Sharks’ Catcher Juan Gonzalez Selected By Toronto Blue Jays In 2021 MLB Draft
Juan Gonzalez—one of nine Miami Dade College baseball players who were eligible for the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft—was selected in the 19th round by the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.
The five-foot-ten-inch catcher from Venezuela, who has played in World Cups and International Tournaments in Korea, Spain, Italy and Czech Republic, was the lone Shark selected in the 20-round draft held on July 11-July 13.
Gonzalez had a stellar first season for the Sharks, batting .306 with 21 RBI, scoring 18 runs and posting a .979 fielding percentage behind the plate.
“Being drafted is a blessing,” Gonzalez said. “I know that I will be close to fulfilling my dreams.”
If Gonzalez signs a minor league contract with the Blue Jays, he would be the second Miami Dade College alumni currently in the team’s system. Infielder Santiago Espinal, who played for the Sharks in the 2015-16 season, made his Major League debut with the Blue jays last year and is hitting .321 with 10 RBI and one homerun in the big leagues this season.
Gonzalez, who was born in Caracas, Venezuela, grew up in La Guaira, a port city 21 miles away from the capital. His passion for baseball was ignited when he was four years old at Criollitos de Venezuela, the country’s little league system. It was there that he cultivated a love for the art of catching because it gave him a voice on the field.
He spent nine years honing his craft at Criollitos before moving to the United States in the fall of 2014 to play for Elev8 Academy in Delray Beach for a year.
In the summer of 2015, Gonzalez traveled to Spain to play for the U-18 Spanish national team where he has dual-citizenship. He represented the country in tournaments in Czech Republic, Spain and Italy from 2015-18.
Gonzalez moved to Miami in October of 2018 to participate in recruitment tournaments with In The Big Inning Baseball Academy in Doral. His play caught the attention of Jorge Aguas, the head coach at Champagnat Catholic School, and he was offered a spot with the Lions in February of 2019. Gonzalez only played eight games as a senior at Champagnat due to the coronavirus pandemic but it was enough to land him at MDC.
“He’s the type of player that creates a lot of energy for the club, knows how to handle the pitching staff. And, I mean, great, great, great teammate,” said Sharks’ assistant coach Rudy Arias, whose main responsibility is grooming the team’s catchers. “A lot of good things that he’s done. Well deserved for what he’s gotten. He’s worked very hard to get to this point in his career right now.”
