Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales hit a walk-off single and collected two RBI in Friday night's 8-7 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Gonzales collected his first RBI on a sacrifice groundout in the first inning to net the Pirates' first run. His single off of Phillies closer Jose Alvarado collected the final run. Gonzales has hit for a league average 101 OPS+ this season, providing decent value for fantasy managers. With a .307 wOBA and a .312 xwOBA on the season, Gonzales may see some slight positive regression coming his way. Fantasy managers may not need to rush to add the 25-year-old to their roster, but there are worse options you can find. Gonzales will look to continue making impactful hits on Saturday against Phillies scheduled starter Cristopher Sanchez.
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales turned in a big game in an 11-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday. Gonzales went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run scored, and four RBI in the winning effort. The 24-year-old got the Pirates off to a fast start with a two-run single in the bottom of the first inning and then came back and added a two-run double in the sixth. Gonzales has been swinging a hot bat since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 10, hitting .300 with two homers, seven runs, 13 RBI, and a steal in 50 at-bats. He has plenty of potential and needs to be rostered in deeper leagues moving forward.
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales hit fifth in his season debut during Friday's loss to the division-rival Chicago Cubs, driving in two runs in the loss. In his first big-league at-bat of 2024, Gonzales hit a two-run single to plate Andrew McCutchen and Oneil Cruz to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead in the first inning before the advantage later evaporated. The 24-year-old former No. 7 overall pick was Pittsburgh's No. 5 prospect for 2023, per MLB Pipeline, and he figures to have a chance at carving out a consistent role in the Pirates' infield moving ahead. It's not like starting second baseman Jared Triolo has done much this year, so fantasy managers should get Gonzales on watch lists after the young infielder's encouraging effort on Friday. Gonzales struggled in his MLB debut in 2023, hitting .209 (24-for-115) with two homers and 13 RBI in 35 games.
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Nick Gonzales is expected to be recalled from the minors on Friday. The 24-year-old is hitting .358 with four home runs over 30 games in the minors this season. He played in 35 games with the Pirates last season, but will hopefully get a longer stint this time around. Fantasy managers might want to use a wait-and-see approach here, but Gonzalez has all the skills to be a reliable hitter at the highest level.
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman prospect Nick Gonzales has been doing all he can for Triple-A Indianapolis to earn another promotion to the big league club. The 24-year-old is now batting .374, which is the second-highest batting average in all of Triple-A behind only 33-year-old teammate Jake Lamb, and Gonzales leads the circuit with 12 doubles. Jared Triolo is the Pirates' current second baseman but is batting just .216 on the season and only .152 over his last 14 games (7-for-46 including one double and zero HR). The Pirates just dropped three in a row to the Athletics after scoring three total runs in the three-game series, so if they are looking for offense then they should look no further than Gonzales. The former first-round draft pick hit just .209 during his cup of coffee with the big league club in 2023, but he's shown an improved K% in the minors this season (18.3%) which is another sign he's ready for another shot.
Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales has gotten off to a fast start at Triple-A Indianapolis. Gonzales is sporting an OPS of 1.043 with a homer and two doubles for the year. The former first-rounder has been on prospect lists for years, and 2024 appears to be a pivotal year for the infielder. Pittsburgh has a lot of young talent, and the former New Mexico State Aggie will aim to make a push to rejoin the Pirates this summer. Fantasy managers should monitor Gonzales, and if his hot start continues, he could provide depth at a relatively thin position.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up infield prospect Nick Gonzales, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2020 draft, on Friday from Triple-A Indianapolis, according to a source. Gonzales is considered the team's No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he earned his first major-league call-up by slashing .257/.370/.450 with an .820 OPS, six home runs, 14 doubles, five triples, 27 RBI and 38 runs scored in 262 plate appearances in 57 games for Indianapolis this year. The 24-year-old infielder should get plenty of playing time, making him worth a look for a waiver-wire pickup in deeper leagues. Gonzales is extremely quick to the ball because of his fast hands, and he has budding raw power at the plate. He'll need to cut down on his high strikeout rate in order to see success in his first taste of big-league pitching.
Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzales (heel) went 3-for-3 with a walk and two runs on Sunday for Double-A Altoona. Gonzales is one of the Pirates' top-rated prospects, but he missed all of June and July with a heel injury. Since his return on Aug. 6, Gonzales has hit .269 with one homer, nine RBI and 10 walks to go along with a stolen base. Contact hitting has always been the name of Gonzales' game, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect much power out of his bat, but his ability to get on base is what will make him valuable in the future. Gonzales has played some shortstop this season, but managers should expect him to remain at second base in the future. With his ability to make strong contact, managers in dynasty leagues should consider keeping tabs on the second baseman.
Pittsburgh Pirates second base prospect Nick Gonzales (heel) went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and a stolen base in his second rehab game for the Pirates of the Florida Complex League. Gonzales had been sidelined since the beginning of June with a heel injury but looks to be back to full health. Gonzales was drafted as one of the best pure hitters out of college in 2020 and was hitting .247 with four homers, 15 RBI and four steals in 43 games for Double-Altoona prior to his injury. A consensus top-30 prospect, Gonzales could be up in the big leagues as soon as 2023 for the rebuilding Pirates. For now, the rest of the season will likely feature Gonzales getting more seasoning on the farm, but he remains a strong contact hitter when he is fully healthy. Redraft fantasy managers can ignore Gonzales, but he warrants attention in dynasty leagues.
Pittsburgh Pirates second base prospect Nick Gonzales went 2-for-3 with a walk on Wednesday for Double-A Altoona. With the nice performance, Gonzales has now hit safely in six straight games. Arguably the Pirates top prospect, Gonzales got off to a slow start this season and is starting to show why he is so highly regarded. For the season, the New Mexico State product is hitting .243 with six doubles, three homeruns, 10 RBI and three stolen bases. Gonzales has elite bat speed and also provides pop from the right side of the plate that has allowed him to hit the ball all over the field. His defense is his biggest question mark, but that shouldn't stop him from rising through the Pirates system. The Pirates have a reputation for keeping their young stars on the farm, but it wouldn't be a shock to see Gonzales get a taste of the big leagues this summer. He should be on the radar of all dynasty managers.
