Future Watch: Nick Gonzales Baseball Cards, Pittsburgh Pirates

by | Jan 20, 2021 | Baseball, Future Watch, Future Watch - Baseball, Sports

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Future Watch: Nick Gonzales Baseball Cards, Pittsburgh Pirates – Nick Gonzales was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the seventh overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. Most agree when this prospect gets to the big leagues, the position he will play will be second base. Having infield versatility is good just in case, but this guy can hit. That’s what the organization and fan base are excited about.

Gonzales starred at Cienega High School in Vail, Arizona for four years. As a senior, this prospect hit .543 with nine doubles, three triples, and four home runs. He pitched as well and posted an impressive 5-1 record with 23 appearances over his four years. Gonzales then caught the eye of New Mexico State and enrolled there.

As a freshman in 2018, Gonzales played in 57 games, starting in 53 of them. The infielder hit .347 with 17 doubles, nine home runs, and 36 RBI. His .596 slugging percentage led the team and conference and that led to a WAC Freshman of the Year honor as well as being named to the All-WAC First Team.

2019 was his sophomore season, and it was memorable including a .423 batting average with 16 home runs and 80 RBI. Added to that a .523 on-base percentage and a .773 slugging percentage. Gonzales hit with power got on base and that got him voted as a Unanimous All-American as well as a Semifinalist for the Golden Spikes National Player of the Year Award.

Gonzales’ junior season was cut short in 2020 because of Covid-19. Still, Gonzales hit .448 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI in just 16 games! He won the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s National Player of the Year Award, as well as being named a First-Team All-American.

Gonzales has speed and a high level of athleticism. He possesses a good glove and a quick bat that gets through the zone quickly paired with a slight uppercut that gives him power.

The Pirates invited their best prospects to a camp in Altoona where Gonzales shined. He showed off his quick hands with the bat and hit an exit velo of 100 MPH more than a few times. Knowing that his defense is coming along as he continues to move up the ladder, identifying pitches of all types is the next test. One certain thing was he had no trouble hitting any kind of fastball, and that’s just based on his raw talent and a high baseball I.Q.

Here’s a look at a few of his rips when he played some Cape Cod baseball in 2019 while playing for the Cotuit Kettleers.

Collectors can find Nick Gonzales cards in 2020 Bowman Draft, as well as prospect sets from Panini.

Gonzales will be invited to spring training, and then he might go straight to AA. He’s 21, and most in the organization believe he’s an advanced prospect. MLB.com ranked him 51st in the top-100 prospects in baseball. His rise will be fast, and collectors should be quick to add him to monster boxes.

Future Watch: Nick Gonzales Baseball Cards, Pittsburgh Pirates – Stats

Register Batting
Year Age AgeDif Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB
2018 19 -2.1 New Mexico State WAC NCAA   57 230 193 40 67 17 2 9 36 2 0 23 39 .347 .425 .596 1.021 115 2 7 2 5  
2018 19 -1.0 Cotuit CCBL Smr   3 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 .000 .000 0   0 0 0 0
2019 20 -0.9 New Mexico State WAC NCAA   55 284 220 80 95 19 4 16 80 7 3 45 30 .432 .532 .773 1.304 170 8 11 0 8  
2019 20 0.0 Cotuit CCBL Smr   42 185 154 39 54 14 4 7 33 6 0 20 22 .351 .451 .630 1.081 97   9 1 1 1
2020 21 -0.3 New Mexico State WAC NCAA   16 82 58 28 26 3 1 12 36 4 1 21 10 .448 .610 1.155 1.765 67 0 3 0 0  
NCAA (3 seasons)   NCAA   128 596 471 148 188 39 7 37 152 13 4 89 79 .399 .502 .747 1.249 352 10 21 2 13  
Other (2 seasons)   Other   45 190 159 40 54 14 4 7 33 6 0 20 25 .340 .439 .610 1.049 97   9 1 1 1
All Levels (3 Seasons)       173 786 630 188 242 53 11 44 185 19 4 109 104 .384 .487 .713 1.199 449   30 3 14 1
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/19/2021.

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