Pittsburgh Pirates Calling Up Another Top Prospect
The Pittsburgh Pirates, in need of a spark after losing 10 consecutive games, are calling up another top prospect.
After recently calling up former No. 1 pick Henry Davis, the team is calling up its No. 5 prospect, Nick Gonzales.
MLB Pipeline put the news out on Twitter:
The @Pirates are calling up their No. 5 prospect, Nick Gonzales, for what would be his MLB debut, @JonathanMayo confirms.
The 5-9 infielder was the team's first-round pick in the 2020 COVID-year draft. He was taken No. 7 out of New Mexico State.
The following is a portion of his scouting report from his MLB prospect profile:
Gonzales’ pro career has moved forward in fits and bursts. In both of his full seasons, he’s had to deal with injuries – a broken finger in 2021 and a heel injury in 2022 – that cost him a lot of development time. He’s also overcome slow starts in each season to finish well, including hitting .286/.408/.505 post-injury in Double-A a year ago, and he ended both years by making up for lost time in the Arizona Fall League.
Gonzales still shows off the plus bat speed and fast hands that made him such an alluring Draft prospect, with an ability to be very quick to the ball. He relies on rhythm and timing at the plate, and he’s struggled to get in sync at times -- missing reps hasn’t helped in that department. There is plenty of raw power to tap into and he’s willing to draw walks, but he’s swung and missed much more than someone who looked like such a tremendous pure hitter, with close to a 28 percent strikeout rate.
Known as a bat-first infielder as he entered pro ball, that’s still the case, but he’s worked hard on his defense to improve his footwork and reads.
The Pirates are 34-40 and in fourth place in the National League Central. They'll take on the Marlins on Friday at 6:40 p.m. ET.
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