Nick Gonzales

Gonzales, the No. 7 overall pick in 2020, suffered a broken pinky a few weeks into his first pro season and was slow to get into a groove after returning in late June. However, he finished the year on fire, hitting .335/.430/.625 with 14 home runs over his final 56 games at High-A. He kept mashing to the tune of a .380/.483/.549 slash line in 19 games in the Arizona Fall League. All told, he had a 25.2 K%, 11.6 BB%, 20 home runs and 11 steals in 99 games. Gonzales has an explosive swing with bat speed and torque that allow him to hit for significant power out of a 5-foot-10, 195-pound frame. He gets the ball in the air with ease (35.6 GB% at High-A), but his strikeout rates were a tad high for a 22-year-old at those levels. He also played in one of the more homer-prone parks (Greensboro) in the minors last season, hitting .265/.373/.435 on the road. Gonzales is an above-average runner and does enough damage when he makes contact that we can expect high batting averages on balls in play, but key aspects of his profile are still unclear, particularly where his bat-to-ball skill and game power will settle in the coming years. He could be a five-category No. 2 hitter if he maxes out. We should learn a lot as he heads to the upper levels for his final full season in the minors.

Gonzales fell to the Pirates with the seventh pick in last year's draft, but he is the clear third pick in first-year player drafts for dynasty leagues, behind Spencer Torkelson and Austin Martin. A 5-foot-10, 190-pound offensive-minded second baseman, Gonzales didn't appeal to certain teams at the top of the draft, but he has a chance to develop into a No. 2 or No. 3 hitter in the majors. We can downgrade his video game numbers at altitude with New Mexico State, but he proved in the Cape Cod League in 2019 that he is a special offensive prospect. He showed off his strength and bat speed by slashing .351/.451/.630 with seven home runs and a 22:20 K:BB in 42 games with a wood bat en route to MVP honors in the Cape. He boasts above-average speed but has not looked to run much, going 19-for-23 on stolen-base attempts in 173 games. Gonzales should open at High-A and could reach the majors in 2022.