by Andrew J. Ferraro
Staff Writer
After a third-straight second-place finish in the National League Central division, the Houston Astros thought it was time to make some changes.
The best-known change is former Houston pitcher and broadcaster Larry Dierker's move from the booth to the dugout as the Astros new manager.
But the Luis Gonzalez trade made the most sense for the Astros.
Gonzalez, who played for the Astros from 1990 to 1995 before being traded to the Chicago Cubs halfway through the 1995 campaign, couldn't be happier to be back in Houston.
"It feels good to be back and I'm excited about getting to play here again," Gonzalez said. "My wife and I kept our home here, and it's the place where I played my whole career, except for that trade where I was in Chicago for a year and a half. But I'm just happy to be back in Houston."
Gonzalez, a graduate of Jefferson High School in Tampa, Fla., played collegiate baseball at the University of South Alabama, where he was selected to Baseball America's second team and all-freshman team.
He was selected by Houston in the fourth round of the 1988 June draft. Two years later, he made his major league debut.
On Sept. 8, 1990, Gonzalez made his first start against the San Francisco Giants and doubled off Steve Bedrosian for his first major-league hit.
The following year, in his first full season with the Astros, Gonzalez led the team in extra-base hits with 28 doubles, nine triples and 13 home runs.
He hit the first two homers of his career off Greg Maddux, then with the Cubs, on May 1, 1991.
Gonzalez said that even before the trade, Wrigley Field was always his favorite park to play and hit in.
His lifetime average there is .351 and includes 10 homers and 43 RBI.
"Before I was traded there, Wrigley was always my favorite park to play in," Gonzalez said. "I hit the ball well there (better than any other park in the NL) and they've got good fans there. It's neat to run out to left field with the bleacher bums ragging on you, but they're just good sports fans."
For a season and a half, Gonzalez hit .280 in Chicago, including 22 homers and 113 RBI.
But Gonzo, as many of his teammates and fans call him, is back and many of the Astros say they are glad to have one less tough out to deal with when he steps up to the plate as the opposition.
"We're happy to have him back." Astros second baseman Craig Biggio said. "He's done a lot for the community and people like him.
"He's just like everybody else that's left here in the last four or five years," Biggio said. "They usually come back and get two or three hits off us, so I'm glad that we have those hits on our side rather than them coming back to get us."
Gonzalez was in the starting lineup last Tuesday when the Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves 2-1 in front of the largest opening-day crowd in the history of Astros baseball.
"It was exciting and I felt like I didn't miss a day from the trade and everything," Gonzalez said. "It felt really good to be back and the fans really gave a warm welcome to all the guys and it was just really fun to be out there again."
And for the most part, Gonzalez said he is really excited about this year's team and feels that a division championship and the team's first playoff appearance since 1986 are not that far out of reach.
"I like the character of this ballclub," Gonzalez said. "We've got a scrappy bunch of guys, a blue-collar team and everybody works hard out there.
"An ideal season would be to get to the playoffs and hopefully go to the World Series," he said. "We've been working hard and if we can get there, then everybody will be real happy around here."