Joseph Gonzalez grew up playing baseball in the quiet, peaceful fields near the mountain forests of Mariana, a small barrio in his hometown of Humacao, Puerto Rico. Gonzalez, now in his third year of college, has long since moved on from his lowly life in Humacao, becoming a household name uttered by Auburn baseball fans.
Mariana is located on the east coast of Puerto Rico and is home to 3,000 people. The inhabitants of Mariana are scattered throughout the forests and hills, unlike the Plains of Auburn where the population seems to grow exponentially. Gonzalez has made a giant leap from his small-town atmosphere to live in the heart of a growing city with all eyes on him.
Gonzalez moved to the United States when he was 18 to begin his collegiate career at Auburn University. He did not find it easy to adapt to the area after arriving with limited English skills and few people who could understand him.
“My first language is Spanish, so my freshman year I struggled with English and that was hard for me,” Gonzalez said.
Before joining the Tigers, Gonzalez was highly scouted and recruited coming out of high school. The San Diego Padres, who are known for their deep farm system, were one of the teams scouting him. Even though so many eyes were on him, he never imagined himself reaching as far as he has.
“At first, I was a little nervous because it’s not normal for scouts to go watch specific players,” Gonzalez said. “After the first time I got used to it, but I didn’t envision myself coming to college or signing or being drafted or whatever.”
After arriving at Auburn, Gonzalez quickly grew into his shell as a highly regarded college prospect. In his second year with the team, he threw a complete game against Vanderbilt, the first Auburn pitcher to do so in two years. The game was special in itself, but there was one thing that made it more special for it.
“It was crazy because my family only comes once a year to see me play, and that game was the weekend they came to see,” Gonzalez said.
Strong, close-knit families are a common theme seen in Latin American culture. Gonzalez echoed that saying it was great to have his family there for one of his best performances. But he knew that even if he struggled, they would still support him and give him the confidence to get up and carry on.
Although he enjoys when his family comes to town and brings some of their culture with them, Gonzalez wishes he had more opportunities to meet people like him at Auburn.
“I’ve met like two Hispanics at Tequila downtown, but that’s it. “I haven’t met a lot of students or anything,” Gonzalez said. “I think the university should do activities and events to help Hispanic students feel more welcome and included.”
Gonzalez is part of one of the smallest populations in Auburn. With just over 1,000 students, Hispanics make up only 4% of the student body. Although the Hispanic population is so low in Auburn, Gonzalez hopes to see change.
“Hispanic Heritage Month is important to me because it’s great to remember people and recognize us, but at the same time I feel like this should be normal and something that happens every day,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez looks at the wide array of Puerto Rican athletes in the MLB and marvels at how famous they are in the game of baseball. He hopes that one day these athletes and other Hispanic athletes can be looked up to and celebrated every day for their contributions to society on and off the field.
Gonzalez enters his junior season as the No. 1 prospect. 24 college in the MLB Draft. As he hopes to make celebrating Hispanic culture and people a daily activity, Gonzalez will continue to raise his profile and inspire everyone he meets.
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