Pirates select Nick Gonzales 7th overall in 2020 Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates today announced they have drafted shortstop Nick Gonzales with the seventh overall selection in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft.
The 21-year-old Gonzales was rated as the No. 5 overall draft prospect by both MLBPipeline and Baseball America. Baseball America also tabbed him as the third-best "Hitter" and as having the fourth-best "Strike Zone Judgment" among college position players in this year's draft.
"We are excited to select Nick Gonzales with our first pick," said Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington. "Nick has been an elite college performer as a middle infielder both at New Mexico State and summer seasons. We're equally impressed with the consistent improvement Nick has made since high school. Our area scout, Derrick Van Dusen, and regional crosschecker, Jesse Flores, did great work getting to know Nick as a person and player. We look forward to working with him in a Pirates uniform."
Gonzales was named the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's National Player-of-the-Year in 2020 and a first-team All-American by the same publication after hitting .448 (26-for-58) with three doubles, one triple, 12 home runs and 36 RBI in 16 games for New Mexico State. Gonzales also ranked first in the NCAA in 2020 in home runs (12), runs scored (28), RBI (36) and total bases (67) while switching from second base to shortstop this past season with the Aggies.
During his sophomore season in 2019, Gonzales led the nation in batting average (.432) while being named an All-American by six different publications. He was also a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award (nation's best amateur player) while being ranked as the top second baseman in the country by D1Baseball. Following the conclusion of the 2019 season at New Mexico State, Gonzales was named the MVP of the prestigious Cape Cod League after hitting .351 (54-for-154) with 14 doubles, four triples, seven home runs and 33 RBI in 42 games.
In his first season at New Mexico State in 2018, Gonzales was named the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Freshman-of-the-Year and an all-WAC first-team selection while leading New Mexico State with a .347 average. He also led the team and conference with a .596 slugging percentage while being recognized as a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Freshman All-American.
Prior to attending New Mexico State, Gonzales played on the varsity team for four years at Cienega (AZ) High School, where he hit .543 with nine doubles, three triples and four home runs as a senior.