González originally signed with the short-lived Seattle Pilots as an amateur free agent in , and remained part of the franchise through its move to Milwaukee. He played his first professional season (in American baseball) with their Class A Clinton Pilots in . He was released by the Milwaukee Brewers at the start of the season, and sat it out before catching on with the Pittsburgh Pirates for . He batted .321 with nineteen home runs over two seasons in their farm system, and led the Eastern League in doubles (43) and total bases (256) in to earn a call up to the majors that September. He had two pinch hit at-bats, and struck out both times. Though they weren't teammates very long, González was part of several search parties that went looking for Roberto Clemente's body after Clemente's plane crashed on New Year's Eve, 1972, as he'd grown up idolizing Clemente.
