Nick Gonzales’ offensive breakout highlights real issue with Pirates’ front office

Emma Lingan

Pittsburgh Pirates v Milwaukee Brewers / Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

Nick Gonzales missed 60 games this season with an ankle fracture he sustained during spring training. Since his return from the injured list, though, he has been the Pittsburgh Pirates' best hitter – and it's not even close.

Gonzales' five-hit performance against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday pushed his batting average above .300. In his last eight games, he’s batting .394 (13-for-33). He had also recorded an RBI in three consecutive games prior to Wednesday's series finale.

The Pirates selected Gonzales at No. 7 overall in the 2020 MLB Draft, the first under general manager Ben Cherington. It's great to see him finally hitting his stride and finding some consistency at the plate, but the fact that Gonzales is the only homegrown, drafted or even traded-for young player who has developed into an impact hitter at the MLB level under Cherington is, in itself, a problem.

Nick Gonzales’ offensive breakout highlights real issue with Pirates’ front office

Aside from Gonzales, only two other Pirates hitters have an OPS over .700 this season. Two. That's it. They are the usual suspects, Andrew McCutchen (.744) and Oneil Cruz (.715), the latter of whom is in the middle of a prolonged slump that has seen his OPS drop to .644 over his last 30 games.

Bryan Reynolds is having a down year, but he would usually be included in that group of players with an OPS over .700 as well. Aside from being the Pirates' best hitters, McCutchen, Cruz and Reynolds all have something in common — they were all brought into the organization by Cherington's predecessors. McCutchen was drafted by the Pirates under Dave Littlefield, while Cruz and Reynolds were trade acquisitions under Neal Huntington.

In five seasons under Cherington, the Pirates have not finished higher than fourth place in the National League Central division. Their offense has consistently ranked among the worst in all of baseball, and Cherington has done little (if anything) to improve it.

Gonzales is the exception, not the rule. And this isn't to overlook what he's been able to accomplish. His recent run of success has been a breath of fresh air. The problem is upstairs. The Pirates can say whatever they want about developing and rebuilding, but it simply hasn't happened under Cherington's leadership.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). She is also a credentialed NHL reporter and a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. You can follow her @Emma Lingan on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.