17 June 2056
37yo DH Pedro Gonzáles
Pedro Gonzáles is not hard to find in a crowd. He’s 6’7” and although he’s not overly muscular, you can just see that he’s an athlete – lithe, long, and impressive. I’m reminded of that as he walks in a local coffee shop in Gqeberha, South Africa (formerly known as Port Elizabeth), to meet me. He’s also weathered and looks more like he makes a living in hard labor. One would guess that he must be far older than his 37 years. But Gonzáles is a baseball player. Or, in his words, “I am baseball. It’s in my genes and most of the best and worst things in my life include baseball in one way or another.”
That relationship to baseball is evident because he’s spent 18 years of his life playing the game professionally. He has never been married and has no children. And it’s not just the many years he’s devoted to the sport. He has continued to play despite never making an appearance in the major leagues. Not the BBA, not the UMEBA, not the GBC. Not in 2040 when he posted a .281 AVG and .920 OPS with 27 doubles, 3 triples, 25 HR, and 76 RBI with the Missouri Blues (AAA affiliate for Louisville). Not in 2046 when, for Twin Cities’ AAA affiliate in Duluth, he posted a .262 AVG and .889 OPS with 19 doubles, 22 HR, and 60 RBI. Not in any of the 9 seasons he compiled a WAR above 1.5.
Gonzáles was drafted in the 6th round of the 2036 BBA draft by Vancouver but never signed a deal. In 2038 he was drafted in the 10th round, signed by Edmonton, then traded to Louisville that same year. He has played in the BBA minors for Omaha, Twin Cities, Chicago, Portland and the GBC including Sydney and Tokyo.
I ask him if he regrets all of that time and not a plate appearance for a major league team. “Regret? I don’t understand the meaning of that word in the context of doing what you were made to do. I regret plays. But never, as long as I’m still allowed on a baseball field, will I regret playing. Someone once told me that in anything you will get precisely as far as your effort deserves. I don’t like the words “journeyman” or “career minor leaguer” because whatever the level, whatever time of year, whatever is at stake I know I put in all I could and, sometimes, more.”
The most obvious question I put to him first, “Why have you not retired?” I won’t soon forget the spark of resentment towards me that I caught in his stare. “A day will come,” he says. “When I finish a game and realize that there are no more games to play. Ever. Maybe it’s an injury, maybe it’s when my agent comes up empty. That day will be a day imposed on me. A day to tally up my effort and balance the books so to speak. I’m not sure how I will feel. It’s a mystery.”
I wanted more questions and more answers. Really, as a fan of baseball, I wanted to continue hearing his voice woven into that fabric. But before I can get all the way thru my list Gonzáles apologizes as he has to arrive early at the stadium to continue working with a rookie on his swing. Pedro currently plays for the Port Elizabeth Windies, AAA affiliate for Tokyo Pearls in the GBC.
In his career, he has earned $2,155,181. That's an AAV of $119,732. That’s decent but not enough for a long retirement. I get the feeling that, after his playing days, he’ll still be on a baseball diamond somewhere and likely in a coaching role. Because there is no with or without, it’s what he is and will always be. Even if it’s forever at levels below the bright lights.
