Nick
Gonzales

2020 DRAFT: In just two years the 5-foot-10, 190 pound right-handed hitter has gone from an overlooked prep to one of college baseball's best hitters. After receiving consideration for the Golden Spikes Award with a slash of .432/.532/.733 with 16 HRs and 80 RBI as a sophomore last spring, Gonzalez went to the Cape with high expectations last summer. And in the Cape, he did nothing but rake. He finished second in the league with a .351 batting average and earned MVP honors. He has a short stroke with strong hands that produce very good bat speed and the ball jumps off his bat with backspin. His pure swing also has good extension, producing extra base power with seven home runs and 14 doubles in 154 at-bats. He mainly uses center to left field and controls the strike zone with a keen eye and a very still head, allowing for good pitch recognition. He controls the barrel and consistently puts the bat on the ball with just 16 strikeouts in 34 Cape Cod League games. On the basepaths he is an above average runner underway with good quickness and instincts. At this point, he's more of a situational base stealer than a constant threat. Defensively, he switched to shortstop this spring for the Aggies, but is most likely a second baseman. In the Cape he turned the DP well and goes to his left better than his right. He showed soft hands and smooth actions during pregame, but fair instincts on the dirt during game action. He also showed an above average arm with good carry from short center field on a relay throw to the plate and displayed the ability to easily and accurately throw from all angles during pregame I/O. With his strong work ethic and a high desire to improve, he will likely turn himself into at least an average defender at the keystone in pro ball. Gonzales is arguably the top pure hitter, along with Austin Martin, in college baseball and profiles to be an offensive second baseman at the pro level. With a huge 2020 spring season (.448/.610/1.155 with 12 HRs, 36 RBI in 82 plate appearances), Gonzales solidified his status as a likely top ten overall selection.

8/19/19: In just two years the 5-foot-10, 190 pound right-handed hitter has gone from an overlooked prep to one of the best hitters in college baseball. After receiving consideration for the Golden Spikes Award (D1 Baseball Spotlight) with a slash of .432/.532/.733 with 16 HRs and 80 RBI as a sophomore last spring, Gonzalez came to the Cape with high expectations, both for himself and from the scouting community. And in the Cape, he did nothing but rake. He finished second in the league with a .351 batting average. Has a short stroke with good bat speed. Confident hitter who hits at his own pace in the box. His pure swing also has good extension, producing extra base power with seven home runs and 14 doubles in 154 at-bats. The ball jumps off his bat with backspin. Gonzales mainly uses center to left field and controls the strike zone with a keen eye and a very still head, allowing for good pitch recognition. Although he tends to get out front at times, he controls the barrel and consistently puts the bat on the ball with just 16 strikeouts in 34 games. On the basepaths he is an above average runner underway with good quickness and instincts. At this point, he is more of a situational base stealer than a constant threat. Ran a 4.35 home to first on a groundout to shortstop. Defensively, he does turn the DP well, but overall is a work in progress. He goes to his left better than his right. Showed soft hands and smooth actions during pregame, but fair instincts on the dirt during game action. His hesitation turned into a couple of errors: took a bad angle on a ball up the middle which then handcuffed him, and rushed a throw on a ball to his left when he seemed to lose his internal clock. Gonzales showed an above average arm with good carry from short center field on a relay throw to the plate. He also displayed the ability to easily and accurately throw from all angles during pregame I/O. With his strong work ethic and a high desire to improve, he will likely turn himself into at least an average defender in pro ball. Gonzales is arguably the top pure hitter in college baseball for the 2020 draft and profiles to be an offensive second baseman at the pro level. With the tendency for college bats to rise during draft day, expect Gonzales to easily jump into first round conversations with another strong spring for the Aggies. (Seifert)