Multiple reports out of Pittsburgh indicate that Cienega High School graduate Nick Gonzales is on his way to the Pirates, who are playing at the Miami Marlins this weekend.
Gonzales, an infielder who was the Pirates’ No. 7 selection in the 2020 MLB Draft, will be joining the Pirates from Triple-A Indianapolis on Friday, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Gonzales, 24, is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 5 prospect in the Pirates’ minor-league system.
Along with the decision to add 2021 first-round draft choice Henry Davis (a catcher and infielder) earlier this week, the Pirates (34-40) are trying to generate a spark to their lineup. They are in a season-worst 10-game losing streak and are in fourth place in the NL Central after being in first place.
The @Pirates are calling up their No. 5 prospect, Nick Gonzales, for what would be his MLB debut, @JonathanMayo confirms.
Scouting report, tool grades and more 2020’s No. 7 overall pick: https://t.co/VdCo102Sjk pic.twitter.com/zShqaZIf3h
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 23, 2023
After being drafted out of New Mexico State, Gonzales spent the majority of 2021 playing at Single-A Greensboro (N.C.) before a promotion to Double-A Altoona (Pa.) in 2022.
This season, he has played exclusively for Triple-A Indianapolis, appearing in 57 games.
Through 262 at-bats, Gonzales is hitting .257 with six home runs and 27 RBIs. He has stuck out 75 times with 35 walks and has a .370 on-base percentage. He is fifth in the International League with five triples.
The 5-foot-9, 195-pound Gonzales has split time at second base (33 games), third base (14 games) and shortstop (eight games).
He is expected to play second base for the Pirates, according to reports.
This season, Pirate second basemen have hit .244.
Gonzales became the third baseball athlete from Southern Arizona drafted in the top 10 after the New Mexico State standout was taken No. 7 by the Pirates.
Former Tucson High standout Eddie Leon went No. 3 in the 1966 Secondary Draft but former Sahuaro standout Sam Khalifa went No. 7 to the Pirates in the 1982 Regular Draft. Leon also went No. 9 in the 1965 Regular Draft.
Gonzales’ older brother, former Cienega football and baseball standout Daniel Gonzales, played football for the Naval Academy.
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon. He became an educator five years ago and is presently a special education teacher at Gallego Fine Arts Intermediate in the Sunnyside Unified School District.
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