Bill Ladson contributed to this edition of the D-backs Beat newsletter.
It was 25 years ago this past December when the D-backs made arguably the best trade in franchise history. They acquired veteran outfielder Luis Gonzalez from the Tigers for outfield prospect Karim García.
García became a distant memory, playing with seven teams over 10 seasons before his last big league game in 2004. Gonzalez, on the other hand, became an icon in Arizona because of what he did in the batter’s box. During his eight years with the D-backs from 1999-2006, Gonzalez was a five-time All-Star, hitting .298 with five 100-RBI seasons. He ranks second in Wins Above Replacement (30) among position players in Arizona's franchise history, according to Baseball Reference.
Gonzalez's success in the batter’s box was because of a change he made to his stance. Prior to the 1999 season, he was more of a doubles hitter. By the time he joined the D-backs, the left-handed hitter went from a closed stance to an open one by having his right foot facing towards first base and his left foot facing the pitcher. The results were extraordinary. Early in the season, Gonzalez had a 30-game hitting streak. By the end of the year, he led the National League with 206 hits.
“I was feeling more comfortable. I was surrounded by great players. I had Matt Williams hitting behind me. They were going after me and I was starting to have some success,” Gonzalez said via telephone. “This game is a lot about confidence, and, for me, it was just gaining that confidence and then feeling really good about being in a great situation.”