In Defense of Nick Gonzales

Johnson’s selection, though, did raise some eyebrows in certain dark corners of Pirates fandom about the future of second base prospect and once hit-machine Nick Gonzales, who the team selected in the first round just two years ago. 

Some idiotic opinions spouted include:

• Johnson’s selection shows the Pirates have soured on Gonzales and no longer see him as part of the team’s future.
• The Pirates should trade Gonzales now for pitching while he still has value.
• Gonzales was never good – he was a product of the hitter-friendly park he played in at New Mexico State where even 7-year-olds can hit 500-foot moonshots with ease.

These lines of thinking come after the star on Gonzales has seemed to dim. He has struggled this year in Altoona, posting a 247/366/377 slash line with an alarming 61 strikeouts in 186 at-bats. This comes after a solid 2021 in High-A Greensboro, albeit one that also saw him strike out 101 times in 369 plate appearances and get off to a slower-than-expected start.

Even as the Internet’s top Nick Gonzales fan, I admit that his performance this season and the strikeouts have been concerning, but I’m also not giving up on Nick the Stick. Neither are the Pirates.

Fans must remember that the baseball draft bears little resemblance to that of the NFL or NBA. Teams do not draft for position or need. With even the best prospects needing time in the minors to develop, front offices select who they believe to be the best player available and not who would fill a need at the major league level.

Drafting Johnson is not a referendum on Gonzales, Liovar Peguero, Ji-hwan Bae, Kevin Newman, Neil Walker, Jose Lind, Phil Garner, Bill Mazeroski, or anyone else who wears a Pirates uniform. 

The Pirates took the best player. 

Plus, positions in baseball tend to be more fungible than in football. Someone with the ability to play shortstop can easily move to second base, left field, first base, or just about anywhere else on the diamond. 

EVERYONE in the draft is listed as a shortstop, center fielder or catcher. That’s because they are the best player on their high school, junior college, college, or church league softball team. Of course, they come up playing the most important positions. When it comes to finding big league ballplayers, the key is to identify guys who can hit, and the position on the field will figure itself out. 

That brings us back to Gonzales. He is currently on the 60-day injured list with a heel injury that will take up much of the remaining minor league season. He can hopefully return before the end of the year before almost assuredly heading to the Arizona Fall League for more competitive at-bats.

My faith in him remains strong for a few reasons. 

1. He appeared to take a different approach earlier this season, working deeper into counts and drawing more walks than before and perhaps contributing to more strikeouts. I believe the Pirates wanted him to become more patient and learn better to manage at-bats as part of his development process. 
2. He went on a 10-game tear in mid-May that showed promise of a playing adjusting to his league. Small sample size, I know, but also a sign that Gonzales could compete at that level.
3. His swing remains lovely. I do not say this to minimize his struggles, but Gonzales has fantastically quick hands. It is that swing that brought him to the Pirates attention and what will ultimately make him a success. Sometimes it is easy to just scout a player’s minor league stat line and forget the physical skills that make someone of Gonzales’ pedigree a step above other minor leaguers.
4. Gonzales has a spectacular track record of hitting. Even ignoring his insane college numbers, Gonzales had a 1.081 OPS in the 2019 Cape Cod League, a .950 OPS in Greensboro last year, and a 1.032 OPS in the Arizona Fall League. It was not even a year ago my man hit 5 home runs (including two grand slams) and drove in 15 runs OVER TWO GAMES. The dude can hit.
5. At YinzerCrazy we got to talk with Gonzales before the season started. He mentioned an obsession with hitting. Whatever problems he faces, I believe he will figure it out.

The draft of Johnson could become a pivotal moment for the Pirates franchise and the rebuild. While he brings a ton of excitement, the next winnings Pirates team requires a ton of winning players on the field. I still believe Gonzales will be one of them. 

David Stegon writes about the Pirates for YinzerCrazy and co-hosts the At Bat, On Deck podcast.