A First Overall Pick in 2000, Adrian Gonzalez was drafted by the Florida Marlins, but a wrist injury in the minors convinced the team that he would not become a bona fide Major League player. Gonzalez was traded to Texas, where he eventually made the main roster, but the Rangers deemed him expendable, and he was traded to San Diego, the city he grew up in.
Gonzalez would quickly take over for the injured Ryan Klesko at First Base, and he proved the Marlins assessment wrong. The First Baseman had 173 Hits, 24 Home Runs, and batted .304 in his first year in San Diego, and he followed that with a 30 HR, 100 RBI season in 2007. Gonzalez was named to the All-Star Team the next three years, all of which were good power years with 36, 40, and 31 Home Runs, respectively.
Gonzalez was also developing a keener batting eye, leading the NL in Walks (119) in 2009. Gonzalez earned MVP votes in all three of his All-Star years, peaking with a fourth-place finish in 2010. Defensively, Gonzalez also added two Gold Gloves to his trophy case.
At the conclusion of the 2010 Season, Gonzalez would be traded to the Red Sox for four players. Gonzalez blasted 161 Home Runs with a .514 Slugging Percentage as a Padre.
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