians chain and beginning 2016 at Triple A, Gonzalez was promoted to the major leagues. On July 16th, he made his debut. Pinch-hitting for outfielder Tyler Naquin against Minnesota Twins pitcher Fernando Abad, he struck out in his first at-bat. He collected his first hit on July 19th, a single off Kansas City Royals pitcher Brian Flynn.

On September 14, 2017, the Indians were in danger of seeing their American League-record 21-game winning streak end, as they were trailing the Kansas City Royals, 2-1, in the bottom of the 9th. With Naquin on first base, pinch-hitter Francisco Mejia hit into a force out for the second out, with Francisco Lindor coming to bat. Manager Terry Francona sent Gonzalez as a pinch-runner for Mejia. With two strikes against closer Kelvin Herrera, Lindor lashed a pitch against the left-field fence, just out of the reach of Alex Gordon and Erik came racing all the way home with the tying run. Cleveland then scored again in the bottom of the 10th to extend the streak to 22 straight wins, the longest in major league history that dies not include any tie games.

On November 14, 2018, Gonzalez was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates along with minor leaguers Tahnaj Thomas and Dante Mendoza in return for Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff.

Related Sites

• Erik Gonzalez on mlb.com