Michael Gonzalez is a pure legitimate utility player originally from Ontario, California. Michael played his college ball at La Sierra University in California where he played a huge part in turning the program around. They had 2 wins his freshman year and by the time his senior year came around, they broke the school record in wins and were only 2 games out of playoffs which is a massive turn around in college baseball. He played in the Cal Pac conference which is one of the best conferences in the country in the NAIA. Michael was a four year two-way starter, team captain, and won numerous accolades while also leading the team in conference play his senior year with a slash line of .370/.453/.648. Also as a pitcher had a team best era of 3.31 which was over 3 runs lower than anyone else on the team. He was All Conference as a utility/two way player as seen in this article and also named male athlete of the year. He started at all 9 positions on the field but primarily shortstop, pitcher, and catcher throughout his 4 years. Michael was the teams closer and big game spot starter all 4 years as well. He pitches from a 3/4 arm angle with his arsenal including a mid to upper 80’s sinker as well as a curveball, slider, and change up. Defensively, beyond the fact he his very versatile, he has a plus arm across the diamond with ability to throw the ball 90+ mph. Behind the dish, he was described by coaches as having superior knowledge of the game, great at handling a pitching staff, and next level ability of calling a game.

Post college Michael had offers to play professional ball in the states but decided to take his career overseas to Austria in 2016 to play for the Rohrbach Crazy Geese where he arrived half way through their season. He ended up leading the league in numerous offensive categories, while hitting a staggering batting average of .528. He helped turn a 6-8 team into a 16-12 that ended up sneaking into the playoffs and winning the championship. He then played winter ball in Western Australia where he put up similar numbers but exhibited more power with 10 doubles and 4 home runs and was a top hitter for the winter according to IBC. Michael then returned to Europe but this time to France to play with the French Cubs, a league known for importing a lot of pitchers. Once again Michael had a successful season at the plate but was used more for his pitching than with previous teams posting an era of 1.63 with 49 K’s in 45 innings pitched. His 0-3 record does not justify his performance and the 18 unearned runs of 26 total with the lowest ERA in the league is a pretty good indication of how he can be 0-3 with these stats. He was recognized by IBC as a top 5 two-way player and pitcher overseas.

Michael went back home for the 2017-2018 winter after three straight seasons overseas due to the fact he had signed an Independent ball contract to the Desert League which took place in winter. Unfortunately for him the league folded early in the season, so he didn’t get to play all winter like anticipated. So while back home he still continued to train with his first real offseason to lift and hit with his hitting coaches Derek Evans and Darrell Evans who is a former MLB Hall of Fame Nominee and is the current hitting coach of numerous current MLB and MILB players. Also he took on a coaching role at his former college La Sierra University while being home. During this time he went from 165 pounds which was his college playing weight to 180 pounds. He also felt that a full offseason with his hitting coaches helped him work on his swing to create even more power.

Michael for the 2018 season played in Switzerland where he coached the U15 Switzerland national team and helped the Lucerne Eagles to their best record in club history while being a league leader in several offensive categories. He ended up being part of the top European success stories by IBC in this article and also did well enough in Switzerland to be recognized as one of Europe’s top offensive imports in this article. Michael finished playing the 2018-2019 winter in New Zealand in the Auckland Premier League playing for the Waitakere Bears where he was awarded the MVP for the season and recognized as one of the top IBC hitters for the winter again in this article. For the 2019 summer, Michael went to the Czech Republic playing in the Extraliga for Skokani Olomouc which ended up being on the bottom team in the league by quite a bit and ended up getting relegated. The team finished the season on a very long 31 game losing streak which he felt inflated/deflated his numbers. From there he decided to sign to play in the Netherlands with the Euro Stars in the Overgangsklasse for their playoffs. As he wanted to get back on track to winning and being successful on the field as an individual and team again. From there he signed a contract to go play for the 2020 season but due to the Covid-19 the season was cancelled.

Michael is an international veteran who is very hard working, has become a leader of any team he has played for, and has proven to have consistent success overseas on both sides of the ball. Michael is made for the international game, with his ability to be a legitimate player at any position on the field. He is a very valuable asset to any club. Any club interested in Michael is encouraged to reach out with any questions or expressions of interest.