Gonzales swats grand slam in first 2-HR game

When the Pirates selected Nick Gonzales with the seventh pick in the 2020 Draft, they envisioned his powerful bat entrenched in the middle of the lineup while holding down a middle infield position for years to come. On Sunday, Pittsburgh's top prospect showed off his elite offensive talent at High-A Greensboro.

MLB Pipeline’s 27th-ranked prospect launched two homers and knocked three extra-base hits in a game for the first time, including his first career grand slam in the Grasshoppers' 8-7 victory over Hickory. Gonzales finished the game a perfect 3-for-3 with two walks (one intentional), five RBI and three runs, both career bests.

“That felt awesome. I’ve had a few multihit games but hitting two home runs, that’s a lot of fun and it’s always a good feeling to help your team win,” said Gonzales over the phone after the game.

The 22-year-old hit second for Greensboro and began his day with a four-pitch walk, his 20th free pass drawn of the season. He came around to score the first run of the game on Pirates No. 4 prospect Liover Peguero’s sacrifice fly. With one out in the third inning, Gonzales crushed his first homer of the day well out of First National Bank Field, a solo shot that tied the game at 2.

Gonzales batted again in the fifth with a man on first and one out. The New Mexico State product laced a ball to left field that gave him his 12th double of the season. Greensboro would score a run in the inning but remained behind 4-3 until the bottom of the sixth. A leadoff triple by Blake Sabol and a single from William Matthieson tied the game at 4. Following two strikeouts, a walk and a hit by pitch, Gonzales stepped into the box with the bases loaded. On the third pitch of the at-bat, he delivered his first career grand slam on a drive to right-center field.

“I was super excited," said Gonzales. “The guy was throwing pretty hard so I knew I had to get the barrel out there and I was fortunate to put a good swing on it. I’ve been working on some stuff in the cages and it’s been working out.”

Gonzales came to the plate in the bottom of the eighth with Greensboro poised to do more damage but was intentionally walked before Hickory escaped a bases loaded jam unscathed. The grand slam proved to be the difference in the game, as the Crawdads put up three runs in the ninth to almost claw their way back.

The Arizona native began his year on a tear with a .917 OPS over 13 games in May before suffering a fractured pinky in his throwing hand on a collision at first base that kept him out for over a month.

“It was hard at first, not hitting or being able to swing for six weeks is something I probably haven’t done since I was 9 or 10 years old,” said Gonzales. "But once I got out there and back to swinging every day and got back in the groove, I felt back to normal.”

Since his return to the diamond on June 26, Gonzales has taken a slight step back but remained a productive hitter, recording 12 multihit games and seven dingers since the injury.

The second baseman said that the biggest adjustment he's had to make at the professional level is “Going in with the same mindset regardless of how we do and always staying optimistic is something that I’ve learned and tried to incorporate every game.”

Gonzales was selected as an advanced college hitter with the expectation he would rise quickly throughout Pittsburgh’s system. He has impressed at the plate this season with a slash line of .270/.353/.490 and an .843 OPS and his bat has come alive once again with a recent hot streak. Over his last 20 games, Gonzales is slashing .354/.446/.595 with a 1.041 OPS, five doubles, a triple, four homers, 10 walks and 16 RBIs.

Going through the ups and downs of a full season is something every player experiences, and has offered Gonzales an early lesson of how he would like to carry himself throughout his career.

“Whether I go 5-for-5 or 0-for-5, I want to have the same attitude, the same effort going out there helping the team win and being a good teammate,” said Gonzales.