The Red Sox recently picked up Alex Gonzalez and I’ve heard a lot of scuffling from Reds fans. A few Reds fans told me, if you’re expecting the same Alex Gonzalez you had in 2006, you’re going to be extremely disapointed.
A-Gon’s range has decreased substantially and his plate appearances have been awkward. So what did the Red Sox brass see in Alex Gonzalez? Allow me to ATTEMPT to break this down.
Alex Gonzalez IS clutch believe it or not. He is hitting .320 with runners in scoring position with 26 of his 29 RBI’s coming with runners in scoring position. He’s also batting .273 with 10 of his 29 rbi’s with runners in scoring position and two out.
With a few games under his belt the Rogers Centre has been good to Alex Gonzalez. He’s hitting .363 in 11 at bats (4 for 11). Against American League pitching Alex Gonzalez is hitting a solid .305 (18-59). Take away the Rangers and the Yankees from the AL, he’s batting a remarkable .410. Fortunately for Alex Gonzalez he’s only got three games left against Yankees pitching (not counting a possible playoff matchup). Compare these numbers to his numbers against National League pitching, where his average is just plain AWFUL (42-221) thats .190 for those who care.
I don’t really want to get into Alex on the defensive side of things. His UZR/150 is lower than Nick Green’s (4.0 to 4.9), Green has a stronger arm, etc. I still think Alex Gonzalez can be very valuable to the Sox. He’s no ADRIAN Gonzalez, but he might be just what Boston needs to win the Wild Card.
