Sox’s Gonzalez hopes youth will fill his shoes

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BOSTON – Back when the only things big league about Alex Gonzalez were his dreams, he got a gift that was both practical and inspirational at the same time.

It was a pair of nearly new, baseball cleats – an item that was hard to come by in Cagua, Venezuela – sent to him by Jesus Garces, a major league prospect at the time who is a brother to former major league and Red Sox relief pitcher Rich Garces.

“I didn’t have spikes, so that was great,” Gonzalez said while rummaging through his locker before Monday night’s home game against Kansas City.

Nowadays, there is no shortage of cleats or any other type of baseball equipment for the Boston Red Sox starting shortstop.

That’s apparent after one look at Gonzalez’s locker, which is crammed full of 15 pairs of baseball shoes and sneakers at the bottom.

“I use them for two weeks, three weeks and I trade them for new ones,” said the all-star infielder and eight-year major league veteran.

Now don’t think of Gonzalez as wasteful or greedy. Quite the opposite, actually. Gonzalez doesn’t actually trade them for anything, nor does he throw them away. He saves them and, once he has enough to throw in a large box, he ships them to Venezuela to young baseball players in his hometown and surrounding areas.

“I give some of them to my friends and send a bunch of them back home to guys working to be pros and get signed. I give them batting gloves, bats and stuff,” he explained. “A lot of guys do that.”

The man regarded by many as one of the best defensive shortstops in the majors wears a size 10 shoe.

“Some guys I send stuff to are 12 or 15, but we don’t have a lot of big guys down there so most guys can wear my size,” he said. “I like to try and help people [at] home if I can.”

And he can. Gonzalez not only sends shoes, he sends balls, bats, batting gloves, and might even think about home plate if it wasn’t anchored to the Fenway Park infield.

“I send some jerseys to my dad,” Gonzalez admitted with a laugh. “My dad has a softball team, so I send him the same uniform that we wear. He has 24 guys on the team, so they wear my uniform with numbers 1 through number 24 with ‘A. Gonzalez’ on the back.”

Gonzalez is especially proud of the fact that two players he’s helped with surplus equipment have gone on to play professionally.

Willie Romero is an outfielder for Leones de Yucatan in the Mexican League and Carlos Mendes has risen all the way to the Triple A ranks in the Atlanta Braves organization and is currently batting .297 with two home runs and 36 RBIs as a catcher for the Richmond Braves.

“They [athletic equipment manufacturers like Wilson and Rawlings] give us more stuff than we can use, so I try to find people who need it and they appreciate that,” he said.

For the record, Gonzalez does use two pairs of cleats/spikes: three-quarter inch metal spike shoes for games on grass and plastic-cleated shoes for games on artificial turf.

His was The Wiz

It probably won’t come as a huge shock to anyone that Boston’s shortstop grew up idolizing a man many call the best defensive shortstop ever.

“My favorite player was [St. Louis Cardinals and Hall of Fame member] Ozzie Guillen,” said Gonzalez. “I loved watching him.”

Gonzalez has drawn comparisons to the Wizard of Oz over his eight major league seasons after making plays like the unassisted double play he turned in Sunday afternoon’s game against Oakland. Gonzalez dove on the run, speared a ground ball hit to the right of second base, tagged second as he grabbed the ball, and fired a strike to first as the runner slid by him at second base.

“That kind of play, you have to be patient and picture it before it happens. I stay on the ball and never think about the runner,” Gonzalez explained. “I just grab the ball and toss it back. It’s all in here. It’s instinct. First you make sure you get the runner and try to turn the double play.”

Farming surplus

The Red Sox went into the all-star break in first place despite numerous injuries and a revolving door at the No. 5 slot in the starting pitching rotation largely because of defense, but contributions from players only a year or less removed from the minors has also been a big key.

Boston general manager Theo Epstein says the organizations focus on drafting collegiate players with more maturity and experience has played a part in the rapid rise of some of Boston’s prospects.

“It takes three years or so to really develop a farm system,” said Epstein during Monday’s batting practice at Fenway Park.

That quick injection of talent into a Boston farm system that was maligned by minor league talent evaluators for years has transformed the Red Sox organization and it has also allowed Boston to be less conservative in this year’s draft and take a chance on raw talent just out of high school.

“Now we’re at the point where we’re just looking for talent. It doesn’t matter what form it comes in,” Epstein explained. “You have to identify the right guys in the draft and then you have to develop it. It’s a lot of work.”

Oh, and if you were wondering, Boston’s success with minor league call-ups this year doesn’t necessarily mean the Red Sox bargaining position has been strengthened in potential trade talks with other teams thinking Boston might be desperate to shore up its pitching.

“No, that dynamic doesn’t really exist,” Epstein said.

Farrell throws out first pitch

Former Saturday Night Live cast member, comedian, and actor Will Farrell wandered into the Red Sox locker room while touring Fenway Park Monday, and found something to talk about with Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon.

Farrell, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch while all decked out in a full, vintage 1970’s-era Red Sox uniform before the game, also stopped by the New England Sports Network television booth to chat with Sox color analyst Jerry Remy and play-by-play man Don Orsillo.