Marwin González

3.1.1. Chicago Cubs Farm System

González signed as an international free agent with the Chicago Cubs on November 23, 2005. From 2006 through 2011, he developed within the Cubs' farm system, eventually reaching the Triple-A level in 2011 with the Iowa Cubs. Initially, he primarily played as an infielder until 2008, before beginning to also play as an outfielder starting in 2009, demonstrating his burgeoning versatility.

3.2.1. Houston Astros (First Stint)

González's journey to the Major Leagues began with a significant move on December 8, 2011, when the Boston Red Sox selected him from the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft. Subsequently, the Red Sox traded him to the Houston Astros in exchange for pitcher Marco Duarte.

In 2012, González made the Astros' Opening Day roster. He played 80 games with the Astros, alongside 13 games in Triple-A with the Oklahoma City RedHawks. During this season, he batted .234 with two home runs and 12 runs batted in (RBIs). In 2013, González again split his time between MLB (72 games) and Triple-A (44 games). On April 2, he famously broke up a perfect game bid by Yu Darvish of the Texas Rangers with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs. For the season with Houston, he batted .221 with four home runs and 14 RBIs.

González then spent the entirety of the next five seasons in MLB with Houston. From 2014 through 2016, he compiled a combined .268 batting average with 31 home runs and 108 RBIs across 364 games. On August 18, 2015, González hit his first career walk-off home run in the tenth inning against All-Star closer Brad Boxberger, securing a 3-2 win for the Astros against the Tampa Bay Rays. He set a unique major league record by hitting his first 25 MLB home runs with no one on base. This streak was broken on May 6, 2016, when he hit a home run with Evan Gattis on second base.

In 2017, González achieved career-best statistics, recording a slash line of .303/.377/.530, along with 23 home runs and 90 RBIs. He received six votes in the AL MVP balloting, finishing 19th. Notably, he saw the lowest percentage of fastballs among all MLB hitters in 2017 (45.7%). By the end of the 2016 season, González had appeared at every position for the Astros except pitcher and catcher, highlighting his extensive versatility. He played a career-high 92 games at first base in 2016. In 2018, González slashed .247/.324/.409 and saw the highest percentage of curveballs (14.9%) among all MLB hitters. After the 2018 season, he opted not to re-sign with the Astros and became a free agent.

Over his initial seven seasons with the Houston Astros, González played in 795 games, hitting 76 home runs and accumulating 292 RBIs with a .264 batting average. He primarily played as an infielder in 2012 and 2013, expanding his defensive roles to include the outfield thereafter.

3.2.2. Minnesota Twins

On February 25, 2019, González signed a two-year contract worth 21.00 M USD with the Minnesota Twins. During the 2019 season, he played in 114 games, batting .264 with 15 home runs and 55 RBIs. In the shortened 2020 season, which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, he appeared in 53 games, batting .211/.286/.320 with 5 home runs and 22 RBIs in 175 at-bats. He became a free agent in late October 2020.

3.2.3. Boston Red Sox

On February 24, 2021, González signed a one-year contract for 3.00 M USD with the Boston Red Sox. This contract also included potential incentives of up to 1.10 M USD based on his number of plate appearances. Throughout his career, González had consistently worn uniform number 9; however, with the Red Sox, he chose number 12, as number 9 is retired in honor of Ted Williams. González became the first player in modern Major League history to start at four different positions in his team's first four games of the season: he played left field on Opening Day, followed by second base, third base, and first base in subsequent contests. He made his first-ever pitching appearance on June 13 against the Toronto Blue Jays, where he pitched one inning without allowing any runs. On July 16, he was placed on the injured list due to a right hamstring strain, but was activated on August 2. On August 13, González was designated for assignment by the Red Sox and was released three days later on August 16. In 2021 with the Red Sox, he batted .202/.281/.285 in 242 at-bats.

3.2.4. Houston Astros (Second Stint)

On August 27, 2021, González signed a minor league contract for a second stint with the Houston Astros. He was added to their Major League roster on September 5. In the remainder of the 2021 regular season with the Astros, he batted .176/.222/.441 in 34 at-bats. He also made four pinch-hit appearances in the 2021 World Series, collecting one hit. On November 3, 2021, he was declared a free agent.

3.2.5. New York Yankees

On March 20, 2022, González signed a minor league contract with the New York Yankees, which included an invitation to spring training. The agreement stipulated a salary of 1.15 M USD if he were to be promoted to the major leagues. He successfully made the Yankees' Opening Day roster for the 2022 season. In 2022, he batted .185/.255/.321 in 184 at-bats, recording six home runs and 8 RBIs. He experienced a significant slump in the second half of the season, batting .110/.185/.233, and struggled particularly against power pitchers, hitting .094/.186/.170. He became a free agent on November 6, 2022.

3.3.1. Orix Buffaloes

On December 29, 2022, González signed with the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball. His contract for 2023 was a single-year deal estimated to be worth 180.00 M JPY. He was assigned uniform number 8. On April 11, in a game against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles at Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi, he hit two consecutive home runs off pitcher Takahiro Norimoto. On May 19, he suffered a fracture in his second toe on his right foot, leading to his removal from the active roster on May 20. He was re-registered on June 1. On June 18, in a game against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows at Meiji Jingu Stadium, González hit his first career grand slam in Japan off Ryota Konno. On July 12, he was removed from the active roster again due to a right calf muscle strain. He returned to the first team on August 17. On September 17, in a game against the Rakuten Eagles at Kyocera Dome Osaka, he hit his 10th home run of the season off Kosei Shoji, becoming the first Orix foreign player since Adam Jones in 2020 to reach double-digit home runs in a season.

In 2023, González played in 84 games, batting .217 with 12 home runs and 38 RBIs. Defensively, he played every infield position for the Buffaloes. During the 2023 Japan Series against the Hanshin Tigers, he continued to contribute. In Game 2 at Kyocera Dome Osaka, he hit a three-run pinch-hit double off Hiroya Shimamoto. In Game 5 at Hanshin Koshien Stadium, he hit a home run off Kotaro Otake. With this home run, González became the fifth player in baseball history to hit a home run in both the World Series and the Japan Series, joining an exclusive group that includes Johnny Logan, Roy White, Hideki Matsui, and Andruw Jones. Despite his efforts, the Buffaloes lost the series 3-4.

On January 9, 2024, it was announced that González would remain with the Orix Buffaloes on another single-year contract, also estimated at 180.00 M JPY. He made the Opening Day roster for the 2024 season. However, he was removed from the active roster on May 22 due to lower back pain. He was reinstated on August 7 but was again removed on August 15 due to right calf pain, which was diagnosed as a soleus muscle injury on the same day.