Nick Gonzales

24-Year-Old Second Baseman2B
Pittsburgh Pirates AAA
2023 Fantasy Outlook
Gonzales progressed to Double-A Altoona in 2022, though he had a season highlighted by injury and strikeout problems. He missed over two months of action due to a heel issue, limiting him to only 316 plate appearances. The results in that sample were a mixed bag, as he managed an impressive .365 wOBA and 127 wRC+. There were also signs that he was translating his considerable raw power into game power, as his pull rate increased from 36 to 43 percent and his flyball rate spiked from 36 to 49 percent. Perhaps he sold out for power, as his strikeout rate remained inflated, and he's now struck out at a 27.4 percent and 28.5 percept clip in his two seasons as a professional. Despite some unexpected downside in his profile, Gonzales remains a key part of the Pirates' future and is a top-100 fantasy prospect -- even if his stock has fallen. It's possible that he makes his big-league debut at some point in 2023, though he'll likely spend most of his campaign with Triple-A Indianapolis. Read Past Outlooks
RANKSFrom Preseason
#601
ADP
$Signed a $5.43 million contract with the Pirates in June of 2020.
Moves to minor-league camp
2BPittsburgh Pirates  AAA
March 19, 2023
Gonzales was reassigned to minor-league camp Sunday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
Gonzales is one of the Pirates' top prospects and had a strong showing in big-league camp with a 1.004 OPS in 16 contests. He spent most of 2022 at Double-A Altoona and had a .263/.383/.429 slash line, so he should move up to Triple-A Indianapolis this year.
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Nick Gonzales See More
Noteworthy MiLB Assignments
55 days ago
James Anderson highlights the most noteworthy level assignments to start the 2023 minor-league season, including Rays phemon Junior Caminero getting the bump to High-A.
Todd's Takes: Wrapping Up Last Year's Moves
140 days ago
Todd Zola tackles another large set of offseason moves, including big names like Carlos Rodon as well as several players to consider late in drafts.
Top 400 MLB Prospect Rankings
140 days ago
James Anderson answers over 60 listener questions regarding his 2023 top 400 prospect rankings, in which Arizona's Corbin Carroll retains the No. 1 overall spot.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2022
2021
Gonzales, the No. 7 overall pick in 2020, suffered a broken pinky a few weeks into his first pro season and was slow to get into a groove after returning in late June. However, he finished the year on fire, hitting .335/.430/.625 with 14 home runs over his final 56 games at High-A. He kept mashing to the tune of a .380/.483/.549 slash line in 19 games in the Arizona Fall League. All told, he had a 25.2 K%, 11.6 BB%, 20 home runs and 11 steals in 99 games. Gonzales has an explosive swing with bat speed and torque that allow him to hit for significant power out of a 5-foot-10, 195-pound frame. He gets the ball in the air with ease (35.6 GB% at High-A), but his strikeout rates were a tad high for a 22-year-old at those levels. He also played in one of the more homer-prone parks (Greensboro) in the minors last season, hitting .265/.373/.435 on the road. Gonzales is an above-average runner and does enough damage when he makes contact that we can expect high batting averages on balls in play, but key aspects of his profile are still unclear, particularly where his bat-to-ball skill and game power will settle in the coming years. He could be a five-category No. 2 hitter if he maxes out. We should learn a lot as he heads to the upper levels for his final full season in the minors.
Gonzales fell to the Pirates with the seventh pick in last year's draft, but he is the clear third pick in first-year player drafts for dynasty leagues, behind Spencer Torkelson and Austin Martin. A 5-foot-10, 190-pound offensive-minded second baseman, Gonzales didn't appeal to certain teams at the top of the draft, but he has a chance to develop into a No. 2 or No. 3 hitter in the majors. We can downgrade his video game numbers at altitude with New Mexico State, but he proved in the Cape Cod League in 2019 that he is a special offensive prospect. He showed off his strength and bat speed by slashing .351/.451/.630 with seven home runs and a 22:20 K:BB in 42 games with a wood bat en route to MVP honors in the Cape. He boasts above-average speed but has not looked to run much, going 19-for-23 on stolen-base attempts in 173 games. Gonzales should open at High-A and could reach the majors in 2022.
More Fantasy News
Reinstated from injured list
2BPittsburgh Pirates  AAA
August 12, 2022
Gonzales (heel) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Friday at Double-A Altoona, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Starts rehab assignment
2BPittsburgh Pirates  AAA
Heel
August 5, 2022
Gonzalez (heel) reported to the Pirates' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate Friday to begin a rehab assignment, John Dreker of PiratesProspects.com reports.
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Game action imminent
2BPittsburgh Pirates  AAA
Heel
July 28, 2022
Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Thursday that Gonzales (heel) is expected to return to "game-like action" in the next week or so, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
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Out of walking boot
2BPittsburgh Pirates  AAA
Heel
July 13, 2022
Gonzales (heel) has shed his walking boot, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
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Close to shedding boot
2BPittsburgh Pirates  AAA
Heel
July 6, 2022
Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Gonzales (heel) will shed his walking boot in 5-to-7 days, Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
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