While he has been one of the worst hitters in the National League for most of the season, Braves shortstop Alex Gonzalez has hit .395 in September with six extra-base hits and nine RBIs in 12 games. And you know what? His teammates don’t care.
They say Gonzalez is so superb on defense that it doesn’t matter whether he hits .400 or .200.
“I don’t care if he hits zero,” said Braves relief pitcher Eric O’Flaherty, who leads the major leagues with a 1.05 ERA. “I want him playing behind me the rest of my career. I’d like to follow him around wherever he goes, he’s so good. Everyone on our team that I’ve heard says, ‘Man, I don’t care what that guy does on offense, he’s so valuable.’”
The dichotomy has been glaring with Gonzalez, 34, having one of his best years in the field and one of his worst at the plate.
Gonzalez has 12 errors and a .980 fielding percentage that ranks third among NL shortstops, behind Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki (.993), who won a Gold Glove in 2010, and Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins (.990), who won three in a row from 2007-09.
Gonzalez’s September surge includes a 1.024 OPS (on-base-plus-slugging percentage) and an 8-for-11, five-RBI series against Florida this week. But for the season he has hit only .238 with 13 homers, 53 RBIs and a .268 on-base percentage.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has insisted many times that he doesn’t care what Gonzalez does on offense because, “his home runs and RBIs are in his glove.” Teammates agree, particularly pitchers who have watched him prevent hits and runs all season.
“You could probably come up with a number for how many runs he’s saved us,” Braves pitcher Derek Lowe said. “People were talking about him during spring training. You hear how good he is, from people who played with him in Boston. Then to see it game in and game out, and watching other shortstops, the balls they can’t get to and he gets to ...
“I mean, he’s the best. I asked him a couple of months ago, said I couldn’t believe he hasn’t won a Gold Glove. To me, that’s head-scratching. Find me a better shortstop defensively.”
Gonzalez is making a modest $2.5 million in the option year of his contract and will be eligible for free agency after the postseason. The Braves say they haven’t decided what they’re going to do at shortstop in 2012 or indicated whether they will try to re-sign Gonzalez.
“We haven’t made any determinations on that at all,” general manager Frank Wren said. “We like Gonzo. There’s not many better shortstops out there in the game defensively.”
Braves prospect Tyler Pastornicky seems poised to take over at shortstop in the near future. The Braves could decide to sign Gonzalez or another veteran to a one-year contract so they don’t rush Pastornicky, who will be 22 in December and has only one full season above Class A.
“We’re open-minded,” Wren said. “We haven’t made any decisions. Those are winter decisions we’ll talk about. What I hate to do is even talk about this now, before the season’s over. We don’t want Gonzo thinking we’re hoping Pastornicky comes or that we don’t like him.”
Pastornicky is a speedster who hit .314 with a .359 OBP, five triples, seven homers and 27 stolen bases this season in 117 games for Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett. He played only 27 games at Gwinnett before spraining an ankle and missed most of the last few weeks of the season.
He’s considered to be a well-above-average defensive player, but he’s still learning and made 26 errors this season.
“He’s doing really well, but he’s young,” Wren said. “So we’re going to wait and do what we always do, when we have our end-of-the-year meeting and talk about our team with the manager and coaches and decide what will be the best fit.”
The soft-spoken Gonzalez has fit in well with the Braves and said he would like to return if they want him back. It’s unclear whether he would receive any two-year offers from other teams.
“This is a great team, a great place to play ball,” said Gonzalez, who won a World Series ring with the 2003 Marlins. “It’s enjoyable playing for a winning team, especially with the starting pitchers and the bullpen we have. To be on a winning team, in a pennant race, that’s something veteran players want.
“I’d love to come back. We’ll see what happens.”
For now, he’s focused on helping the Braves get back to the postseason and then try to advance beyond the first round. And one other thing: gold. He knows he’s running out of time to win a Gold Glove.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m looking for,” he said. “I had good numbers in ’06 in Boston, just made seven errors. I had two great years with the Marlins and didn’t win one. That’s what I’m looking for, to try to win that award. I’m doing the best I can. Everybody knows what type of year I’m having.”
Those who have watched him on a regular basis this season wonder how Gonzalez never won a Gold Glove in 12 previous seasons in the majors with Florida, Boston, Cincinnati and Toronto.
“He’s the best I’ve played with,” Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said. “He’s got the best feet that I’ve seen on a shortstop. There’s no ball that’s hit that he catches where his feet aren’t in prime position to make the throw to first. Whereas it takes some shortstops an extra step or two to get their feet set, he catches and his feet are set.”
Gonzalez believes that knowing hitters and pitchers and their tendencies has more than made up for anything he’s lost in range and quickness over the years.
“Like a lot of us old geezers do,” said Lowe, 38. “You get smarter as you go, and ultimately you’re maybe not as fast or quick, but you see how a pitcher is pitching a guy and maybe move over a couple of steps, and you don’t have to have anybody tell you.
“If this team makes the playoffs, it’s important being able to only give the other team 27 outs, not give them an extra out. In the playoffs it’s all about pitching and defense.”
