Erik González brings the Dominican Republic to Jacksonville 

Not every player can say they’ve met their source of inspiration. Even fewer can say that they played with them. Jumbo Shrimp shortstop Erik González, however, is one such individual who can say that he has.

A Puerto Plata native, González grew up idolizing Albert Pujols.

“When I was growing up in the Dominican, I saw the best 10 years of (his) play. Pujols got the best 10 years [of play] like 2001-2010,” González said. “He has a beautiful career and he’s gonna be my example for all of my career too.”

In 2021, however, the example of his career collided with his own. It’s not every day that a minor leaguer gets to play with a player as accomplished as Pujols, but playing with Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Winter Ball league gave González the chance of a lifetime.

“I saw Albert Pujols when I was a kid,” said González . “I never thought I’m gonna play on the same team as Albert Pujols. That’s amazing, you know? And for me, that was the best feeling I felt in the game. (I) saw the lineup, and I was a hitter behind Albert Pujols, and I was a hitter in front of Albert Pujols too, and I think that’s the best thing. One of the three best things to happen in baseball for me.”

On top of playing with “The Machine,” González was also able to connect with Pujols both on and off the field. The most important words of wisdom Pujols imparted to González? To keep pushing forward, because baseball is a marathon, not a sprint.

Pujols isn’t the only significant aspect of playing in winter ball for González, though. For him, it’s a change of pace that also provides a change in perspective.

Winter ball takes place in baseball hotbeds throughout the Dominican Republican, Venezuela and Puerto Rico/ The seasons are much shorter than those in Minor League Baseball, meaning every win and loss is more significant, and the stress for perfection is much higher.

“You need to play every day like it’s the last game of the season because it’s too short, the season, you know? And the pressure there is too high. You want to do things perfectly,” González said.

Out of that stress, however, comes a greater passion for the sport that reinvigorates his love for the game.

“When you go to winter ball, you start to love the game again, one more time,” said González. “You see the passion there, and you start to love the game one more time when you play there. And like I said in winter ball, you play to win every day. When you play there and it’s sold out , you need to win every day, you start to love the game more, you concentrate more, and that I think is the most important thing in the world.”

Winter ball has been a special experience for Erik González. It’s given him a chance to view the sport he’s been a part of his whole life in a new light. It’s also given him the opportunity to play with the inspirations for his career, Albert Pujols, at the twilight of Pujols’ career. More than anything else though, it’s a chance to play baseball in the country he calls home: The Dominican Republic.