Gonzales has plans of sticking with the Pirates

Nick Gonzales showed up to spring training with a handlebar mustache and an announcement: “It’s here to stay.”

There’s a method to his mustache: When Gonzales grew it for “Mustache May,” it coincided with his promotion to Pittsburgh after starting the season at Triple-A Indianapolis. Gonzales stayed with the Pirates for the remainder of the season, so he stuck with the ‘stache.

Now, it’s a matter of which former mustachioed middle infielder from the Pirates’ 1979 World Series champions he’s going to resemble more – Phil Garner or Tim Foli – as Gonzales is expected to start at second base but also see action at shortstop this season.

Despite his new look – he shaved the ‘stache at the behest of his wife, Rylee, for their wedding in November – Gonzales knows that his success will depend on how he handles himself at the plate.

“That’s been me my whole life,” Gonzales said. “As long as I’ve got a bat, I don’t care what position I’m at.”

As the No. 7 overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft, Gonzales had a reputation as the best hitter in college baseball. But he dealt with his share of struggles at the plate after making his major league debut in late June 2023, so the Pirates had him start the season in the minors to continue working on adjustments to his approach and swing.

Now, Gonzales intends to improve upon his numbers from last year, when he batted .270/.311/.398 with 19 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 49 RBIs in 94 games. He had 74 strikeouts and 18 walks, and his 4.7% walk percentage ranked in the seventh percentile, per Statcast.

“Last year was a good steppingstone for me,” Gonzales said. “There were some things I needed to work on. I wanted to cut down on some things, like swing and miss. I felt like I did that. Now it’s building off that. There’s a lot left in the tank, in terms of what I could’ve done.”

Hit with more consistency, for one. Gonzales made an immediate impact, replacing Jared Triolo as the starting second baseman and batting .319 with four doubles, a triple, three homers and 16 RBIs in May. He batted .214 with 12 RBIs in July, then hit .368 but drove in only one run in August.

“I had some months where it could’ve been better, where my highs were really high and my lows were really low,” Gonzales said. “Leveling that out a little bit. I think we could have a more consistent year, driving guys in, moving guys. To be an allaround hitter is the name of the game for me. I try to do that to help the team as best I can.”

Gonzales wants to find a balance between driving in runs and swinging for the fences. He has a knack for coming through with clutch hits after delivering 39 RBIs with runners in scoring position last season.

“When those opportunities arise, I try to slow the heartbeat down and do what I can to help the team,” Gonzales told SportsNet Pittsburgh during an in-game interview last week. “It’s not always hitting the home run.”

In 10 Grapefruit League games, Gonzales is batting .240 but has a .321 on-base percentage. He has only two extra-base hits – both doubles – but took pride in how he handled a bases-loaded circumstance against the Philadelphia Phillies on March 7.

Gonzales didn’t have a scouting report on Phillies pitcher Daniel Harper, a Double-A right-hander, so he just wanted to put the ball in play to drive in a run. Gonzales grounded into a force out at second base that allowed Ji Hwan Bae to score for a 2-1 lead.

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Gonzales wants to tap into his power potential, which will require a better barrel percentage (7.9%) and hardhit rate (36.9%), not to mention increased average exit velocity (87.9 mph).

“I know I can do that and I have done that in the past,” Gonzales said. “It’s more so about not searching for that and trying to do it. Trying to get a little bit more, trying to tap into it and hit the ball harder is where I’ll get in trouble. So I’m staying in my approach and letting things happen.”