SECAUCUS, New Jersey (WKBN) – The Pittsburgh Pirates have selected shortstop Nick Gonzales with the seventh overall selection in the 2020 Major League Baseball First Year Players Draft.
He was named the 2020 National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, and also scooped up First Team All-America recognition in the process.
Gonzales did not earn a college scholarship and was a walk-on at NMSU. He posted a career batting average of .399, with 37 home runs at New Mexico State.
His 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he still managed to hit .448 with 12 homers in just 16 games for the Lobos.
