Arizona Diamondbacks Mount Rushmore
By David Hill
Luis Gonzalez (1999-2006)
A solid player who was nothing more than a decent part of the lineup, Luis Gonzalez exploded to stardom with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In his first year in the desert, Gonzalez led the National League with 206 hits. He recorded his first career 100 RBI campaign, and made his first All Star Game. From that point, Gonzalez continued to improve, culminating with his stellar 2001 season. That year, he had an incredible .325/.429/.688 batting line, belting a career high 57 homers and driving in 142 runs.
During his time with the Diamondbacks, he was a five time All Star, and won the 2001 Silver Slugger award. Overall, he produced a .298/.391/.529 batting line, hitting 224 homers and 310 doubles. Gonzalez became an intimidating presence in the lineup, drawing 650 walks, 94 of which were intentional, while striking out only 580 times.
As good as he was, Gonzalez is remembered amongst Diamondbacks fans by one at bat. In the bottom of the ninth in Game Seven, while facing the great Mariano Rivera, Gonzalez dropped a base hit up the middle, plating the championship winning run. He was dubbed “Mr. November” in Arizona, as his clutch hit brought about the Diamondbacks first World Series.
Luis Gonzalez made sure that he was an important part of Arizona Diamondbacks history. That base hit alone may have been enough to make him a part of the franchise’s Mount Rushmore.