Perrotto: Nick Gonzales Wants to Carry Over Key From Last Season

Nick Gonzales is seemingly locked into the Pittsburgh Pirates’ opening-day lineup.

Gonzales figures to be the primary second baseman after starting a team-high 83 games at the position last year. There are some people both inside and outside the organization who would like to see Gonzales shifted to the other side of the bag but more on that in a bit.

Last season, Gonzales was one of the Pirates’ most-improved players. He was called up from Triple-A Indianapolis on May 10 and went on to hit .270/.311/.398 with seven home runs in 94 games.

However, Gonzales isn’t taking anything for granted with the Pirates set to open the season on March 27 against the Marlins in Miami.

“I’ve never really been a guy to just relax,” Gonzales said. “No matter where I was, what position I was in, it’s always trying to do a little bit more and be better. Obviously being a starting position player at the major-league level is not my goal. Being an All-Star, being on a championship team is my endgame. I’m going to be working towards that consistently and constantly.”

The Pirates certainly believe Gonzales can be more than just a run-of-the-mill regular. They thought highly enough of him as a college player to select him seventh overall in the 2020 amateur draft from New Mexico State.

The 25-year-old made significant progress last season after looking overmatched as a rookie the previous year. In 2023, he batted just .209/.269/.348 with two homers in 35 games.

Gonzales looked a lot more comfortable last year and there are reasons why.

“Definitely more consistent,” Gonzales said. “I felt like having an attack plan against the pitcher and not really focusing on my swing, not really thinking about what mechanical adjustments need to be made in the box, which is huge for me. Just focusing on what I need to do with this pitcher and doing it.

“I wouldn’t say anything was really different in terms of the game. Obviously, you’re dealing with the crowd and the bigger stadiums and the names that you’re playing. It can wear on you for a couple weeks, but you get adjusted to that. I think I did.”

One of Gonzales’ more notable statistics a year ago was his 49 RBIs, which extrapolate to 84 over a 162-game schedule. Bryan Reynolds was the only Pirates player to drive in at least 80 runs last season, finishing with 88 RBIs.

Gonzales loves the challenge of hitting with runners in scoring position and had a .302 batting average in 96 plate appearances in those situations last year.

“I like to help the team as much as I can,” he said. “The name of the game is scoring more runs than the other team. If there’s a situation where there’s a runner on third, less than two outs, infield’s back, whatever it may be, my job is to get that guy in whatever the score is.”

Gonzales’ defense was shaky last season as he had minus-4 defensive runs saved. However, he was drafted as a shortstop and made seven starts last season.

In Grapefruit League play this spring, Gonzales has thrice started at shortstop. He could be an alternative at the position as there are questions about whether veteran infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa can play shortstop regularly.

Gonzales, though, is just looking forward to the season rather than a potential position shift. He believes the Pirates are ready to take a step forward after having a 76-86 record each of the last two seasons.

“I think we can do a lot,” Gonzales said. “We can improve in a lot of areas. More experience and another year under our belt is going to help a lot. I’ve got nothing but great things to say about those guys in the clubhouse.”

Another year of improvement by Gonzales would help the cause.