Dicky Angel Gonzalez Vallenilla (born December 21, 1978
) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) for the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
and
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...
and in
Nippon Professional Baseball
is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball".
The roots of the league ...
for the
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams in Tokyo, the other being the Yomiuri G ...
,
Yomiuri Giants
The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...
, and
Chiba Lotte Marines
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based in Chiba, Chiba, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, in the Kantō region, and owned by Lotte Holdings, Lotte Holdings Co., Ltd. The Marines were a founding member of the Pacific Le ...
.
Career
Gonzalez was drafted by the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
in the 16th round of the
1996 Major League Baseball draft. He played part of the season for the Mets. Prior to the 2002 season, he was traded with
Bruce Chen
Bruce Kastulo Chen (born June 19, 1977) is a Panamanian former professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astro ...
,
Luis Figueroa, and a
player to be named later
In Major League Baseball, a player to be named later (PTBNL) is an unnamed player involved in exchange or "trade" of players between teams. The terms of a trade are not finalized until a later date, most often following the conclusion of the seaso ...
(
Saúl Rivera) to the
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos () were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (baseball), National League ...
for
Phil Seibel
Philip Matthew Seibel (born January 28, 1979) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher.
Biography
Seibel attended the University of Texas, where he pitched for the Texas Longhorns baseball team from 1998 to 2000. He also ...
,
Scott Strickland
Scott Michael Strickland (born April 26, 1976) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) relief pitcher who played for several teams between 1999 and 2010.
Amateur career
A native of Houston, Texas, Strickland attended the University of ...
and
Matt Watson. Prior to the 2003 season, he was selected off waivers by the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...
.
Gonzalez pitched for the
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. They are one of two major league clubs based i ...
organization in , pitching for the Devil Rays briefly. He was released on June 7, 2004. He joined the
Tokyo Yakult Swallows
The Tokyo Yakult Swallows () are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams in Tokyo, the other being the Yomiuri G ...
and their farm team in . He missed all of with an elbow injury.
He played in the
2006 World Baseball Classic
The 2006 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was the inaugural tournament between national baseball teams that included players from Major League Baseball. It was held from March 3 to 20 in stadiums in or around Tokyo, Japan, and the American cities o ...
for
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
.
After the 2008 season with the Swallows which saw him make only eight starts (1-5, 4.30), he was released. The Giants signed Gonzalez to a one-year, 30 million
yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro.
T ...
contract in the offseason. Gonzalez ended up having a career year in 2009, as he set career highs pretty much across the board. In 23 starts, he finished with 15 wins against two losses in 162 innings pitched, recorded a 2.11 ERA, and had two complete games. He started two games in the
2009 Japan Series against the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, winning one and receiving a
no-decision in the other.
See also
*
List of Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico currently has the fourth-most active baseball positions, players in Major League Baseball (MLB) among Latin American jurisdictions, behind the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Cuba. More than four hundred players from the archipelago ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Dicky
1978 births
Living people
Binghamton Mets players
Capital City Bombers players
Chiba Lotte Marines players
Durham Bulls players
Gigantes de Carolina (baseball) players
Gulf Coast Mets players
Kingsport Mets players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico
New York Mets players
Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers
Norfolk Tides players
Ottawa Lynx players
Pawtucket Red Sox players
Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Canada
Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Japan
St. Lucie Mets players
Tampa Bay Devil Rays players
Tokyo Yakult Swallows players
Yakult Swallows players
Yomiuri Giants players
2006 World Baseball Classic players
Baseball players from Bayamón, Puerto Rico