Pirates Sign Frist Round Pick Gonzalez, Now What's Next?

On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed their first-round pick shortstop Nick Gonzales, one of the best hitters in the 2020 MLB Draft. Now that he is here, let's take a look at the next steps for the next generation of Pittsburgh Pirates muffle infielders.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted New Mexico State shortstop Nick Gonzales, they shocked a lot of the baseball experts. The Pirates were projected to take an outfielder, but Bem Cherrington ended up going with the best hitter in the draft, adding to their group of talented Minor League middle infielders. Gonzales and his family traveled to PNC Park to sign his contract and take in the sight of what he has to look forward to in the future. When asked about signing his first professional contract, Gonzales said "It's been so awesome. It was so jaw-dropping just to walk into this park and to see how beautiful it is and see the city right behind centerfield was so special for me."

Gonzales's career to this point has taken him from college walk-on at New Mexico State to NCAA batting champion. He wasn't highly recruited out of high school and had to fight for his playing time. He would earn a starting spot for the Aggies and took off hitting .347 in 42 games played that season. He would end up working year-round between summer collegiate ball, fall ball, and the regular season and he continued to improve each season. His senior year was the best year of his collegiate career as he hit .448 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI. Because of his success, Gonzales would win the NCAA batting title before being drafted #7 overall by the Pirates.

Gonzales ended up receiving a signing bonus of $5,432,400, the full slot value of the #7 overall pick. Gonzales is the third member of the 2020 MLB Draft class to sign with the Pirates as Jared Jones and Parker Brahms signed in the weeks before. Now that Gonzales is officially in the Pirates organization, the next question is where will he start his professional career? Given Gonzales's success in college, the Pirates could go many different routes from starting him slow and steady to challenging him right from the get-go. The way I see it there are three possible routes he could go with each having their pros and cons.

Option #1: Class-A Short Season West Virginia Black Bears

If 2020 was a normal season, this would be more than likely be where Gonzales would end up. He already got experience playing in the NCAA and he would get an opportunity to play along with his peers. With this move, Gonzales could jump right into the starting lineup and show what he can do defensively. If he can continue to hit the ball like he did in college, he could be inserted into the top or the middle of the Black Bears roster where he can use that offensive ability to drive in runs. While he has decent speed, it is not a big part of his game so he would probably be inserted into the number two or three spot in the lineup. This will allow him the opportunity to drive in runs on a consistent basis and give him some experience as a middle of the order hitter.

Option #2: Advanced-A Bradenton Marauders

With the 2020 Minor League season uncertain due to the Coronavirus ordeal, we may not see true Minor League baseball until the 2021 season. Because of this, the Pirates might make the decision to start Gonzales in Advanced-A Bradenton to jump-start his career. With no current shortstops listed on their roster, this move would also allow Gonzales to play every day and continue his development. However, the talent in this league is a lot better than you see in the New York Penn League, but it would offer a challenge for Gonzales to see if he could keep up. After spending two seasons in the Cape Cod League, playing against some top talent is no new deal for Gonzales. If he does join the Marauders, he would probably be either a #2 or #6 hitter on a daily basis. These two spots are important in terms of setting things up and run production, but they aren't as high pressure as the middle of the batting order.

Option #3: Double-A Altoona/2020 Taxi Squad

Could we possibly see Nick Gonzales in a Pirates uniform this season? With the craziness that is the 2020 season, anything can happen. This is the least likely of all three options to happen, but it would challenge Nick Gonzales more than he ever has been in his career. He dominated the Western Athletic Conference, but Double-A is a whole new ball game. We probably wouldn't see Gonzales play in any Major League games unless something drastic happened, but to have him available and training in Double-A could be a big boost for the team. He would be competing for playing time with guys like Stephen Alemais and Robbie Glenndining which would offer him some competition. If this were the route the Pirates divided to go, my guess is that he would hit in the bottom third of the order either as the seven or eight hitter. This would allow him to see better pitches to hit and give him a chance to adjust to the higher level of pitching he would be seeing. It would be a risky move for Gonzales's career, but one that could pay off for Pittsburgh.

Looking at all three options I think that the one that will end up playing out is Gonzales heading to Advanced-A Bradenton. It is the best of both worlds for the young player as he gets to face some more competitive pitching, which will challenge him at the plate, but he will also get the chance to be a starting shortstop on a daily basis. Gonzalez has proven that he can hit against top pitching talent and I feel that Bradenton would give him just enough of a challenge to see if he can continue those good offensive numbers without being overly taxed or having too easy of a time.

The Major League Baseball season is set yo begin on July 23rd and July 24th with teams reporting to Spring Training on July 1st. As the season gets closer, we at Buccos Cove are determined to get you ready for the Coronavirus shortened season with analysis, predictions, and everything you need to know before the season begins. Be sure to follow us on Facebook at Buccos Cove for all the exciting Pittsburgh Pirates coverage every single day.