Nick Gonzales had his summer planned out.
After being selected seventh overall by the Pirates in the 2020 amateur draft, he thought for sure he would not be invited to their Altoona, Pa. training site because there were so few spots available. That would mean he would get virtual coaching, but would need to find a way to actually play the game.
So he and some of his college teammates from New Mexico State rented a house outside Phoenix so they could take advantage of facilities around the area. They were going to be there at least a month, trying to get as much practice time as they could.
During Gonzales’ second day there, he got a call from the Pirates. There was a spot open in Altoona for him.
“I told my buddies, ‘hey, I’m out of here,’ “ Gonzales was telling me. “It was pretty funny that’s what happened there.”
So Gonzales hopped a flight east, bought a truck once he got to Altoona and got to camp. There, he did something he never expected to do in 2020: Face major-league pitchers.
Due to the abundance of pitcher injuries for the Pirates this year, they had to go to their Altoona camp early and often for extra arms. Some of those reinforcements turned in quality seasons, like Sam Howard, Geoff Hartlieb and Cody Ponce.
When they would pitch, Gonzales would study the opposing batters. What pitches were they swinging at? What were they taking? Then he would compare their approach to the at-bats he had against those same pitchers.
“You’re able to see [where you are] and get a good perspective,” Gonzales said. “You get to see where you’re at and what you need to work on.”
It was the type of introduction to professional baseball that only 2020 could bring. Under normal circumstances, Gonzales and some of the Pirates’ other top draft picks would have been sent to short season Class A shortly after signing, and they would have faced competition that largely consisted of draft picks from that year and other young players.
Gonzales liked facing more advanced pitching instead. While he was in Altoona mostly for his development, the camp’s main priority was to make sure players were prepared in case they needed to be called up to the majors.
That didn't matter. He is going to face younger pitching for years to come in his rise to the majors. This was unique experience.
“The strides and the jumps aren’t so much talent base, and more so being polished and being prepared and very consistent at that next level,” Gonzales said.
He learned a lot. He also logged a lot in a journal documenting his day’s at-bats. He had done it on and off in the past, but in Altoona, he made sure to write how his at-bats felt every day. What was working. What wasn’t. That way, if something felt off with his swing, he could go back and reference how he broke out of the slump in the past.
Gonzales had kept a log in the past, but this was the first time he wrote in it daily. Since there are fewer at-bats in the ongoing development camp in Bradenton Fla., he is instead just writing when he feels he is in a groove or rut. Those are the days he wants to remember the most.
“Knowing where I’m at where I’m good, and knowing where I’m at when I’m bad. I think that’s what is the key,” he said.
There’s been a lot of new stuff presented to him this year. Originally announced as a shortstop when drafted, Gonzales has played second base almost exclusively. That said, with the number of shifts the Pirates have had him do, that could mean setting up on the other side of second base or in shallow right field. It was a bit of a culture shock after barely shifting in college.
The at-bats he had against quality pitching. Being involved in both camps. Preparing like a call to the majors could come any day. It’s all been beneficial.
“The amount of stuff I’ve been able to learn has been huge,” Gonzales said. “I’ve been able to improve on offense, defense, you name it. Everything. Since day one in Altoona and day one in Florida.”
It’s not just him who feels that way.
“We can kind of see where the raw skills are going, how [he’s] handling different challenges,” Ben Cherington was telling me. “Frankly, some of it is just continued maturity and growth as [a person]… We do feel like improvement happened this year.”
That improvement is a testament to Gonzales’ work ethic. When the pandemic hit, he was convinced the college season was always just a week away from restarting. He continued to prepare like it was. There were only a few weeks between the time he signed and when he was off to Altoona.
So don’t expect him to take a breather during the offseason. He has a 2,000 mile drive from Bradenton to back home in Arizona ahead of him. But after that…
“I think that whole drive is going to be my time off,” Gonzales said. “As soon as I get back, I’m probably going to be back at it again.”