Pirates' Nick Gonzales takes MLB ranking as top 2B in minors in stride

Nick Gonzales admits he was “definitely nervous” about participating in his first spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates last year, given the expectations attached to being their 2020 first-round pick.

Now, he is wearing a new label.

MLB Pipeline ranked Gonzales the No. 1 second baseman in the minor leagues, the highest position ranking of any Pirates prospect. Henry Davis, the No. 1 overall pick last summer and the club’s top prospect per MLB Pipeline, was ranked the No. 4 catcher and Oneil Cruz the No. 9 shortstop.

Gonzales greeted the news with a shrug, taking it all in stride.

“It’s definitely exciting stuff for my parents and everything,” Gonzales, 22, said Thursday at LECOM Park. “For me, it’s kind of business as usual. It doesn’t really change anything for me. I think it’s really cool. It’s awesome to see that I’m doing the right things or we’re doing the right things as Pirates in my development. I’m excited for it.”

Two more Top 10 Prospects list drop today. Our No. 1 2B, Nick Gonzales of the @Pirates, deserves more love as a potential NL Rookie of the Year. https://t.co/fdgWY9iGHw https://t.co/V6cJWMBQoR

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) March 16, 2022

After signing with the Pirates, Gonzales spent the 2020 summer at their alternate training site in Altoona. That made last year his first full pro season, and Gonzales showed why he earned a reputation as college baseball’s best hitter at New Mexico State and why the Pirates selected him No. 7 overall.

Gonzales batted .303/.385/.565 with 23 doubles, four triples, 18 home runs and 54 RBIs in 80 games with High-A Greensboro last season, including a two-game stretch in which he hit five home runs and had two grand slams in late August. What concerned scouts was his 27.4% strikeout rate, with 101 strikeouts in 369 plate appearances.

“Thanks to super-fast hands, Gonzales has elite-level bat speed that allows him to be very quick to the ball and send line drives to all fields,” MLB.com wrote. “He routinely puts up huge exit velocities with sneaky pop, perhaps average or a tick better down the road. He got to more power than many expected in 2021, but that also came with a higher strikeout rate than anticipated, though there’s confidence Gonzales will find the balance between extra-base authority and swing-and-miss.”

Gonzales showed better plate discipline in the Arizona Fall League, hitting .380 with a 1.032 OPS and drawing almost as many walks (13) as strikeouts (14). Where Gonzales said he made “huge improvements” was on defense, concentrating on his footwork while playing shortstop to get used to both sides of the bag.

“It was just moving around, getting familiar with everything — playing short and second, mixing it around and making throws from everywhere,” Gonzales said. “I’ll be ready to go wherever I play, whether it’s on the left or right side of the bag.”

Although Gonzales is likely ticketed to start the season at Double-A Altoona, he wants to prove that he can make another big jump and join the Pirates sometime this summer.

“Ultimately, you want to play in the big leagues at the end of the day,” Gonzales said. “That’s the goal, to play in the big leagues as fast as you can and get there and make an impact on the team as fast as you can when you’re ready and it’s your time. That’s obviously the goal everyone here is working for and that’s pretty much what I’m doing, too.

“I’m going to do everything in my power to make it happen this year.”