Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects: Checking in on 2022 Draft Picks at Bradenton

Five position players that were drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in this past July’s draft are currently at Low-A Bradenton, how are they performing thus far?

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a college heavy draft in 2022. Four college hitters that the Pirates selected this past July, a five hitters total, have already start to log significant playing time with the Low-A Bradenton Marauders. Today, we will check in on how these four hitters are performing thus far.

Fifth-round pick Tres Gonzalez

In the fifth-round of the draft the Pittsburgh Pirates selected outfielder Tres Gonzalez with the 140th overall pick in the draft. Gonzalez was selected out of Georgia Tech and is off to a strong start.

Gonzalez has arguably been the most impressive 2022 draft pick thus far. Through his first 92 plate appearances with Bradenton, the 21-year-old Gonzalez hit for a .325/.413/.400 slash line to go with a wRC+ of 139.

Gonzalez has a 9.8% walk rate, which is slightly better than average, and his 13.0% strikeout rate is well below the league average strikeout rate for hitters. While Gonzalez has yet to hit his first professional home run, he has collected four doubles and a triple. He has also stolen seven bases. The strong start to Gonzalez’s professional career has been a pleasant surprise.