Nick Gonzales has been a huge boost to the Pittsburgh Pirates offense. Taken seventh overall in 2020, Gonzales is looking exactly like you would hope a top ten pick would perform.
Since his callup on May 10th, Gonzales is hitting .308/.339/.513 with five homers. The fifth homer of the year came on Saturday night, as he went 2-for-5 with two RBIs in the Pirates’ 16-4 loss to the Rockies.
Gonzales has the fifth highest OPS among second basemen in baseball since his call to the big leagues. He also ranks top five in the game at the position in almost every other offensive category.
The league averages for wOBA and wRC+ metrics are .309 and 100, respectively. The Pirates, through May 9th, had just three hitters with above-average results. Those hitters were Connor Joe, Joey Bart, and Bryan Reynolds. Since the arrival of Gonzales, the Pirates have five above-average hitters. Joe has slipped to slightly below average, while Oneil Cruz and Andrew McCutchen have joined Gonzales in the above-average range. Only McCutchen has been a better hitter than Gonzales during this time. McCutchen also homered in Saturday’s loss.
There has been a lot of focus on Paul Skenes helping the pitching staff. Gonzales has provided just as much of a boost to the offense.
Catching Depth
The Pirates placed Henry Davis on the 7-day injured list with a concussion. Jason Delay was recalled to take his place.
The Pirates currently rank 24th in catcher fWAR, and they’ve dealt with injuries all year. This has led to five different players sharing the position, with none of them exceeding the 99 plate appearances from Davis.
Heading into the season, Davis was given the first chance as the starter, with veteran Yasmani Grandal missing the start of the year. The Pirates added Joey Bart early in the season, and he’s been their best option this year. Bart is currently on the injured list with a left thumb issue. Prior to the injury, he was hitting .267/.362/.517 in 69 plate appearances.
Grandal is currently the starter, but hasn’t looked good this year. He’s hitting .184/.211/.287, though he does have the best defensive production of the group. That said, this isn’t Austin Hedges 2023 defense, where the Pirates are getting one of the best defensive catchers in the game. Out of 45 catchers with 200+ innings this year, Grandal ranks 26th in defensive value.
In Saturday’s game, Grandal wasn’t showing the type of defense that you’d expect from a veteran catcher whose value almost exclusively comes from his defense. With a man on third, two outs, and the Pirates down 5-1, Grandal lobbed the baseball to Jared Jones on the mound, allowing Ryan McMahon to steal home.
Ryan McMahon steals home! 🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/5Pgb2Kk1Uk
— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2024
This wasn’t the first time that Grandal lobbed the ball back to the mound during this game. Doing that with a runner at third, when Jones was one strike from getting out of the inning, is inexcusable. You can see the immediate disappointment in the reaction from Jones, who proceeded to turn a 1-2 count into a walk for his final batter of the game.
Grandal doesn’t get the blame for the Pirates going down 5-1 prior to this throw, nor does he get the blame for the 16-4 loss. This throw showed that he was coasting mindlessly through parts of the game. He did pick up a an RBI single in the following inning, as one of two hits on the day.
The hope heading into this season was that Grandal could give the catching position more certainty. At this point, Bart looks like he should be the starter. Davis hit well in Triple-A, and should be given a chance to carry that to the majors when healthy. I think Delay is underrated, and could be as good of a defensive option as Grandal.
These are the options for the Pirates. Grant Koch caught two games as emergency depth, and that’s what he is. The Pirates have some other emergency options, but their starting candidates are Bart, Davis, and Grandal. Right now, that’s not looking great, with the two power hitters injured, and Grandal going through the motions in his age 35 season.
In Defense of Michael A. Taylor
I often see people criticizing the signing of Michael A. Taylor, due to his .206/.253/.270 line. The focus on the offense misses Taylor’s true value: His defense.
Taylor has been one of the best defensive outfielders in the game this year. He ranks third in defensive runs saved. He ranks top five in the league in Plus-Minus, as well as the Statcast Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Values. His UZR/150 ranks second of any outfielder with 300+ innings.
The Pirates lack good defense in their outfield. Even with the contributions from Taylor, they rank 29th as a group in defensive runs saved, and rank as one of the worst groups in the other advanced metrics above. They’re a group with range, ranking middle of the pack in UZR/150, mostly due to a positive range rating.
Taylor provides an upgrade on the field by putting a quality defender right in the center of the worst group in the majors. His offense makes him look like this year’s Austin Hedges, with his worst power results of his career. His defense gives him value in the same way, offering some of the best production in the game on at least one side of the ball.
Pirates Prospect Watch
The Pirates drafted Khristian Curtis in the 12th round last year out of Arizona State. The inexperienced pitcher has been working in Bradenton this year, flashing a six pitch mix with a fastball that sits mid-90s. On Saturday, Curtis had his best start of the season, going six shutout innings, and striking out nine. Read more about him in the latest Prospect Watch.
Pirates Prospect Watch: Khristian Curtis Strikes Out Nine in Six Shutout Innings
