Pirates' latest Nick Gonzales move may reveal their long term plan

Over the past few weeks, you've likely noticed something a little different about the Pittsburgh Pirates' starting lineup: Nick Gonzales hasn't been in the field all that much. He's still batting in the middle of the lineup every day, but the Bucs are shielding his glove from exposure, giving him six starts at designated hitter in the past 15 games.

It doesn't take much to understand the logic here. One of the biggest offensive revelations in all of MLB this year, Gonzales is hitting .306/.369/.393 with a 112 wRC+, putting him firmly in the mix for a Silver Slugger Award and within shouting distance of the National League batting title. Unfortunately, his value has been stunted by poor defensive work -- he's at -9 Fielding Run Value this year, including a -8 mark at third base — hence why he's only at 2.2 fWAR, which ranks in the middle of the pack on the Pirates.

It's never ideal to have to hide a mid-20s infielder, but Gonzales' bat is too valuable to keep on the bench when the Bucs are trying to deploy their best defensive alignment. Even though he doesn't have the power of a prototypical DH, this could be the best path forward for both sides.

Pirates may have unlocked the perfect DH rotation with Nick Gonzales as the featured star

We've already discussed the prospect of stashing Gonzales in the DH spot, and to this point, the Pirates have followed said gameplan to a tee. They're still allowing him to play second and third base when there are favorable matchups (i.e., fly ball or strikeout-heavy pitchers on the mound), though they now have the ability to hide his glove when there's a need for better infield defense.

After the failure that was the Marcell Ozuna experiment, this is almost certainly the best use of the DH for this roster. Gonzales' versatility has allowed the Pirates to give semi-days-off to Brandon Lowe, Bryan Reynolds, and even Oneil Cruz, which is just a helpful way to keep guys fresh over the course of a 162-game season.

It's also worth pointing out that Gonzales isn't a complete sieve in the field. Yes, his third base metrics this year are abhorrent, but range-based data like Outs Above Average has always suggested he's a quality middle infielder. Unlike Ozuna, who literally couldn't be trusted with a glove in his hand, the 27-year-old can play capable defense in a pinch.

Giving him a pathway to more DH starts simply removes the burden on him to always be improving on that side of the ball, instead allowing Gonzales to focus on providing value where his true impact lies: at the plate.

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