Tres Gonzalez: Hit tool was as advertised, flashed gap power in Greensboro

Tres Gonzalez showed off his advanced approach in 2023, what's next for the outfielder?

The Pittsburgh Pirates went college-heavy for the 2022 draft, especially on pitching. After taking prep infielder Termarr Johnson with their top selection, they spent 14 picks on college pitching.

One of the few hitters taken in the draft, Tres Gonzalez, was one of the more accomplished hitters in the ACC during his career at Georgia Tech.

A strong fielder with a strong hit tool and good speed, Gonzalez didn’t hit for much power in college. Still, the Pirates took him in the fifth round, he signed quickly and got a taste of professional baseball at the end of the 2022 season with the Bradenton Marauders.

Due to the log jam in the outfield at Greensboro, he began the season in Single-A again, flashing the speed and hit tool, but again, he didn’t hit for much power.

Contact rate in Bradenton

With tracking in Bradenton, we got a closer look at just what kind of hitter Gonzalez was, and he was precisely as advertised coming out of college.

Among players with data available, he had the lowest chase rate in the Pirates system at 18.1% and the second-best in-zone contact rate (92.8%). He also had a Swinging Strike rate of 5% or less on each fastball, breaking balls, and offspeed pitches.

Simply put, he was one of the best contact hitters in the system.

While his exit velocity numbers weren’t anything to write home about, his 95th percentile mark was just 99.7 mph, he did still post a 30.7% hard-hit rate (BBE of 95 mph or higher), still below average but closer than some of the other contact-oriented hitters we’ve seen in the system over the last couple of years.

Move to Greensboro

The Grasshoppers had an outfield of Hudson Head, Sammy Siani, and Jase Bowen to begin the season, all holdovers from 2022, leaving Gonzalez in Bradenton to start.

When Head was hurt and missed time, that allowed Gonzalez to get playing time in High-A, which was a slow adjustment for him.

In his first 44 games with Greensboro, he slashed .256/.377/.335, good for a 106 wRC+, and a .079 ISO. Not horrible numbers, but maybe not what you would expect from an advanced college bat.

He adjusted, and in the final 50 games, he improved to .312/.420/.455 with a 144 wRC+ and a .144 ISO. Gonzalez also hit six of his eight home runs at that level during that stretch.

Among hitters in the system with at least 200 plate appearances, Gonzalez finished with the sixth-best on-base percentage, the lowest swinging strike rate, sixth-most doubles, and fifth in stolen bases. He scored the most runs, beating Bowen by two (88 to 86).

Outlook

I had a chance to watch Gonzalez in Greensboro, and in the two games, he went 4-for-11 with a home run, two runs, and four RBIs.

He made much more solid contact than I was prepared for looking at his exit velocity numbers in Bradenton, even on his base hits.

The power will never play above High-A, but he makes solid enough contact that if he can pair that with his speed, he can turn a lot of singles into doubles if he stays in the gaps - a lot like Tsung-Che Cheng.

Gonzalez will get the next test in Altoona in 2024. The lack of power will limit his upside, but if he can keep making contact at the rate he has been, there’s still a role for him somewhere with his speed and defense.