Former Phillies right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez has passed away after being involved in a traffic accident in Havana, according to reports from Francys Romero of CiberCuba.com and Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald. The Phillies organization has confirmed the loss of Gonzalez, who was just 34 years of age.
Gonzalez was one of several accomplished Cuban players to sign significant contracts with major league organizations in recent years. Like many of his countrymen, he underwent a harrowing process to chase his dreams, ultimately joining the Phillies on a three-year contract.
Unfortunately, things did not go quite as hoped from an on-field perspective. Gonzalez, whose original $48MM contract value was quartered after a physical revealed health concerns, did briefly reach the majors. But he was not able to establish himself at the game’s highest level, due in part to those same arm problems.
Still, Gonzalez’s legacy is secure, as he is regarded as one of the best starting pitchers of his generation from his home nation. MLBTR extends its heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, including those in the baseball community.
Godspeed
Rest In Peace, Miguel. You will be missed.
rip <3
Didn’t we just lose another Miguel Gonzalez in baseball? Sad stuff
Damn. Rest in peace MAG. Always hate seeing posts like this
RIP
Rest in peace
Is it typical for players who have defected to return to their native country?
Definitely not, which is why this raises so many suspicious questions. I’ll be curious to learn of the causes of the accident.
Regardless, my THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS to his family and friends.
Yes many Cubans (not just ball players) travel back and forth between the States and Cuba. Very sad news. RIP
I believe now it has changed guys return to Cuba. I believe Moncada is in Cuba.
Rest Easy
So sick of hearing of these recent losses.
World isn’t 100% safe; Just makes you more appreciative of traffic laws here in the U.S…
Rest in Peace, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez.
Regardless of what you’ve accomplished (or yet to accomplish) in MLB another sad story of yet another one gone too soon
“Just makes you more appreciative of traffic laws here in the U.S…”
That’s an odd comment, xabial. There are around forty thousand traffic fatalities in the US every year. Our ‘enlightened’ traffic laws, which you claim we should appreciate more as a result of this accident, are seriously underachieving. What would we call drawing a conclusion from a single—or a handful of incidents—if we were talking about baseball performance? Small sample size error.
Also, do you know how this accident happened, do you know that the identical accident wouldn’t or couldn’t have happened here because of our traffic laws? Folks regularly break the law here too, traffic laws in particular. Just wondering about the genesis of your statement, by jingo.
Yeah this is a weird and probably racist thing to say given that most of the ballplayers who have died in the past couple years in car accidents have been latino players outside the us (oscar tavares, yordano ventura, andy martes, a lot of others)…… i don’t know the stats and have no idea what countries have the safest traffic laws, but automobile accidents are one of the biggest causes of death almost everywhere. using the very sad deaths of these players to position the us as more enlightened than their home countries is really insensitive. even if IT WERE true which i don’t think it is.
i do think the number of players dying WAY too young in these situations recently is troubling, and should make us more aware of the dangers on the road and what we can do to be safer. but thoughtless, casually racist remarks will not so that.
Tavernas died because he was driving while lit up with alcohol! Don’t know about the others, but lack of common sense might have been the cause in those cases, as well. Just sayin’.
Traveras, sorry Oscar.
You still can’t spell Taveras right and you’re being ridiculously disrespectful. Driving under the influence is irresponsible but he already passed dude now is not the time to shame his death
First, bad spelling and grammar on the internet is pretty much a common place. Second, Taveras did die from an accident while he was drunk and killed his girlfriend at the same time. I am a person who comes from a family of drunks I find it offensive he was behind the wheel while being drunk. If Tavares was a man who wasn’t an athlete would you look at him the same? Would you still be screaming to the internet to not shame him for riving drunk?
Finally this has nothing to do with Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez. None of you should use this to make an issue about other players.
hzt502, as I told majoflaw..
Every time a MLB player/prospect dies in an automobile accident in another country, it makes me appreciate our traffic rules/laws more. These deaths from car accidents abroad, been happening too much!
This one hits me especially hard because I’ve followed Alfredo Gonzalez since the Phillies, signed him, especially when they reduced from “$48M” to “$12M”. I’ve wanted him to prove them wrong ever since. I did not think the tone of my response was disrespectful in any way.
I know $48M or $12M, is life-changing money that last many people a lifetime. But getting reduced from $48M initially, to $12M contract, I felt for him and have wanted him to pitch with a chip on his shoulder ever since. I actually can’t remember a decrease in initial salary/offer that drastic since, due to health concern, or otherwise (might’ve be the record) it is for this reason, I’ve always been a fan of Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, since the day the Phillies signed him because of the long road, or hardships he faced before and after signing. There are some people you can’t help but root for. Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez was one of those people for me.
This is taking race baiting to a whole new level. Please keep race out of it. I will not tolerate being called “kinda” or “any form of “racist ”in this forum, or any other forum. This topic is hard enough to discuss hzt502, without people like you, who always find a way to make it about race. I usually don’t comment, unless the sentiment especially hits home.
US traffic laws are terrible and there will always be t-bone accidents and stupid traffic as long as we keep 4 way intersections and carpool lanes instead of roundabouts and passing lanes. There is much to be done to increase road safety and we spend billions in infrastructure to make traffic even worse.
RIP Miguel Gonzalez, gone too soon. my prayers go out to your family and friends.
Majorflaw,
The traffic laws here keep us safe. Whether it be speed limits, etc. They’re enforced, but never appreciated. This makes you appreciate them more. Other than Nick Adenhart (Killed by a Drunk Driver) I can’t remember the last prominent MLB player, former MLB player, or minor league prospect to die, simply driving a car. Can you? Open your eyes. There’s a pattern here, and all these deaths involve an automobile accident, of some sort, in other countries.
I can’t comment on Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez’s situation specifically, or act like I know. As of Friday Nov24 9:30PM, the title of this article still has “reportedly” dies. Details are extremely limited at this point. All I know (and have to go by) is it happened in another country, and player’s deaths due to automobile accidents in other countries, seem to be happening a lot of lately… because of the scarcity of news (thank the good lord) involving former/current MLB players deaths, due to automobile accidents, This makes me appreciate our traffic laws more.
I don’t know what I said wrong.
Oh, Jesus, either people like arguing for the sake of arguing, or they really don’t know the first thing about transportation
“Open Your eyes. There’s a pattern here.”
You haven’t made that case at all. First of all, a quick search tells me that traffic fatalities per 100K in pop. in Cuba, the situs of this accident, are lower than in the US. Get it, xabial, your entire premise is false. You are trying to explain a fact that isn’t true.
Second, let’s focus on your original point. You stated that we in the US should appreciate our traffic laws as they keep us safe. By that logic Cubans should appreciate their traffic laws more as they are kept safer.
Also, if you are claiming that traffic laws here keep us safer than traffic laws elsewhere you’ve got to be specific. Do they not have a speed limit elsewhere? No stop signs?
The answer to your final question:
“I don’t know what I said wrong.”
should be apparent. You are using an unfortunate death in Cuba to pimp US traffic laws for some bizarre reason. Our laws, like everything else that is ours, must be better than what everyone else has, huh, xabial? You can do better than this.
RIP
Rest in Piece Miguel
RIP sad so young
This clearly isn’t the main takeaway from this, but it’s really crazy how many deaths like this occur on roads in the Dominican Republic (and in Cuba, in this instance), so it at least makes you wonder what could be changed. Regardless, these posts seem to occur way too often, and it’s terrible. He was gone way too soon…RIP
Their infrastructure is not as well defined as the US. They don’t have the money so it is only natural that the roads are not as well maintained.
As someone who’s Spanish myself, I can easily answer this. Traffic laws aren’t really a thing in Spanish countries. Don’t ask me why but even if an intersection has a stop sign or light, people just run them.
I don’t know if it’s just a lack of funding for traffic cops that led to that, but it’s been that way for a couple decades and has led to a very careless culture of driving.
Wow rip
Shocking although I guess I shouldn’t be with joe often this has been happening lately. Really sad stuff.
Rest In Peace
First Halladay and now Gonzalez. So sad for the Phillies organization. Hope both RIP
These premature deaths of baseball players needs to stop.
Rest In Peace.
This comment section on each post was setup and meant to be for intelligent(ish) baseball banter. The traffic arguments are out of you people’s grasp. Unless you are indeed, well-traveled and well versed. Ok sure there are parts of the world with poor traffic conditions. I’ve only heard of them. Not enough to draw my own conclusions or make any comments. Traffic accidents are just that! Accidents. The gentleman that first commented about being thankful for U.S. traffic laws meant no harm. And I’m sure is correct to some degree. All this back and forth petty arguing is ridiculous and ruining this site. You guys that post it, do a fine job, despite the correction on the first comment anytime there is a mistake. I just encourage everyone that is always arguing, and making fun, and trying to “one-up” the previous commenter, to just take a step back and realize how ridiculous it is.
Someone passing through here that did happen to have extensive intimate first-hand professional knowledge pertaining to transportation safety would probably do just that… realize how ridiculous it is.
And Rest In Peace young man. Sad to hear this tragic news.
Via Con Dios, RIP Hermano.
He came from the gutter, but managed to touch the stars…
Poor guy, and Cuba is actually safer than you guys think, less people drive individual cars there
RIP