Chi Chi González
Alexander Rios "Chi Chi" González is an American former professional pitcher and former bullpen catcher for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball. He played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, and Miami Marlins. González goes by Chi Chi, a nickname given to him by his grandfather.
Playing career
Amateur career
Gonzalez attended Boca Raton Community High School in Boca Raton, Florida, and played for the school's baseball team as a pitcher and third baseman. The Baltimore Orioles selected Gonzalez in the 11th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft. Rather than sign with the Orioles, Gonzalez attended Oral Roberts University, where he played college baseball for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. In 2012, he played collegiate summer baseball in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers selected González in the first round, with the 23rd overall selection, of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut with the Spokane Indians and also played for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Prior to the 2014 season, Baseball Prospectus rated González as the 70th best prospect in baseball. He started the season with Myrtle Beach before being promoted to the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders. He started 2015 with the Triple-A Round Rock Express.González was called up to the majors for the first time on May 30, 2015, and made his major league debut that day. He faced the veteran lineup of the Boston Red Sox and began the game pitching innings without surrendering a hit. It was the longest no-hit stretch to begin a career for a Rangers pitcher since 1992. On June 5, González threw a complete-game shutout against the Kansas City Royals; it was his first career complete game. He made 14 appearances for the Rangers during his rookie campaign, compiling a 4-6 record and 3.90 ERA with 30 strikeouts over 67 innings of work.
González made three starts for the Rangers during the 2016 season, but struggled to an 0-2 record and 8.71 ERA with seven strikeouts across innings pitched.
On March 17, 2017, González was diagnosed with a partial tear to the UCL; he subsequently received a platelet-rich plasma injection. On July 22, he was declared to need Tommy John surgery, ending his season and ruling him out for the entirety of the 2018 season as well. On December 1, González became a free agent after he was non-tendered by the Rangers.
On December 4, 2017, González re-signed with Texas on a minor league contract. During the year, he was able to make three scoreless rehab appearances for the rookie-level Arizona League Rangers and Low-A Spokane Indians. On November 2, 2018, González elected free agency.
Colorado Rockies
On December 4, 2018, González signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies. On June 25, his contract was selected by the Rockies. In 2019, González pitched to a 5.29 earned run average over 14 games for the Rockies, with 46 strikeouts. In 2020 for the Rockies, González pitched to a 6.86 ERA with 16 strikeouts in innings pitched. On December 2, González was non-tendered by the Rockies, and became a free agent.On December 11, 2020, González re-signed with the Rockies on a minor league contract. On March 27, 2021, González was selected to the 40-man roster. González made 24 appearances for the Rockies, going 3–7 with a 6.46 earned run average and 56 strikeouts. On October 3, the Rockies designated González for assignment. On October 8, González elected free agency.