Gonzales' stardom no surprise to those who saw him early taken in Huntingburg, Ind. (Pirates)

PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Nick Gonzales.

HUNTINGBURG, Ind. -- Before Nick Gonzales was the 2020 first-round draft pick of the Pirates, he was lighting it up on the summer college baseball circuit, a journey that included winning the MVP award in the prestigious Cape Cod League.

Prior to that, though, he was making waves in the lesser-known wood-bat Ohio Valley League, where he played for the Dubois County Bombers. From the moment he put on a Bombers uniform, those around the team, the league and the community knew he could be and would be something special.

Even if he showed up 10 days late.

"I remember asking our head coach Andy Lasher at the start of the 2019 season. 'Is this kid worth waiting on?' " Dubois County owner Mike Uebelhor recalled. "Our coach's answer was, 'From what I'm told, he is worth the wait, even if it's July.' "

Gonzales and the Bombers wouldn't look back once he finally arrived here.

"He showed up to Dubois County after our season had already started and actually arrived at the park in the middle of a game," Lasher said. "He asked me if he could go hit in the cage while we played and I glanced down there once or twice and was really impressed with his swing (even though he was 150+ feet away from me … it was noticeable)."

"It was great," Gonzales told me, reflecting on his time with the Bombers. "I got to play, you know, 40 games or something like that, and kind of a different environment than I'm used to, being from Arizona and everything."

Gonzales went to Dubois County following his freshman year at New Mexico State and immediately started turning heads and showing signs of what ultimately would lead him to be drafted seventh overall by the Pirates in 2020.

 "Of course once he started playing in games, it was obvious to me that Nick was different than just about anybody I had been around as a young coach," Lasher said. "I don’t claim to know much, but within the first week of him being in town I was convinced that he was probably going to be a big leaguer someday because he literally had zero weaknesses."

Those weakness or lack thereof took the Bombers from the bottom of the league to the top almost immediately.

"We started out a dismal 1-6 for the season. Within two weeks after his arrival he had personally turned our season around and elevated the whole team," Uebelhor said. "His hitting was outstanding and matched by his play at shortstop.  He made everyone around him better."

While with Dubois County, Gonzales bounced around the field, even though his primary position was shortstop. It was something Gonzales was more than capable of doing, according to Lasher.

"He can hit, run, throw and play just about any position that you want him to," Lasher said. "We even threw him in CF a few times because he thought there would be a chance that he might play OF as a sophomore at New Mexico State. Every tool that pro scouts look at was at least average or better for Nick. And he does it all at five-ten, and maybe 190 pounds."

That level of trust and Gonzales' versatility ended up paying big dividends for him down the road, especially with the amount of repetitions he was getting night in and night out.

"It helped me get the repetitions and getting the work in different positions, playing shortstop and second, a little bit of outfield too," Gonzales said. "And so it kind of helped me just get those reps in. And then just seeing live arms all the time, playing a lot of games — like 100 a year — was good."

Gonzales came late to the OVL and left early, but for a good reason. He got called to play in the final few games of the Cape Cod League. It didn't go quite as well as he or his team would have liked, but the experience was worth it nonetheless.

"I got invited to the Cape to go play at the playoffs," Gonzales said. "I didn't really do well my first year in the Cape. I only got a few at-bats and played in two games, so I really couldn't judge where it was, but it was definitely better competition."

Despite the lack of success, Gonzales returned to the Cape and proved what he set out to do — become an all-star. And that he did, hitting .351 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs. That performance led him to win the league's MVP award and set him up for his junior season at New Mexico State.

His junior season was thwarted by COVID-19 and he was only able to play 16 games during the 2020 campaign but Gonzales made the most of it, hitting .448 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs. Following the lost season, it was a waiting game for Gonzales and his family as they anxiously awaited to see where he'd be drafted.

"It was just a lot of excitement. Getting ready, you know, we're a little anxious, getting ready for the draft and everything because it was about six months of no baseball," Gonzales said.  "We were just anxious, ready to see where I landed, where I'd go and where my future would be."

That future would be with Pittsburgh. From the draft, Gonzales was sent to the alternate training site where he practiced and competed against former Major Leaguers, Class AA and AAA players, day in and day out.

"That helped me a ton, because I kind of just got thrown into the fire. And you know, I was facing our best arms," Gonzales said. "So that helped me a lot, you know, seeing the best guys that our organization has, and kind of just seeing where I stack up and what adjustments I need to make."

It was facing the advanced quality of pitching from guys like Max Kranick and Quinn Priester, who also spent time at the alternate site that helped Gonzales prepare for his first full professional season in 2021.

"It was great because at the alternate site we're facing Double-A, Triple-A arms and guys who can get up and down to the big leagues," Gonzales said. "It's good to see those types of arms and that type of competition. It kind of helps you get ready for what you might see here in Single-A and and everything like that."

Gonzales had to hone in on adjusting to higher velocity and sharper breaking balls, and he parlayed those adjustments and his performance into an invite to spring training in 2021.

"That was awesome. You know, I had so much fun doing that, playing around big league guys and seeing how they work, and also watching big league games and seeing awesome players," Gonzales said. "Every time we play games against other teams, and you kind of go in there and you face them or you go in there and you see what they do, how they hit and everything. It's a lot of fun."

Now, Gonzales is freshly off the Injured List for High-A Greensboro, following the fracture of his pinky in May. Since his return, Gonzales has hit two home runs in four games, but putting up gaudy numbers is the least of his worries as he works toward Double-A Altoona.

"My mindset is just kind of do the same thing that I do every year and play hard, work really hard and trust myself," Gonzales said. "And you know, I don't really have much expectations number-wise or anything like that. I kind of just have my own internal, you know, feel. I don't really have any expectations as far as numbers are concerned."

Numbers, of course, can only take you so far — character and reputation also play big factors in careers, especially in today's society. For Gonzales, as good as he is on the field, by all measures, he's just as good — if not better — off it. 

"In the seven plus years that we have had ownership in the Bombers, I have not seen a player in the Ohio Valley League that comes close to his overall talent," Uebelhor said. "As word got around the league, his reputation drew additional fans through the league. He is a super talent and matched only by his humble personality."

Keep in mind, Gonzales was a 19-year-old college student when he was in Dubois County, for him to make that type of impact off the field in just a short time speaks volumes about his character. 

His maturity, work ethic, and humility was off the charts for a kid who had just finished his freshman year in college," Lasher said.  "Everybody knew that he was going to have success because of it."

From the OVL to the Cape to the alternate site and now High-A, it's been a crazy journey, but Gonzales wouldn't have it any other way.

"Yeah, it's been amazing," Gonzales said. "I've enjoyed every single moment being out here. I've learned so much. I met so many great people and great coaches. It's been an incredible journey. And it's only been almost a year."

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