The Pirates Have a Second Base Problem Brewing

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Good morning, happy St. Paddy's Day to those who observe.

This is Alex Stumpf, and this is Offbeat.

Here on North Shore 9, presented by Fandall.

This is a 15-minute look at the parts.

Comes every single day.

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And today, we're going to look at second base.

Because last episode I talked about how catcher was an area of need that the parts didn't address this offseason.

Second base was an area of need that they did address.

It was one of their biggest moves of the offseason, training for Brandon Lau of the race.

And there's obvious appeal at adding a big left-handed bat to a position like that.

Like Brandon Lau was, he's regarded as a top 10 second baseman in the game.

He was an all-star last year.

He has 20-something low-30 power potential, especially a P&C park.

It's checking every box that the parts would want out of a second baseman and to help bolster this lineup.

It does raise the question, though.

What happens to Nick Gonzalez?

And if you want to add on another layer, what does it do to Nick York?

And if you want to add on yet another layer, what does it do with their 2022 first-round pick to Mar Johnson?

I think Brandon Lau is here for a year.

He could resign theoretically or be extended or something like that.

And again, we were just talking to the theoretical, not to say that anything is imminent or closer been discussed.

But I think next year they're going to have a different person-manning second base.

Or if they do, Lau would have to resign in the offseason or something like that.

So that's why whenever the parts make the trade, one of the first things Ben Sherrington said during that Zoom call was Nick Gonzalez was still part of this team.

They still view him as an important part of this team moving forward.

It's tough to see exactly how that looks in 2026, though.

I mean, there is a very clear path here.

And that's Connor Griffin doesn't make the opening day team.

And Nick Gonzalez goes there.

But that's a very short-term solution in my mind.

And maybe, you know, he shows something in there and he earns playing time elsewhere.

But Connor Griffin is a sleeping beast.

Okay, he is going to take over that job eventually.

There is barring injury and no real chance that Nick Gonzalez gets the opening day shortstop job and holds it through the entire year.

Like it will eventually go to Connor.

So him playing there out of position.

Again, out of position.

I don't know how great he would be as an everyday shortstop defensively.

I think he can hum a few bars.

I don't know if I want to play in 140 games over there.

But in that case, yeah, okay, there might be a little bit of playing time early on.

But what does it mean for 2026 beyond those first opening weeks or months or the end of the year or 2027 or 2028?

Because Gonzalez is in a weird spot that he has one option year left.

He could spend a lot of the year in the minors.

Or he could be on the team and then be arbitration eligible for the first time next year.

There's also that sweet cocktail where he split the difference.

And he spends enough time in the minors that he burns his last option year.

But he spends enough time in the majors that he's super too eligible and gets an arbitration contract.

So there are a couple ways that no, you don't have to get an answer definitively on Nick Gonzalez right now.

But you kind of need one for 2027.

And the guy we saw in 2024, I thought, yeah, that's probably the second basement of the future.

He had the OPS. It was a little north of 700.

He got better as the year progressed.

I saw him pooping with the defense.

It was what you wanted to see.

Last year, regressed.

And I do think the fractured ankle on opening day played a very large part in that.

And I don't want to discredit that at all.

But here is someone who had the job pretty much set up.

Like Adam Frazier was brought in.

And that was, you know, to add a left handed option.

Because Gonzalez has struggled against right handed pitching.

It's like, okay, we'll receive just a platoon in there.

But like there was a path for him to be a regular on this team.

Right now, I don't see that path after the year he showed.

And a lot of it was just me diagnosing it.

It was the fastball.

He just didn't hit the fastball as well as he did in 2024.

Last in 2024, he had a four 10 slugging percentage, 334,

348 X-Wobba against fastballs.

Last year, 377 slug 299, Wobba 305 X-Wobba drastically down for the last two stats.

Wobba, which is going to just take everything weighted on base average.

Think of it like an on base percentage for those of you who aren't as familiar with it.

And then expected Wobba based off of the strikeouts, the walks, the quality of contact.

It painted a pretty dim picture for someone who needs to be on the fastball.

Because Gonzalez is going to do most of his damage ideally hitting off the fastball.

If he gets beat by a breaking ball or an off speed pitch, that's one thing.

But like get the heat right and he just could not catch up to four seamers all year last year.

That was just those stats were fastballs in general.

But you know, he four seamer in particular, he had trouble with those pitches up in the zone.

And it's a tough pitch to hit, but you need to be able to hit that.

And he didn't.

And now he's in a position where he's kind of man without a job right now, guaranteed.

Because Connor Griffin is going to be the shortstop at some point this year.

Brandon Lau is the second baseman this year.

The parts have some depth now at the position with him.

But he's not the only guy at second base.

He's not the only guy at second base for 2027 either.

Actually, it's probably going to be just as crowded next year.

So this is a very important year for Nick Gonzalez.

He has to show how he fits into this team.

But he might not be the only Nick.

Second baseman who needs to show something or his time in Pittsburgh might be shorter.

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Okay.

The other second basement name Nick.

Nick York.

Last year he had a lane.

I felt like.

And especially with Gonzalez being hurt for so long and not really hitting that well.

It's like this seemed like a golden opportunity to kind of take the job.

Didn't really work out.

He spent most of the year in Indianapolis whenever he did get his cup of coffee in the majors.

It was a short term deal.

It was a rough year for him as well.

Credit to him.

He went to the lab and he really started to look at how do I get better and a lot of it was with his hands.

Chatted with him in Bradenton earlier this month and he used the word tension.

He had tension in his hands.

He wanted to get more out of them.

He's subscribing to, you know, the smoothest fast mindset, which is good.

And he's trying not to just throw his hands at the, you know, at the ball like he did in the past.

These are all good things.

These are things that are going to be able to help him better leverage in theory.

Better leverage the ball.

Be able to drive the ball more.

Be able to go gap to gap.

Maybe put it over the outfielders heads more.

Like those are good signs.

But you have to show that you can do it.

This spring has been pretty good for the most part.

I don't think he's really shown enough to take over.

Uh, anyone's given job right now.

And Walgons, all this has some positional flexibility at shortstop.

I really don't see that with York.

His positional flexibility is going out to the outfield.

Maybe third base for a little bit.

He's got a much harder path the way I look at it right now.

He's got a tougher path.

Especially since Brandon Lau has struggled against left hand and pitching at times in his career.

So maybe that helps a good solve.

Who has hit left hand and pitching better?

Maybe he, like I said, he's struggled against right handers, but he's hung in there again south paws.

If you want a platoon, you could go that way.

You could theoretically do that with York too, but he doesn't have as much major league experience.

He needs a bats.

I don't know if that's really a calling for him right now.

But I like what I saw in Bradenton.

I think there's some chance that what he was working on.

He might be heading down the right path.

Time will tell.

And then the third guy here.

Who has already gone back to minor league camp.

But tomorrow Johnson.

It's fascinating for me for a couple of reasons.

One, I really like what I saw the last couple months out of him and out to them.

Last year wasn't a great year.

He did not get that call to Indianapolis.

But the way is the year progressed.

The more seriously he would take some at bats late in games.

This is just stuff I heard.

You know, around there like end of the game.

You're down six to one in the eighth inning.

It's like, well, this at bat counts just as much.

And maybe it's not going to spark a rally or anything.

But it's going to help me, you know, take this at bat more seriously.

He.

I think.

Took some big steps in.

How we approach the game in in maturation.

In this offseason heard good things there.

We're going to see.

But what makes tomorrow most interesting for me.

Is he's been dabbling a third base also.

And for someone who has played pretty much exclusively second base as a pro.

He was announced as a shortstop whenever he was drafted.

But he is a second baseman by trade for him to move over to third for some drill work.

I'm interested to see if he's going to get reps there.

Because if tomorrow Johnson goes to third base.

I think that creates a lot more opportunities for a Gonzalez or York at second.

Now, I still see tomorrow as a second baseman primarily.

Like I'm not saying he's got to make a full blown position change.

But if he's able to bounce between the two and have that defensive versatility.

One, it's really going to help his case to make the major leagues.

But also it's going to help the other second baseman options that the pirates have on their roster.

So I view tomorrow as a 2027 option at second base.

He's still a top 10 prospect within this organization.

I think he could still be a positive hitter.

Like he may not be the guy that he's so many people were talking about in 2022.

But I still see a plus bat there.

I still see a plus bat in a good hit tool.

And just a young man who is trying to get better.

Every single year.

So I think he could be part of that factor in 2027.

So is that as a platoon with one of the other second baseman on the roster is that him getting more reps at third base is that.

Trying to just take second base fully.

Will he have an opportunity to take second base fully if either Nick York or Nick Gonzalez take that stuff.

It is very intriguing for me.

Brandon Lau addresses the 2026 teams biggest hole in the lineup.

One of the biggest holes that they had.

I cannot argue with the trade.

It did a lot for this team.

But I look at next year.

You probably have to go internal for filling that position.

And you've got three candidates.

And it's.

What I said yesterday with the catchers once again.

Someone has to emerge here.

Parts can't just keep throwing resources at positions like this.

They've already traded a Quinn priester to get Nick York.

Nick Gonzalez was a first round pick.

Tamara Johnson was a first round pick.

One of these has to hit Nick York was a first round pick.

I'll be it for a different club.

So.

The capital has been put in there.

You have to.

You have to have a hit at some point.

Thank you so much for listening to offbeat here on North Shore 9 presented by Fandall.

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Thanks.

Enjoy your safe Patrick's Day in moderation.

And we'll talk again tomorrow.

All right, that wraps up this episode of North Shore 9.

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