Erik Gonzalez
GRADE: F
2021 Stats: 71 games, .232/.258/.300, 2 home runs, 21 RBI, -0.4 WAR
Erik Gonzalez found himself lost in the shuffle this season. The Pittsburgh Pirates have a ton of middle infielders on both the current roster and among their top prospects. He doesn’t figure to be too involved going forward.
He missed a chunk of time with an injury that sent him to the 60-day IL. Gonzalez played 14 games in Triple-A on a rehab assignment and batted .140 with four RBI in 14 games.
There isn’t much to discuss with Gonzalez. He is 30-years old and didn’t have a strong season. While he is pretty smooth with the glove, the Pirates have enough defensive prowess amongst their middle infielders. Guys like former first-rounder Cole Tucker and, eventually, Oneil Cruz deserve that playing time. Gonzalez doesn’t serve much purpose to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022.