Five-time MLB All-Star Adrian Gonzalez recently said farewell to his playing days.
While most fans probably already knew they’d seen the last of Gonzalez in the majors, the slugger made it official on Saturday.
Gonzalez last played in MLB in 2018, but as recently as this past season, he was active in the Mexican League.
His official decision to walk away from baseball marks the end of an impressive career.
The journeyman was the No. 1 overall pick back in the 2000 MLB Draft, and he showed why throughout his 15-year stint in the majors.
Reliving Gonzalez’s Best Years
Gonzalez played for five teams during his time in the majors, but perhaps his most impressive stint with any team came with the San Diego Padres.
The Padres were his second MLB team, and he spent five seasons with them.
During his time with San Diego, Gonzalez earned three All-Star selections, two Gold Gloves, and received MVP votes in four of those five seasons.
He maintained a slash line of .288/.374/.514 as a member of the Padres while averaging 32 home runs, 100 runs batted in, and a bWAR of 4.1 per season.
Gonzalez also had a productive stint with the Boston Red Sox, although it didn’t last long.
After Boston, he spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he posted an OPS+ of 119 over six seasons and added some pop to L.A.’s lineup.
The other two teams Gonzalez played for were the Texas Rangers and New York Mets, though his time with each of those clubs was rather unremarkable.
In Gonzalez’s 15 MLB seasons, he earned five All-Star selections, four Gold Glove awards, and two Silver Slugger awards.
Overall, he batted .287 with an OPS of .843, blasting 317 home runs along the way.
Without a doubt, he was a star.
An Underrated Element Of Gonzalez’s Game
While Gonzalez posted some great statistics throughout his career, that’s arguably not the most impressive thing he accomplished.
His durability was incredible.
During Gonzalez’s prime, it was extremely rare for him to miss even a single game.
Here’s a look at how many games he played from 2006 through 2016:
- 2006: played in 156 of 162 games
- 2007: played in 161 of 162 games
- 2008: played in 162 of 162 games
- 2009: played in 160 of 162 games
- 2010: played in 160 of 162 games
- 2011: played in 159 of 162 games
- 2012: played in 159 of 162 games
- 2013: played in 157 of 162 games
- 2014: played in 159 of 162 games
- 2015: played in 156 of 162 games
- 2016: played in 156 of 162 games
In total, he played in 1,745 out of 1,782 possible regular season games during that span, good for 97.9 percent.
That’s a pretty remarkable feat.
Staying on the field is one of the most important things for a star player to do, and Gonzalez had no trouble checking that box whatsoever.
He should be remembered for both his great statistical production and elite durability.
Wrap-Up
While Gonzalez didn’t win a ring during his time in the majors, he certainly had a career to be proud of.
He isn’t likely going to end up in the Hall of Fame, but he accomplished plenty during his 15 MLB seasons.
The 39-year-old is now moving on to life after baseball.
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