Pirates No. 7 overall pick Nick Gonzales already registered his first hit as a pro.
How?
He name-dropped and complimented Andrew McCutchen in his introductory Zoom video conference call during Day 1 of the 2020 MLB Draft. That's good for a base or two, young man.
"The [biggest] thing that came to my mind [when the Pirates selected me] was Andrew McCutchen," Gonzales said. "He was one of my favorite players growing up, watching him play and run down balls in center field. I think he wore the black and yellow really good."
"Black and yellow" debate aside, Gonzales did his homework here, showing some love to McCutchen, whom the Pirates drafted 11th overall in the 2005 MLB Draft. From there, McCutchen played nine years in Pittsburgh, earning the National League MVP in 2013 and coming in third in MVP voting in both 2012 and 2014. He also added five All-Star nominations, a Gold Glove and four Silver Sluggers for good measure.
And while Gonzales admires McCutchen's game, he's not thinking about those accolades just yet. His motivation right now is much simpler.
"I think [I] just [want to] play baseball," Gonzales said. "I haven't played in a few months and I think, you know, I'm just super excited to do that and develop as a player with professional coaching and professional players all around me. So I think that's really exciting for me to go out there and develop."
Although Gonzales looked up to McCutchen and McCutchen's skill set as he worked up the high-school and college ranks, he never put too much thought or care into which team would actually select him on draft day. A consensus top-10 pick, everyone knew Gonzales would go early on Day 1.
Where though? Gonzales wasn't sure. He just knew he'd embrace the opportunity all the same.
"Yeah, I just wanted — any team that had gotten me, I was going to be really, extremely fortunate to go to them," Gonzales said.
With several mock drafts linking Gonzales to the Pirates before the draft, though, some hype did follow — as did the photo edits. When Gonzales saw a mock-up of himself in a Pirates jersey, he had to admit he liked what he saw.
"I saw a picture of me that someone kind of Photoshopped me wearing black and yellow with the Pirate, and I really liked it actually," Gonzales said. "I even sent it to my girlfriend's dad because I really liked the picture. And now, you know, it's a dream come true."
