Jacob Gonzalez's first hit with the Pittsburgh Pirates was a go-ahead two-run home run.
Jacob Gonzalez joined the Pittsburgh Pirates two games before the All-Star Break, as part of a trade with the Chicago White Sox
The Pirates had a good idea of the role Gaonzalez would play and who he was as a player, but the prospect didn’t get an opportunity to showcase his talents to his new team before the hiatus.
On Saturday, that changed.
Gonzalez made a phenomenal first impression on the Pirates in their first game out of the All-Star Break, which ended up being a victory over the Cleveland Guardians, 7-1.
Gonzalez got the scoring started at the top of the second inning.
He crushed a two-run homer off Cleveland starter Gavin Williams, which came off the bat at 106.7 mph and traveled an estimated 428 feet for his first hit as a member of the Pirates. The left-hander tacked on another base hit in the top of the fifth inning.
Between Gonzalez’s 91 at-bats this season, 86 with the White Sox and five with the Pirates, the 24-year-old now owns a .723 OPS in the regular season.
After the game, Gonzalez said he was happy to just help the Pirates get a win in one of his first games with the team.
“It was really nice to do something to help this team win," Gonzalez explained. "It was a good moment for it, and we just kept going from there."
By adding Gonzalez amid Konnor Griffin’s injury, the Pirates plan to play the newcomer at shortstop. His start there on Saturday was the first time he’s played the position in the big leagues, but it was Gonzalez’s primary position in the Minors.
Gonzalez showed how comfortable he is on the left side of the infield by throwing out Guardians hitter Gabriel Arias after a very nice scoop on a ground ball.
The Pirates trading away one of the top picks in the 2026 MLB Draft came as a little bit of a shock, considering how much the organization depends on player development.
That said, if Gonzalez proves he can help the team in both the short term and the long term, it could be a move looked on favorably in the future. The very, very early returns seem to point in that direction.
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