The Pittsburgh Pirates selected shortstop Nick Gonzales with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft.
In an offseason full of change Gonzales the first draft pick under Ben Cherington. In Cherington’s first draft in Pittsburgh, he addressed the offense by taking one of the best bats in draft.
Gonzales is coming off an impressive college career that saw him hit .347 as a freshman and .432 as a sophomore. The Mexico State product also had 80 runs batted in and was the NCAA batting champion in his sophomore year. He, however, was not considered a draft prospect until summer when he was named the MVP of the Cape Cod League.
Round 1 | Pick 7
Nick Gonzales (New Mexico State) taken by the @Pirates. Once a walk-on at New Mexico State, now selected seventh overall in the 2020 #MLBDraft. pic.twitter.com/LtL6Wx6YPW
— Prep Baseball Report (@prepbaseball) June 10, 2020
The newest Pirate was able to carry that success into his junior season as he had the nation’s longest on-base streak of 82 games before the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19.
Additionally, Gonzales has shown good patience at the plate as in his college career he walked 89 times while striking out 79 times. In 16 games this season, he had 12 runs batted in and was hitting .448. On the base paths, Gonzales also had 13 stolen bases in his college career.
While Gonzales is known for his offense he is also consistent with the glove. Despite the Pirates infield depth, Gonzales bat will be a welcomed addition to the farm system.
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