Julio Gonzalez (gonzaju02)

Julio Cesar Gonzalez Hernandez

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 165 lb.

• Debut April 8, 1977
• Final Game June 19, 1983
• Born December 25, 1952 in Caguas, P.R.

BR page

Biographical Information

Julio Gonzalez was an infielder who played seven seasons in the majors in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He was originally signed by the Chicago Cubs and was well-regarded as a prospect, which led to his being traded even-up to the Houston Astros for established outfielder Greg Gross before the 1977 season. He made his big league debut at the start of that season and played a career-high 110 games, split between shortstop and second base. He hit .245 with just 1 homer in 383 at-bats, and would be a utility infielder for the remainder of his career.

He played with Houston until the end of the 1980 season, seeing less and less playing time as the team improved. Craig Reynolds became the starting shortstop and Joe Morgan took over at second base, leaving just scraps of playing time for Julio. In 1980, when the Astros made the postseason for the first time in franchise history, he hit just .115 in 40 games and did not play in the NLCS, He then moved on to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1981 and 1982, where the shortstops were Garry Templeton the first year and Ozzie Smith the second, and second base was manned by Tom Herr. Again, there wasn't much playing time to be had, as he batted just 22 times the first year. He saw a bit more action the second, hitting .241 in 87 at-bats, as he was occasionally used as a pinch-hitter. The Cardinals won the World Series that year and while Julio was on the postseason roster, he did not see any action. He finished his career with 12 games for the Detroit Tigers in 1983, backing up the tandem of Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker - another situation where playing time was always going to be hard to come by.

Notable Achievement

• Won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 (he did not play in the World Series)