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The 2022 season of Italian baseball is coming to life and UnipolSai Fortitudo, still undefeated, is awaiting the important phase of the Scudetto pool, with the need to complete the roster entrusted to manager Frignani. The biancoblu management has carefully selected a player suitable to cover the delicate role of shortstop, deciding to use the second of the three visas for non-EU athletes for this purpose, ensuring the performance of the strong 27-year-old Dominican Luis Gonzalez, shortstop owner of several Minor League teams Americans, up to double A, in particular with the Cincinnati franchise and in the last season with the NY Mets, also collecting a good number of appearances in triple A and in the competitive Dominican Winter League, in the ranks of Aguilas Cibaenas. Excellent defensive qualities in a fundamental role for the diamond, combined with the characteristics of an eclectic hitter, led to extrabase and the production of points, convinced Fortitudo baseball to bet strongly on this player to further grow the team in the decisive phase of the championship .
Luis M. Gonzalez was born in Esperanza (Dominican Rep.) On July 28, 1994, beats and shoots right, athletic physique (183 cm for 79 kg) and suitable for internal roles, in particular that of shortstop in which he trains as a player, but also in the defense of second and third base cushions; he signed a contract with the Cincinnati Reds as a free agent on 21 September 2012, shortly after his eighteenth birthday and from there he began his adventure in professional baseball, playing in 2013 a rookie-level season with the DSL rojos in the demanding Dominican summer league, where he “cuts his teeth”, getting 10 doubles, 4 triples and 2 home runs in 67 games. In 2014 he played in the rookie formation of the Reds in the Arizona League, bringing his batting average to .277 in 32 games.
In 2015 he moved to single A with the Dayton Dragons, Midwest League, playing 124 games, 123 as a starting shortstop, with a defensive average of .935 and a batting average of .246, with 18 doubles, 3 triples and 2 home runs, scoring 55 points and beating 50 RBI in a single season (his personal best in MiLB). It is confirmed in 2016, for him 105 races, finishing with .228 in bat and .959 in defense still as shortstop. In the following winter he enters the Aguilas roster in the Dominican Winter League and will be confirmed season after season, up to the last of the winter just ended, going up to the scoresheet on 55 occasions.
In 2017 he alternated between Dayton and Daytona Tortugas (advanced single A), collecting an overall excellent .283 batting average in 103 matches, obtaining 22 doubles, one triple and 8 home runs, with an average slugging of .406. In defense he covers various roles, mainly in third base, with good defensive averages. In April he is “player of the week” in the Florida State League (A +).
In 2018 he plays a few races again with Daytona (A +) and passes the level again, playing 109 games in double A with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Southern League), beating .243 with 16 doubles, a triple and 3 home runs, returning to his role shortstop with a defensive average of .922. In 2019 Gonzales completes his growth, reaching triple A with the Louisville Bats (International League), with whom he plays 13 games, beating .263, after the excellent start of the season in double A with the Chattanooga Lookouts (Southern League), beating .326 in 17 races. At the peak of his growth, he could be the antechamber of the MLB dream, but unfortunately his season is conditioned by injuries and in November he passes free agent, in addition, at the beginning of 2020 he signs a new contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, but the Minors championships are canceled for the pandemic, therefore the inevitable release arrives in May. A year later (May 2021) he signed a new contract with the New York Mets, playing 3 single A games with St. Lucie and 63 games with the Brooklyn Cyclones (advanced single A, High-A East League), finishing with .268 on serve, 9 doubles, one triple and 6 home runs.
In 8 seasons in the Minor League he played 647 games, getting a batting average of .255, base arrivals .285, slugging average .347, the result of 112 doubles, 15 triples and 25 home runs, scoring 275 points and beating 246 RBI. In 3971.2 he resumed as shortstop he had a defensive average of .936, occupying that delicate role mainly as a starter, in the formations in which he played. He arrives in Bologna at the height of his technical and athletic maturity.
