

15. Juan Gonzalez

Position(s): RF
Stats: .295 BA 1936 H 434 HR 1404 RBI
Career: 1989-2005
Team(s): Rangers, Tigers, Indians, Royals
Accomplishments: 3x All-Star, 6x Silver Slugger, 2x MVP
Juan "Goin' Goin'" Gonzalez was a huge specimen for most of his career and put up power numbers with the best of them. He averaged 42 HRs a year and in 1998 he drove in 157 runs; 35 of them in April and 101 before the All-Star break. In 2001, his trainer, Angel Presinal, was caught with a bag that was allegedly filled with steroids. Presinal said it belonged to Gonzalez and vice versa. Nothing was ever confirmed and the incident was swept under the rug, but Presinal did find himself being banned from clubhouses for life. So, there's that.

In 2005, Canseco mentioned he educated and injected Juan personally while both were teammates in Texas. Gonzalez's name came up again in the Mitchell Report in regards to the 2001 incident and in that same year (2007), Rangers owner Tom Hicks was asked what move he regretted and answered, "Juan Gonzalez for $24 million [in 2002] after he came off steroids, probably, we just gave that money away." While answering questions about the response to his statement Hicks said, "I have no knowledge that Juan used steroids. His number of injuries and early retirement just makes me suspicious, In any event, we paid him $24 million for very few games." Where there's smoke there's fire.

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