The Pittsburgh Pirates moved Nick Gonzales into the designated hitter spot on Aug. 21, giving him the first DH appearance of his career and batting him fourth against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The shift came in the series opener at Dodger Stadium, where Pittsburgh was looking for more offense from one of its most productive bats.
Gonzales had been one of the Pirates' best hitters all season. He entered the game hitting.310/.368/.404 with a.772 OPS, along with 140 hits, 22 doubles, one triple, six home runs and 53 RBI. His.310 average ranked third in baseball, which helps explain why the bat stayed in the lineup even as his position changed.
Until Aug. 21, Gonzales had only played second base, third base and shortstop. Most of his work came at third, where he had started 91 of his 98 games. That is where the Pirates also found their problem. He had minus-14 defensive runs saved and minus-11 outs above average at third base, numbers that placed him among the worst defenders at the position in MLB.
The move let the Pirates keep Gonzales’ bat in a premium spot without asking him to handle the field. It also made the choice for this game especially logical: against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the series opener, Pittsburgh could chase runs without exposing one of its top hitters to more innings at third. The arrangement points to a simple trade-off the Pirates appear willing to make — offense first, defense adjusted around it.
What remains unclear is how long that trade-off lasts. Gonzales had never served as a DH before Aug. 21, so this was not a routine shuffle but a specific answer to a specific game and a specific need. If the Pirates keep using him there, it would signal that his value with the bat now matters more than where he stands on the field.
