WHY WE LOVE: ADRIAN GONZALEZ

Hello, friends. My name is Ted and while I normally write over here at A Price Above Bip Roberts, I do extra work on Sundays for Neate with this "Why We Love" series. The general idea is fairly simple: we take a ballplayer and explain to you why you should love him; in the process we try to stay away from guys like A-Rod and Vlad and Schilling. We go for the real gems in the rough, and we have one of those guys right now.

This week's subject is Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez. As the Friars have quietly become one of the best teams in baseball, Gonzalez - who kinda looks like a cross between Ichiro and Thomas Ian Nichols from Rookie of the Year / American Pie - has also subtly become one of the best first baggers in the game. Currently, he has a .275 average with 14 HR and 51 RBIs. He didn't make the NL All-Star Team announced today, although most people think that's because Dmitri Young of the Washington Nationals had to hop on that squad. He is unquestionably deserving. Besides his talent for one of baseball's most under-appreciated squads, why else should you love him?

- Love him because he can "go home again." He was born in San Diego, and he currently stars for the Pods.

- Love him because this success is something we should have known, and when expected success doesn't become depressing failure, isn't that a good thing? Gonzalez was the No. 1 pick overall of the 2000 MLB Entry Draft by the Florida Marlins - at the time, he was the first infielder picked No. 1 since 1993, when A-Rod himself went with the top selection.

- Love him because he was once doubted, then thrived. The Marlins shipped him to baseball's no-man's land, Texas, when he sustained a wrist injury. The Rangers eventually shipped him too, and in the process they also got rid of Chris Young, who has blossomed into quite the pitcher for San Diego in the last 2 years.

- Love him because he's international. While born in SD, Gonzalez spent 12 years of his youth in Mexico, and actually played for Mexico in the '06 World Baseball Classic. He plays his winter ball down there as well, for the Mazatlan Deers.

- Love him because he's groundbreaking. He was the first player in Petco Park history to have more than one multiple HR game. Additionally, in his first year as a full-time starter, he led the team in average (.304) and HR (24).

- Love him because him and Ryan Klesko might constitute a modern day Wally Pipp story at first base. If the Friars can get off their unfortunate playoff schny in the next few years, Gonzalez might slowly become a household name.