Carlos Gonzalez

Carlos Eduardo González, known as "CarGo," is a Venezuelan former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 2008 to 2019. He is best remembered for his time with the Colorado Rockies, where he earned three All-Star selections, won the National League batting title, and collected three Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Slugger Awards. Though primarily a right fielder, González started as the Rockies' left fielder from 2010 to 2014 before shifting to right field in 2015. He made his MLB debut with the Oakland Athletics and finished his career with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs in 2019.

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, González signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks as an international free agent in August 2002. He began his pro career in 2003 with the Rookie League Missoula Osprey, batting .258 with six home runs in 72 games. The next year, he split time between Low Single-A Yakima and Single-A South Bend, hitting .275 with ten homers in 85 games. In 2005, he led the South Bend Silver Hawks in games (129) and RBIs (92), ranked second on the team in batting average (.307), home runs (18), at-bats (515), and runs (91), and was named Midwest League MVP, Prospect of the Year, and a midseason and postseason All-Star. Baseball America and Topps both selected him as a Low Class-A All-Star, and Topps also named him Midwest League Player of the Year.

In 2006, Baseball America ranked González 32nd on its top 100 prospects list, making him the sixth-highest Diamondback. That season, he played mostly for High Single-A Lancaster, hitting a career-high 23 home runs while batting .289 in 122 games, and led the JetHawks in homers (21) and RBIs (93). He was selected for the All-Star Futures Game and named a California League postseason All-Star, with Baseball America and Topps again honoring him as a High Class-A All-Star. The following year, Baseball America ranked him 18th among all prospects and third among Diamondbacks. He spent most of 2007 with Double-A Mobile, batting .288 with 17 home runs in 130 games, leading the BayBears in homers (16) and RBIs (75), and earning another Futures Game nod.

On December 14, 2007, the Diamondbacks traded González along with Dana Eveland, Aaron Cunningham, Chris Carter, Brett Anderson, and Greg Smith to the Oakland Athletics for Dan Haren and Connor Robertson. González made his MLB debut on May 30, 2008, at age 22, against the Texas Rangers, collecting his first hit—an opposite-field double off Kevin Millwood—and a second double in the same game. His next five hits were also doubles, making him the first player since Hall of Famer Johnny Mize in 1936 to start his career with seven straight extra-base hits. He hit his first home run on June 20, a solo shot off a curveball to right-center against the Florida Marlins, and had his first four-hit game on August 8 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

On November 12, 2008, González was traded with Huston Street and Greg Smith to the Colorado Rockies for Matt Holliday. After a disappointing stint in Oakland, he spent most of 2009 with the Rockies' Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Called up due to outfield injuries, he started slowly but eventually showed a blend of power and speed at the top of the lineup. In the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, he tied the franchise record with 10 hits and led all NLDS and ALDS players with a .588 batting average over four games.

On July 31, 2010, against the Chicago Cubs, González hit for the cycle, finishing with a walk-off home run on the first pitch of the ninth inning. He became the first player since Dwight Evans in 1984 to complete a cycle with a game-ending homer, joining Ken Boyer, César Tovar, and George Brett as the only four to do so at the time (Nolan Arenado later matched the feat in 2017). Rockies manager Jim Tracy called him a "six-tool player." That season, González finished in the top five in the National League in home runs, batting average, RBIs, and runs scored.

He contended for the Triple Crown and MVP award alongside Albert Pujols and Joey Votto, ultimately winning the NL batting title with a .336 average. He hit 34 home runs, drove in 117 runs, and led the league in hits (197), total bases (351), and power-speed number (29.5). He also received the National League Players Choice Award for Outstanding Player and the MLBPA's Player of the Year award.