A Career in Pinstripes - Edwar Gonzalez

Nine years ago, outfielder Edwar Gonzalez helped the 2005 Charleston RiverDogs to a First-Half Southern Division Championship and an appearance in the South Atlantic League playoffs. In 2014, Gonzalez is back in the Lowcountry as Charleston's hitting coach.

Gonzalez has been a New York Yankees minor league player or coach in 13 straight seasons dating back to 2002. It is very special for Gonzalez to spend his continuing professional career with one organization, especially an organization with New York's success and prestige.

"Everybody that comes over here from another organization, they can tell how differently we do things," Gonzalez said. "I take a lot of pride in that, and that is what I try to teach these guys, to take pride in the logo that you are wearing because it is a lot more than just us. It is a lot of tradition and a lot of pride that we have to keep continuing."

Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Gonzalez signed with the Yankees in 2002 as a non-drafted free agent from Seminole State College in Oklahoma. He had previously turned down the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2000 out of South Miami High School and was unsigned in 2001 after being drafted by the Chicago Cubs out of Seminole Community College in Florida.

2005 was a breakout year for Gonzalez with career-best totals of .286 hitting, 10 home runs and 52 runs batted in. The RiverDogs won the first-half title on the final day, but Charleston was swept in the Divisional Championship Series by the Kannapolis Intimidators. A 4-3 loss in 21 innings - the longest playoff game in league history - and a 5-4 defeat eliminated the RiverDogs.

"It was a good season for me individually, but I am still mad that we did not get the championship, and we have not gotten to the playoffs again," Gonzalez said. "That is the thing that I wanted to challenge myself this year… I have got to keep battling to get us up there."

Gonzalez enjoyed a nine-year playing career that finished with the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in 2010. During a loss in the fourth and deciding game of Governors' Cup Semifinals against the Columbus Clippers, Gonzalez blasted a pinch-hit home run in his final professional at bat.

When asked about his best memories and proudest accomplishments, Gonzalez quickly talked about championships. He was with the Double-A Trenton Thunder for its 2008 Eastern League title and started his coaching career with a title as the hitting coach with the 2011 Rookie-Level Gulf Coast League Yankees.

"Championships - that is what all the Yankees are about and that is what I take pride on," Gonzalez said. "It is always good to win."

After coaching for three seasons in the GCL, Gonzalez has been the hitting coach for the RiverDogs in the 2014 season. Charleston is a step up for Gonzalez and a host of young players that are in their first campaigns in full-season baseball. Entering this week, the RiverDogs have won 16 of 20 games and are hitting a stride in the middle of the season's second half.

"Everybody has been great," Gonzalez said. "The players are great. They work their tail off every day. They do not complain for the amount of work that we put into these guys, which is a lot, especially for the age that they are at."

As the final month of the season approaches, Charleston is looking to stay hot and rally towards its first playoff berth since Gonzalez's 2005 season as a RiverDogs outfielder. As Gonzalez's coaching career continues, he is very happy for the decade-plus that he has spent within the New York Yankees system.

"It has been a pleasure," Gonzalez said. "I take it to heart and take pride in being a part of the Yankees organization and being here."