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Atlanta Braves free agent profile: Carlos Gonzalez

By Benjamin Chase

PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 30: Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on April 30, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - APRIL 30: Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on April 30, 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
DENVER, CO – AUGUST 25: Carlos Gonzalez #5 of the Colorado Rockies hits a sixth inning double against the St. Louis Cardinals at Coors Field on August 25, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. Players are wearing special jerseys with their nicknames on them during Players’ Weekend. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Major league time

While Carlos Gonzalez opened the 2008 season in AAA, he was up to the major leagues on May 30th of that season, and he made a positive impression, hitting .242/.273/.361 with 22 doubles, 4 home runs, and 4 stolen bases over 85 games. Many figured he would be a fixture in the Oakland lineup for years to come.

Then the A’s made a deal that sent Gonzalez along with Greg Smith (again) and Huston Street to Colorado for Matt Holliday. He couldn’t have asked for a better destination, hitting .284/.353/.525 with 14 doubles, 7 triples, 13 home runs, and 16 steals over 89 games.

He took over the next season as a full-time starter, and though he battled injuries, from 2010-2016, Gonzalez had an incredible run in Colorado. He made three All-Star teams, won 3 Gold Gloves, won 2 Silver Sluggers, and had a top-3 MVP finish in that run. Gonzalez averaged .296/.353/.535 with 26 home runs and 13 stolen bases over 127 games.

The last two seasons, Gonzalez has fallen off to some level, hitting .269/.334/.445, averaging 33 doubles and 15 home runs.

Coors vs. the road

One of the big concerns for any free agent coming out of Colorado is how he’ll hit outside of the comfortable confines of Coors Field. Carlos Gonzalez has long had heavy home/road splits.

For his career, Gonzalez had a .251/.307/.420 line on the road and a .323/.381/.592 line at home. Interestingly, his .246 split in OPS between home and away is similar to his split against righty pitchers vs. his work against lefties. Against left-handed pitchers, Gonzalez has hit .261/.297/.434 while he’s hit .299/.366/.540 against righties, for a split of .173.

One thing to note is that Gonzalez has hit .269/.304/.423 at other NL East ballparks. He’s never hit at SunTrust.

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