World Series: The character who has been key to the success of the Astros; He is not a player, coach, or manager

When the last out was made and the Houston Astros they had won their fourth American League pennant in six years, one of the biggest keys to their success wasn’t on the field at Yankee Stadium, not in the dugout or the clubhouse or even in the building.

The Astros’ senior scouting advisor, Charlie Gonzalez was at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, watching the deciding game of the American League Championship Series on television like most of us. It was his own choice to stay home during that round, and perhaps that point of view was appropriate for a man whose work is done in the background:

But Houston’s remarkable and sustained success is largely attributable to people like Gonzalez, who have helped build a consistent player portfolio. Gonzalez himself has had what can only be described as an outsized role in that effort.

As the person who oversees the Cuban scouting for the Astros, was directly responsible for the signing of first baseman Yuli Gurriel, and his reports and opinions were what led Houston to target Yordan Alvarez in a steal trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

You can also read: World Series There is no bad fifth How many players from the 2017 champion Astros are on the current roster

Gonzalez was also the one who hit the table for the Astros to take Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker with two of the top five overall picks in the 2015 MLB Draft. And as the Astros played Game 6 of the 2021 World Series, Gonzalez was the scout watching a Justin Verlander in rehab throwing the private bullpen session that led to the right to re-sign with the club for what he had a Cy Young Award-caliber season this year.

Raphael Martinez

I am a fan of the King of Sports, especially the Boston Red Sox in MLB and all Mexican baseball in general. This profession has given me the opportunity to cover major events such as the Caribbean Series, the LMB All Star, the LMP (uninterrupted since 2009), signing important players. I had the chance to attend the 2013 World Classic in Arizona, USA, although as a fan. Apart from this beautiful sport, I love basketball, where I have also narrated games and even an NBA friendly 10 years ago, but I have baseball in my veins. Degree in Communication Sciences from the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS) , from which I graduated in 2011. I was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa and started in the world of sports journalism in 2004 in the newspaper El Sol de Mazatlán, where I was a baseball columnist and a reporter at the same time. In January 2009 I arrived at El Debate as a journalist reporter and it took almost six years (in the first stage), until in November 2014 I emigrated to the radio providing my services at Línea Directa-Grupo RSN. My cycle there ended in July 2019 and a few days later, El Debate gave me another opportunity to work and opened the doors for me again. That is how I came to Al Bat, where I have been since 2019 as a web journalist.

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