The Pittsburgh Pirates have traded infielder Benji Gonzalez to the San Diego Padres organization. Gonzalez had been in the Pirates organization since being taken in the 7th round of the 2008 amateur draft. He had not played this season after spending the last three years at Bradenton. He was in Extended Spring Training at the time of the deal.
Gonzalez played Winter Ball in Puerto Rico this off-season, hitting .317 over 20 games. The 24-year-old is a switch-hitter with an excellent glove, can play multiple positions including shortstop and he has good speed. He never hit enough to move past High-A ball though.
The deal is for cash or a player to be named later. Chances are, with Gonzalez not being used by the Pirates and the fact he’s a minor league free agent at the end of the year, we won’t hear about the return.
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
He was on his way to Altoona in 2013 when he did a 180 back to Bradenton. He was the player introduction banquet and was tell us this, last year. He had even tweeted a picture of himself on the plane as he was heading to PA. We’ll miss him but wish him luck. http://LetsGoMarauders.com
After a glimmer of offense in winter ball, I was surprised that Benji did not make AA roster. With Ngoepe, Hanson, and Maggi, there isn’t enough playing time for all those guys at short. I was a little surprise with choosing Crumlich over Benji for an active roster spot in the organization.