Gonzales could provide long-term solution at second base
PIRATES
Nick Gonzales is greeted in the Pirates' dugout during a game in St. Louis in September.
Over each of the last four years, the Pirates have had a different opening day starter over at second base. JaredTriolo earned the job out of spring training this year and was preceded by JiHwanBae (2023), HoyPark (2022) and AdamFrazier (2021) in the three years prior. Needless to say, there is a need for some stability at the position. That might be something Nick Gonzales could provide over years to come, as he's arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2026 and isn't set to become a free agent until 2029.
It was hard not to notice the level of improvement Gonzales displayed in a larger major-league sample this season. The offseason adjustments he made to his swing clearly paid dividends after hitting just .209 with a .616 OPS through his first 35 games in 2023. And he didn't waver when he was left off the Pirates' opening day roster. Gonzales was arguably one of the top hitters in Class AAA through the first month-plus of the season, stuck to his approach and adjustments once he arrived back in Pittsburgh and turned into an impactful contributor as an every day second baseman.
A refined hitter against off-speed pitches (.059 in 2023, .381 in 2024) this past season, Gonzales struck out less (28.1% in 2023, 19.1% in 2024) and showed improvement in most offensive metrics, including hard-hit rate (26.8% in 2023, 36.9% in 2024), barrel rate (3.7% in 2023, 7.9% in 2024) and xBA (.209 in 2023, .270 in 2024). He surely could avoid chasing pitches out of the zone (34.1% chase rate) and walk more (4.7% walk rate), as he ranked in the 15th and seventh percentile, respectively, in those categories, according to Baseball Savant. But there is plenty to like here, and with room to grow.
I'm sure guys like Nick Yorke, Liover Peguero and even Triolo will be in the mix for infield time once the Pirates arrive in Bradenton for spring training in a few months. But I think it's fair to say that Gonzales did enough last season -- .270/.311/.398 slash line with a .709 OPS, seven home runs and 49 RBIs in 94 games -- to put himself in a lead position to earn the starting role at second heading into 2025. And if he continues to make strides as a big leaguer, he could find himself as a long-term solution at the position.
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THE ASYLUM
José Negron
1:54 pm - 11.29.2024DowntownGonzales could provide long-term solution at second base
PIRATES
Nick Gonzales is greeted in the Pirates' dugout during a game in St. Louis in September.
Over each of the last four years, the Pirates have had a different opening day starter over at second base. Jared Triolo earned the job out of spring training this year and was preceded by Ji Hwan Bae (2023), Hoy Park (2022) and Adam Frazier (2021) in the three years prior. Needless to say, there is a need for some stability at the position. That might be something Nick Gonzales could provide over years to come, as he's arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2026 and isn't set to become a free agent until 2029.
It was hard not to notice the level of improvement Gonzales displayed in a larger major-league sample this season. The offseason adjustments he made to his swing clearly paid dividends after hitting just .209 with a .616 OPS through his first 35 games in 2023. And he didn't waver when he was left off the Pirates' opening day roster. Gonzales was arguably one of the top hitters in Class AAA through the first month-plus of the season, stuck to his approach and adjustments once he arrived back in Pittsburgh and turned into an impactful contributor as an every day second baseman.
A refined hitter against off-speed pitches (.059 in 2023, .381 in 2024) this past season, Gonzales struck out less (28.1% in 2023, 19.1% in 2024) and showed improvement in most offensive metrics, including hard-hit rate (26.8% in 2023, 36.9% in 2024), barrel rate (3.7% in 2023, 7.9% in 2024) and xBA (.209 in 2023, .270 in 2024). He surely could avoid chasing pitches out of the zone (34.1% chase rate) and walk more (4.7% walk rate), as he ranked in the 15th and seventh percentile, respectively, in those categories, according to Baseball Savant. But there is plenty to like here, and with room to grow.
I'm sure guys like Nick Yorke, Liover Peguero and even Triolo will be in the mix for infield time once the Pirates arrive in Bradenton for spring training in a few months. But I think it's fair to say that Gonzales did enough last season -- .270/.311/.398 slash line with a .709 OPS, seven home runs and 49 RBIs in 94 games -- to put himself in a lead position to earn the starting role at second heading into 2025. And if he continues to make strides as a big leaguer, he could find himself as a long-term solution at the position.
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