Fernando González

Who is Fernando González?

José Fernando González Quinones is a retired Major League Baseball infielder. After which, he spent one season with the St. Lucie Legends of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. He batted and threw right-handed.

González originally signed with the short-lived Seattle Pilots as an amateur free agent in 1968, and remained part of the franchise through its move to Milwaukee. He played his first professional season with their Class A Clinton Pilots in 1969. He was released by the Milwaukee Brewers at the start of the 1970 season, and sat it out before catching on with the Pittsburgh Pirates for 1971. He batted .321 with nineteen home runs over two seasons in their farm system, and led the Eastern League in doubles and total bases in 1972 to earn a call up to the majors that September. He had two pinch hit at-bats, and struck out both times. Though they weren't teammates very long, González was part of several search parties that went looking for Roberto Clemente's body after Clemente's plane crashed on New Year's Eve, 1972, as he'd grown up idolizing Clemente.

He split the 1973 season between the Pirates and triple A Charleston Charlies, batting .224 with five runs batted in at the major league level and hitting his first major league home run on May 27 off the Houston Astros' Dave Roberts. After the season, he and pitcher Nelson Briles were traded to the Kansas City Royals for Kurt Bevacqua, Ed Kirkpatrick and minor leaguer Winston Cole.