The Pirates sent down 2020 seventh overall pick Nick Gonzales this spring, relegating him to a depth option for the second base position. He seemed to take that personally, recording hits in nearly every game since, including a two hit performance on Friday night.
Not only is Gonzales reducing his strikeout totals this year, he’s also showing more aggression with his swing totals, which is translating to more hits. The middle infielder, playing shortstop tonight, had an RBI double in the fifth inning, tying the score at 2-2. The double was the longest hit of the night in the Triple-A contest.
The hitting has been phenomenal, especially in terms of consistency. Gonzales has a hit in 17 of his 18 games this year. He’s currently sporting an 11-game hitting streak. He’s also reached base safely in every game this year.
All of that leads to a .387/.432/.600 line in 81 plate appearances, with 13 extra base hits. These are the best numbers Gonzales has put up at any level, and they’re propelling him to the top of the middle infield depth charts, where both Pirates in the majors are struggling early in the season.
PIRATES PROSPECT WATCH
INDIANAPOLIS won 7-2, scoring five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
- 3B Malcom Nunez had a two hit night with his sixth double of the season. He singled in the eighth to bring in one of the runs.
- LF Matt Gorski singled in the eighth inning, scoring two runs.
- RF Canaan Smith-Njigba went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk.
- LHP Nick Dombkowski got the call to Indianapolis to pitch as depth with Quinn Priester getting the call to the big leagues. Dombkowski pitched four innings, allowing one run. He had control issues, walking four, while striking out two.
- LHP Brady Feigl pitched two perfect innings, striking out four.
ALTOONA lost to Bowie 5-4 in ten innings. They scored one in the top half of the tenth, but allowed two in the bottom half.
- RHP Sean Sullivan pitched five shutout innings, with six hits allowed. Sullivan didn’t allow any walks, and struck out one. He was efficient, with 57 pitches and 43 strikes.
- CF Matt Fraizer hit a solo homer to lead off the game. It was his first of the season.
- C Abrahan Gutierrez went 2-for-5 with a double. The catcher has been hitting the ball well lately. This was his third double of the season.
- 1B Aaron Shackelford picked up two hits and drew a walk. His single in the top of the tenth inning brought in the go-ahead run.
- 2B Kervin Pichardo had two hits and knocked in two runs. One of those runs scored on his second double of the year, tying the score at 3-3 in the ninth.
GREENSBORO lost 5-3, with all three runs scored in the eighth inning.
- 2B Termarr Johnson might be heating up. The team’s first rounder in 2022 went 1-for-3 with a two RBI triple in the eighth inning. Johnson also drew a walk. He had a slow start to the season, but is showing line drive power to all parts of the park in the last two games.
- 3B Jack Brannigan went 1-for-4 with a double. Brannigan also drew a walk, putting the second batter on base for Johnson’s triple.
- RHP J.P. Massey didn’t make it through the first inning. He allowed four runs, all unearned, due to a fielding error by Brannigan. Massey walked three batters, and struck out two, before being lifted with 37 pitches.
- LHP Julian Bosnic pitched 3.1 shutout innings in relief of Massey. Bosnic struck out three, and dropped his ERA to 1.17 in just over seven innings.
- LHP Cy Nielson also had a nice extended relief outing, throwing 2.1 shutout frames, with one hit, no walks, and four strikeouts.
BRADENTON lost 4-1.
- RHP Carlson Reed was drafted in the fourth round last year out of West Virginia, and made his third start tonight. He allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits in four innings. Reed struck out eight batters with two walks. His fastball sat around 93, touching 94.8. He picked up 17 whiffs on the day, with the slider getting eight on nine swings, and his changeup getting seven on eight swings.
- 1B Juan Jerez scored the only run of the game hitting a solo homer in the fifth inning. It was the first of the season for Jerez, who went 1-for-2 with a walk. Jerez is in his third season at the Single-A level, but putting up better numbers than the previous two in his age-22 season.
- The Pirates drafted LHP Magdiel Cotto out of Kentucky in the 11th round last year, and have been using him as a multi-inning reliever. Tonight he allowed one run on two hits in two innings, with no walks and one strikeout. Cotto got his fastball up to 95, sitting 93-94.
- RHP Landon Tomkins is older for the level, as a 23-year-old who was a college senior last year. The 10th rounder has a nice fastball. Tomkins pitched the final two innings, allowing one run on two hits. He struck out four and walked one. The fastball averaged 94.4 and touched 95.8, picking up six whiffs on eight swings. He also has a high-spin slider he can throw for strikes, with five called strikes and a 71% zone rate tonight.
- RF Esmerlyn Valdez went 1-for-4 with his second double of the year. The 6′ 2″ outfielder has a .250/.340/.375 line this year, after hitting .312/.377/.518 last year in the FCL.
STATCAST HEROES
Wily Peralta got the start for Indianapolis in place of Priester, and allowed one run on a solo homer as his lone hit in three innings. Peralta didn’t allow a walk and struck out three. STATS
This was an impressive start for Carlson Reed. The home run from Juan Jerez was the hardest hit ball of the night. STATS
TOMORROW’S SCHEDULE
- LHP Michael Plassmeyer has shown swing and miss stuff in Triple-A, but has also been hit hard pretty consistently, to the tune of an 8.62 ERA. He takes the hill for Indianapolis at 6:35 PM EST.
- Altoona will send RHP Braxton Ashcraft to the mound at 6:35 PM. Ashcraft is one of the top ten prospects in the system, but has had a rough beginning to the season, with a 10.80 ERA in five innings across two appearances.
- Greensboro has a sleeper to watch in RHP Wilber Dotel. He’s thrown 5.1 shutout innings with six strikeouts in his first two starts this year. He takes the mound in the hitter-friendly home park at 6:30 PM.
- Bradenton is throwing LHP Michael Kennedy at home at 6:30 PM. Kennedy is one of the sleeper pitchers to watch at the level, drafted in the fourth round out of the prep ranks in 2022. The 19-year-old has a 6.43 ERA in seven innings, with eight strikeouts.
