Quick Facts
Biography
Miguel Alfredo González Puebla (born September 23, 1986) is a Cuban professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball (MLB) in June 2013 and was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies on August 30, 2013.
Professional career
Cuban baseball career
He pitched for La Habana in the Cuban National Series from 2007-2009 and played for the Cuba national baseball team in the 2009 World Port Tournament and 2009 and 2011 Baseball World Cups. He was playing for the Artemisa team when he was caught trying to defect in January 2012 and he was suspended from playing in the league at that point. He succeeded in defecting from Cuba to El Salvador in 2013 and then moved to Mexico.
American baseball career
He pitched in some games for the Toros de Tijuana of the Liga Norte de Mexico as a showcase for American scouts, including those from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. On July 26, 2013, stories in the press reported that González agreed to a six-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, worth $60 million. However, the Phillies never confirmed the report and subsequent reports mentioned that the deal might not happen. On August 30, 2013, the Phillies announced they had signed Gonzalez to a 3-year, $12 million contract with a vesting option for 2017.
Entering spring training, it was still unknown whether he would be a member of the big league starting rotation, bullpen, or whether he would start the season with the Phillies Class AAA affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Ultimately, he opened the season on the 60-day disabled list (DL) "after not exactly impressing in a poor spring"; the official reason for his placement on the DL was "right shoulder tendinitis". Upon returning from injury, Gonzalez ascended through the Phillies' minor league system on a rehab assignment, compiling 54 strikeouts in 46 1⁄3 innings pitched. Used primarily out of the bullpen in his rehab stint, Gonzalez completed his minor league assignment with a 3.11 ERA and .231 opponent batting average. Deemed healthy and ready to begin his MLB career, Gonzalez was activated and assigned to the Phillies on September 2 as part of the roster expansion call-ups.
A poor spring training in 2015 led to the Phillies outrighting Gonzalez to the minor leagues and removing him from the 40-man roster. He was released by the Phillies on April 1, 2016.