MVN: Most Valuable Network

No, not THAT Luis Gonzalez.  The other Luis Gonzalez, who played for the Rockies from 2004-06, is back.

The Rockies picked up Gonzalez as a Rule 5 selection from Cleveland in 2004, and he stuck with the team all season, appearing in 102 games and batting .292/.330/.469.  In 2005, he played in 126 games and hit .292/.333/.421.  Fine stats, it would seem, and with Aaron Miles traded following the 2005 season, it looked like Gonzalez would be the starter at second.

It didn't quite happen that way, though, as Gonzalez got off to a slow start and Jamey Carroll turned into a .300 hitter; the Rockies later acquired Kaz Matsui from the Mets, making Gonzalez expendable.  He spent 2007 and 2008 in Japan, but was banned from Japanese baseball for a year for testing positive from amphetamines.

Now the Rockies have brought him back on a minor league contract.  With the situation at second base still unsettled, Gonzalez could earn a spot on the major league roster with a good spring.  He might even be the starter.  As things stand right now, though, he's probably going back to his usual super-utility role, or possibly starting the year in AAA as insurance in case somebody gets hurt.