Nick Punto
Boston Red Sox – No. 5
Infielder
Born: (1977-11-08) November 8, 1977 (age 34) San Diego, California
Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 9, 2001 for the Philadelphia Phillies
Career statistics (through May 25, 2012)
Batting average	.247
Home Runs	14
RBIs	221
Stolen bases	92
Teams
Philadelphia Phillies (2001–2003) Minnesota Twins (2004–2010) St. Louis Cardinals (2011) Boston Red Sox (2012–present)
Career highlights and awards
World Series champion (2011)

Nicholas Paul Punto (born November 8, 1977) is an American professional baseball utility player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He has played second base, third base, shortstop, and center field with several teams. Punto is a switch hitter and throws right-handed.

Punto is a 1996 graduate of Trabuco Hills High School in Mission Viejo, California. After high school, he attended Saddleback College, also in Mission Viejo. His father, Lou, was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. Nick and his wife, Natalie have two children, Nicole Jayne born on May 30, 2008 and a son, Nash.

Career[link]

Philadelphia Phillies[link]

Punto was drafted in the 21st round of the 1998 MLB Draft and made his major league debut with the Philadelphia Phillies on September 9, 2001.

Minnesota Twins[link]

After playing in a career-high 64 major-league games in 2003, he was acquired by the Minnesota Twins in the 2004 offseason (along with Carlos Silva) for Eric Milton. He started the season with the team, but he was injured twice and spent the majority of his time in 2004 on the disabled list. In 2005, he competed for the starting job at second base, which he eventually won, and in 2006 became the starting third baseman.

Punto was one of four Twins players nicknamed "The Piranhas" by White Sox manager, Ozzie Guillén.^{[citation needed]} The other Piranhas were Jason Tyner, Jason Bartlett, and Luis Castillo. His Twins teammates called him "The Human Highlight Reel", in reference to his defensive prowess.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005 Nick Punto batted .239, with a career high 4 home runs, and 26 runs batted in over the duration of 112 games.

Punto had his best full season in Minnesota during the 2006 season when he batted .290 with 45 runs batted in, and posted 17 stolen bases in 135 games.

Punto during his tenure with the Minnesota Twins in 2007.

In 2007, Punto experienced his statistically worst full season with Minnesota, batting .210 with 25 runs batted in in 150 games. He posted the lowest slugging percentage (.271) of any major league player with at least 200 at-bats in a single season. This was the lowest slugging percentage by a player with over 400 at-bats since José Lind recorded a .269 slugging percentage for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992. Punto also posted a −27.1 VORP in 2007, 8.5 runs worse than the second-worst position player in baseball, White Sox infielder Andy González. However, he has always played excellent defense and believed in his defensive abilities which the Twins are so keen on. On May 27 during an MPR broadcast Punto said, "I take too much pride in my defense to ever let (offensive struggles) affect me or affect my team. The one thing I can control is how I play defense."

Punto also became famous for his renowned "Punto Slush," over the course of the 2007 season. Then-reigning American League MVP Justin Morneau made a habit of eating the same meal before a game, which included a turkey sandwich and a Mountain Dew slush made by Nick Punto.^{[citation needed]}

After being injured most of the first half of the 2008 season, Punto was activated from the DL on June 25, 2008 and finished the season batting .284 with 28 runs batted in.^[1] Punto spent most of the 2008 season as the Twins' primary shortstop.^[2]

Punto signed a new two-year deal with the Twins worth $8.5 million following the 2008 season, with a club option for 2011 worth $5 million.^[3]

Punto represented Team Italy in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

After struggling as the Twins regular shortstop in 2009, Punto began losing time in the lineup to fellow Twin Brendan Harris. After returning from the disabled list, Punto was re-inserted into the regular lineup at second base, following the struggles of infielders Alexi Casilla and Matt Tolbert. He finished the season batting .228 with 38 RBI over 440 plate appearances.

Punto began the 2010 season as the Twins' starting third baseman, but ended up on the disabled list before the end of April with a strained groin muscle. Punto returned to the lineup in May, playing at third base, shortstop, and second base as injuries cropped up among other players. In July, he was essentially replaced as the starter at third base by Danny Valencia, but he continued to play regularly due to injuries to Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy.

On July 30, the Twins placed Punto on the disabled list again due to a strained hamstring. Through the end of July, Punto had appeared in 80 games, hitting .251 with a .642 OPS.^[4]

On October 29, the Twins declined Punto's $5 million team option, making him a free agent.

St. Louis Cardinals[link]

On January 21, 2011 Punto signed a one year contract with the St. Louis Cardinals worth $700,000.^[5] He took part in the Cardinals 11th World Series Championship.

Boston Red Sox[link]

On December 14, 2011, Punto agreed to a 2 year contract with the Boston Red Sox worth $3 million.

References[link]

External links[link]

Baseball portal

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Punto on his '07 struggles & more (Minnesota Public Radio)
• The unlikely third baseman (Minnesota Public Radio)
• Nicky Hustle (Minnesota Public Radio)
• Official Nick Punto Fan Club

Adrian Gonzalez
Gonzalez with the Red Sox on April 26, 2011
Boston Red Sox – No. 28
First baseman / Right fielder
Born: (1982-05-08) May 8, 1982 (age 30) San Diego, California
Bats: Left	Throws: Left
MLB debut
April 18, 2004 for the Texas Rangers
Career statistics (through May 30, 2012)
Batting average	.292
Home runs	199
Runs batted in	669
Hits	1,167
Teams
Texas Rangers (2004–2005) San Diego Padres (2006–2010) Boston Red Sox (2011–present)
Career highlights and awards
4× All-Star (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) 3× Gold Glove Award winner (2008, 2009, 2011) 1x Silver Slugger Award winner (2011)

Adrian Gonzalez (born May 8, 1982) is a Mexican-American professional baseball first baseman with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.

Gonzalez was the first overall pick in the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft by the Florida Marlins. He was traded to the Texas Rangers, and later to the San Diego Padres, where he was an All-Star selection four times and two-time Gold Glove winner. The four-time Padres team Most Valuable Player (MVP) was traded to the Boston Red Sox before entering the final year of his contract during the 2010 offseason.

Gonzalez was born in San Diego, but played for Mexico in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic. His nicknames include Gonzo^[1] and A-Gon.^[2]

Professional career[link]

Florida Marlins (2000–2003)[link]

Gonzalez was projected to be a late first-round pick out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California, but he advanced with his senior year performance.^[3] In June 2000, Gonzalez became the first infield position player to be drafted first overall since Alex Rodriguez in 1993. He was given a $3 million signing bonus by the Florida Marlins.^[4] While in the Marlins organization, Gonzalez played with the Gulf Coast League Marlins, Kane County Cougars, Utica Blue Sox, Portland Sea Dogs (2002), Albuquerque Isotopes (2003), and Carolina Mudcats (2003). With the A level Kane County Cougars in his 2nd professional season, Gonzalez hit .312 with 17 home runs and 103 RBI's in 127 games.

Texas Rangers (2004–2005)[link]

After a wrist injury, the Marlins felt Gonzalez would be hindered swinging the bat, so the Marlins included Gonzalez in a June 2003 trade with the Texas Rangers, along with Ryan Snare and minor leaguer Will Smith, to acquire a relief pitcher, Ugueth Urbina, to aid their championship drive.^[5] He played in 16 games for Texas in 2004 and in 43 games in 2005.

After the season, Gonzalez was traded to the San Diego Padres along with pitcher Chris Young and outfielder Terrmel Sledge. In return, the Rangers received Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka. Originally seen as an eventual replacement for Ryan Klesko at first base, Gonzalez was given the job when Klesko underwent shoulder surgery.

San Diego Padres (2006–2010)[link]

Gonzalez after a swing with the Padres on May 11, 2008

With extended playing time at first base in 2006, Gonzalez continued to improve his hitting and defense. On July 23, 2006, he was named the NL Player of the Week.^[6] In his first full season, he led the Padres in batting average (.304) and home runs (24). He was the first player in Petco Park history to have more than one multiple home run game. He was named the Padres' MVP for 2006.^[7]

On March 31, 2007, Gonzalez agreed to a $9.5 million, four-year deal, with a club option for $5.5 million in 2011.^[8] In the 2007 season, he led the Padres in home runs again, with 30, and had a team-high 100 RBIs. He led all Major League first basemen with 161 games and a career-high 46 doubles.^[7]

In the 2008 season, Gonzalez finished with a .279 average and once again led the Padres with 36 HRs and 119 RBIs. He was elected to the 2008 MLB All-Star Game as a reserve. He went 1 for 3 with a single and a sacrifice fly, scoring Miguel Tejada of the Houston Astros. He won his first Gold Glove Award in 2008 at first base. Gonzalez set career highs in games played (162), home runs (36), RBI (119), runs scored (103), walks (74) and slugging percentage (.510). He was named the Padres MVP for the second time.^[7]

Gonzalez played winter ball in the Mexican Pacific League for the Venados de Mazatlán. In the 2009 Caribbean Series, he led his team past the Dominican Republic's Tigres del Licey with a record-setting 3 home runs on February 4.^[9]

Gonzalez hit 23 homers and led Major League Baseball in that category at the end of May, 2009. This despite playing his home games at Petco Park, which Padres statisticians describe as an “extreme pitcher's park.”^[10] On May 18, Gonzalez was described as being one of the two most underrated players in the National League according to a poll of Major League executives and managers conducted by MLB.com.^[10] On April 1, Gonzalez was named the NL Co-Player of the Week for the second time in his career. During that week, Gonzalez hit four home runs, tallied 10 RBIs, and had a 1.000 slugging percentage.^[11] Gonzalez was elected to the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Game after voting by fellow players, managers and coaches.^[12] He subsequently participated in that year's Home Run Derby where he hit two home runs in the first round. On August 1, Gonzalez finished 6-for-6 with three RBI as the Padres topped the Milwaukee Brewers 13–6. Gonzalez's six hits are the most by any Padre in a nine-inning game. Three others have accomplished the feat, but did it in extra-inning contests. Gonzalez hit five singles and a double.

He led the majors in walks in 2009, with 119,^[13] while hitting 40 home runs for the first time in his career. He was named the Padres team MVP for 2009, his third time honored.^[7]

Gonzalez started the 2010 season playing well. On May 24, he was named the NL Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career.^[14] On June 2, Gonzalez hit a walk-off grand slam in extra innings to lead his team toward a 5–1 victory over the New York Mets.^[15] In July, Gonzalez was elected to participate in his third consecutive All-Star game.

During the 2010 season, Gonzalez had 176 hits in 591 at bats, good for a .298 batting average, his highest since hitting .304 in his rookie season (2006). He had 93 walks and 114 strikeouts. His 93 walks put him in third place in the NL behind only Prince Fielder (114) and Albert Pujols (103). He finished with 31 home runs and 101 RBI, the third time in his career he had 100 RBI or more. Gonzalez played in 160 games on the year, tying him with Rickie Weeks for 5th in the NL. He scored 87 runs on the season, compiling 302 total bases, which also tied him with Weeks, for 6th in the NL. Gonzalez was named team MVP for the third consecutive year and the fourth time overall with the Padres.^[16]

Gonzalez would have been in the last year of his contract in 2011, but the Padres were not going to meet Gonzalez’s open market value especially with Jeff Moorad’s purchase of the Padres from John Moores not completing until around 2013.^[17][18]

Boston Red Sox (2011–present)[link]

Gonzalez at the 2011 All-Star Game

On December 6, 2010, Gonzalez was traded to the Boston Red Sox for a package of right-handed pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, outfielder Reymond Fuentes, and a player to be named later, later determined to be Eric Patterson.^[19][20]

On April 15, 2011, Gonzalez and the Red Sox agreed to a seven-year contract extension worth $154 million through the 2018 season.^[21]

On June 19, 2011, Gonzalez hit his 1,000 career hit: a triple off of Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Yovani Gallardo.^[22]

On July 3, Adrian Gonzalez was selected to represent the Red Sox at the 2011 All Star game in Arizona along with fellow teammates Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, and Jon Lester. Gonzalez hit a home run in the game and was responsible for the only run for the American League. Additionally, Ortiz selected Gonzalez as one of three sluggers to join him in the Home Run Derby, where he finished second to Robinson Cano. Gonzalez tied a record for most home runs in the final round of the home run derby at 11, which was then surpassed by the victor Cano.

Gonzalez was named AL Player of the Month for June 2011 with a .401 average (40 for 99) – the best in the Majors for that month.^[23] After placing second in the 2011 Home Run Derby, Adrian Gonzalez faced a home-run slump until he hit five home runs in ten at-bats on August 23–25.

He appeared on the cover of baseball video game MLB 12: The Show.^[24] On November 21 the AL MVP ballots came out, with Adrian in seventh place and his team mate Ellsbury in 2nd, both losing to Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander.

Personal life[link]

The son of Mexican parents, Gonzalez spent his youth in Tijuana, Mexico & Bonita, California. His brother is former Padres teammate Edgar Gonzalez. Their father was a member of the Mexican national baseball team.^[25]

Gonzalez is a born-again Christian and engraved on his bats is "PS 27:1" for verse 1 from Psalm 27.^[26]

Gonzalez and his wife Betsy reside in San Diego.^[27] The couple created The Adrian and Betsy Gonzalez Foundation, which is focused on empowering underprivileged youth in areas of athletics, education and health.^[28]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Adrian Gonzalez

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Official website
• The Adrian and Betsy Gonzalez Foundation