Searching for the True Upside in Erik Gonzalez

The Pittsburgh Pirates have named Erik Gonzalez as the club’s everyday starting shortstop. General Manager Neal Huntington has repeatedly pointed to the upside inherent in the 27-year old infielder. A closer look shows that upside should be accompanied by some pretty significant asterisks.

“We feel like we got a young Freddy Galvis. His name is Erik Gonzalez,” Huntington said.

The above quote, as told to media at Piratesfest 2019, indicates just how highly the Pittsburgh Pirates think of their newly minted 2019 starting shortstop. If you need more convincing, how about a quote from manager Clint Hurdle?

Hurdle said Pirates scouts were “beating the table” to acquire Gonzalez, who has a .263…