Nick Gonzales

Nicholas Joseph Gonzales (born May 27, 1999) is an American baseball second baseman in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He was selected seventh overall by the Pirates in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[1][2]

Nick Gonzales
Gonzales in 2022 with the Altoona Curve
Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 75
Second baseman
Born: (1999-05-27) May 27, 1999
Vail, Arizona, U.S.
Bats: Right
Throws: Right

Amateur career

Gonzales attended Cienega High School in Vail, Arizona. During his career, he hit .399 with 89 runs batted in (RBIs).[3]

As a freshman at New Mexico State in 2018, Gonzales hit .347/.425/.596 with nine home runs and 36 RBIs over 57 games.[4] He was named the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year.[5] As a sophomore in 2019, he led the nation with a .432 batting average.[6] He finished the season hitting .432/.532/.773 with 16 home runs and 80 RBIs.[7] After the season, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League, where was named the MVP of the league after batting .351 with seven home runs over 42 games.[8][9][10]

Gonzales entered his junior year in 2020 as a top prospect for the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[11][12] He batted .448 with 12 home runs over 16 games before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]

Professional career

Gonzales was selected seventh overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.[14] On June 23, Gonzales signed with the Pirates for a reported signing bonus of $5.4 million.[15] He did not play a game after signing due to the cancellation of the season.[16]

Gonzales made his professional debut in 2021 with the Greensboro Grasshoppers of the High-A East, slashing .302/.385/.565 with 18 home runs and 54 RBIs over eighty games.[17] He missed over a month during the season due to a hand injury.[18] He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas where he was named to the Fall Stars game.[19]

References
  1. "2020 Prospect Watch: 100 Draft". Major League Baseball. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  2. "MLB Draft Tracker". MLB.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  3. "Gonzales Puts up Huge Offensive Numbers". Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. April 26, 2019.
  4. Morales, Javier (March 21, 2019). "Former Cienega Standout Nick Gonzales A Hit With New Mexico State". allsportstucson.com.
  5. Dykstra, Sam (May 1, 2020). "Toolshed: Gonzales a reminder of Cape effect".
  6. Lemaire, Mike. "Nick Gonzales Has More Than MLB On His Mind". www.baseballamerica.com.
  7. "Nick Gonzales Could Jump on Fast Track".
  8. Gerson, Aria (July 11, 2019). "Previously undervalued, Nick Gonzales has emerged as a top pro prospect". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019.
  9. Richard, Mike (August 5, 2019). "Cotuit's Nick Gonzales named CCBL Most Valuable Player". Barnstable Patriot. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019.
  10. "#15 Nick Gonzales". pointstreak.com. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  11. "Tucson native Nick Gonzales is a first-round talent". Arizona Daily Star.
  12. Martinez, Justin. "Gonzales and the Aggies are reloaded for 2020 baseball season". Las Cruces Sun-News.
  13. Hall, Erik (May 20, 2020). "Nick Gonzales: 4 things to know about the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball infielder". Las Cruces Sun-News.
  14. Spears, Justin (June 11, 2020). "Pirates pick Tucson's Nick Gonzales seventh in MLB draft; Yankees take UA catcher". Arizona Daily Star.
  15. "'Unbelievable': Gonzales thrilled to be with Bucs". MLB.com.
  16. West, Jenna (June 30, 2020). "2020 Minor League Baseball Season Canceled". Sports Illustrated.
  17. "The swing change that took Pirates prospect Nick Gonzales from college walk-on to first-round talent".
  18. Mackey, Jason (May 21, 2021). "Pirates 2020 first-round pick Nick Gonzales out 4-6 weeks with hand injury". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  19. Mayo, Jonathan (October 22, 2021). "Gonzales making up for lost time in AFL". MLB.com.
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