González' speed and range have enabled him to make acrobatic plays, quickly drawing comparisons to Venezuelan shortstops like Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio, Dave Concepción and Omar Vizquel. His defensive tools were so masterful that by 1999 he established himself as an All-Star. Gonzalez is considered a great fielding short stop who can make above average plays but at time struggles to make routine plays. Which is the reason why fans have referred to him as stone hands. In 2001, he led all Major League shortstops with 26 errors.