Pittsburgh Pirates: The Best Possible Second Half Line-Up

Second Base - Nick Gonzales

Nick Gonzales has so far earned his time at second base. The former first-round pick has been outstanding since reaching the big leagues, showing what made him a former first-round pick. He got off to a rocky start, going 0-for-8 with just one walk and four K's, but he's seemed to find his groove since.

Since those rough first three games, Gonzales has had 12 hits in his last 34 plate appearances. Those ten hits include Gonzales' first two major league home runs, a triple, and three doubles. While Gonzales has just a single walk, he's only struck out five times. He was starting to get hot at Triple-A before his promotion, and while it took a few games, he's seemed to carry that heat over from Indy.

Gonzales was generally considered a solid defensive middle infielder coming up through the minor leagues, and he's held his own so far. I have Gonzales at second base right now, as that's the position he primarily played coming up through the Pirates' system. However, he's split his time at shortstop since reaching the big leagues. Despite taking over a harder position with less than 50 games played as a professional ball player, Gonzales has done pretty well at short too.

Gonzales has done more than enough so far for the Pirates to give him regular playing time. He could also see time at shortstop, but as of right now, I have him at the keystone for a good reason, and that's to make playing time for our next line-up spot.