Marlins' ace in the hole

www.sun-sentinel.com By Juan C. Rodriguez Staff Writer Posted March 9 2003

JUPITER · The way Marlins manager Jeff Torborg describes it, Alex Gonzalez had a hole in his left shoulder.

Diving for Barry Bonds' grounder last May in San Francisco, the Marlins shortstop landed awkwardly and suffered a separation. The pain was overwhelming. Unable to move his arm, Gonzalez writhed.

Trainer Sean Cunningham reset the shoulder in the clubhouse, but the hole in the Marlins' infield remained through season's end. Andy Fox did an admirable job filling in, but ask anyone who observed Gonzalez regularly during the season's first six weeks, and they'll express the same sentiments.

"If he hadn't gotten hurt I think he had a good chance to win the Gold Glove," said Ozzie Guillen, a former major league shortstop and the Marlins' third base coach. "He was playing relaxed. He wanted to be at the ballpark every day and was having fun."

Added infield and first base coach Perry Hill: "He was the best shortstop I'd seen in the National League at that time."

No one had to tell Gonzalez how well he was playing. Though he was a .225 hitter through 42 games, his glove was outstanding.

That another left shoulder injury -- Gonzalez first hurt it in 1996 -- short-circuited a promising season added to the sting. He first underwent shoulder surgery in the minors after a subluxation. He missed three months but was able to finish the season.

"I felt like I was on track for a Gold Glove," Gonzalez said. "That was another reason I felt sad after the injury. I was helping the team making plays, turning double plays. But you never know when you're going to get hurt. You just have to move forward and start the season with the same mentality of aiming for that Gold Glove."

Nothing the Marlins have seen thus far suggests Gonzalez won't contend for it. He's made all the plays defensively. Offensively, he's off to a slow start, batting .154 (2 for 13) in six games, but the Marlins were expecting that.

Gonzalez hadn't seen regular live pitching for a while. He was set to play winter ball in his native Venezuela in early December until political unrest prompted the suspension and ultimate cancellation of the remaining games.

The Marlins initially though Gonzalez could rehab the shoulder without surgery. By July, he was playing with Jupiter of the Gulf Coast League. Gonzalez reached for a pitch during his fifth game and the bat flew out of his hands. Less than a week later he underwent a procedure that usually requires a six- to nine-month recovery.

"I knew what I had to do after that kind of injury," said Gonzalez, who completed a similar rehabilitation program in 1996.

"It was a little tougher after this operation because they had to open my shoulder. I had in mind to recuperate quickly and that's what happened. By November I was in instructional league and was able to hit.

"After the last checkup I had here in December, I had it in my mind I could play. I felt the shoulder was strong and I could swing hard and with one hand. That was one of the things that bothered me after the operation. I got to spring training like nothing had happened, like I never had the surgery or never had the injury because I felt so strong."

Added Hill, who maintained regular contact with Gonzalez during his rehabilitation: "It doesn't look like he's missed a beat to me. He's got full range of motion. He's throwing well. We're all holding our breath for the first time he dives, but he seems 100 percent to me."

That's encouraging for the Marlins, who haven't benefited from a healthy Gonzalez two of the last three years.

In 2000, a left knee sprain sidelined him July 28-Sept. 1.

Physical problems don't encompass all of Gonzalez's shortcomings since he became a major league fixture. Earlier in his tenure he was reprimanded for not hustling in running out grounders.

His lone wolf disposition didn't make him the most popular guy among teammates either.

Guillen made it his mission last season to help his countryman project a better persona. Gonzalez has yet to require a refresher course.

"Everything I wanted to do with him I did last year," Guillen said.

"I talked to him about having fun because you never know how long this is going to last. It's also easier to have fun when you have a manager that understands you and is 100 percent behind you. The attitude he has now is positive and that's what we want from him.

"If he doesn't get hurt, this year we should see the Alex everybody expects to see."

Juan C. Rodriguez can be reached at jcrodriguez@sun-sentinel.com.