Why 2024 Is an Important Season for Matt Gorski
In 2019, Matt Gorski was one of the last highly selected draft prospects of the Neal Huntington Era, as he was taken in the second round.
After Covid wiped away any 2020 minor league action, the Pittsburgh Pirates assigned Gorski to the Greensboro Grasshoppers to begin 2021. His first full year of pro ball was a struggle, as he slashed .224/.294./.416, in 401 plate appearances. The power was on display at least, for Gorski - hitting 17 homers.
In 2022, Gorski was initially demoted to Low A Bradenton, before quickly moving back up to Greensboro. The offensive production was much different at High A compared to ‘21, slashing .294/.377/.754. He hit 17 long balls again, for the Grasshoppers, but did it in significantly fewer plate appearances (146).
Gorski received a promotion to AA Altoona in late May that year. During his time with the Curve, he dealt with a quad injury, but to his credit, put up a line of .277/.354/.489. Before the year ended, Gorski was brought up to AAA Indianapolis, where he played one game. It was a homecoming of sorts, for the Indiana native.
Despite battling through injury, ‘22 became a breakout campaign for Gorski, as he put up 20/20 (24 home runs; 21 steals), while posting a very robust .956 OPS.
The Pirates made the surprising decision not to protect Gorski from the 2022 Rule 5 Draft. Fortunately, he wasn’t selected.
Gorski went back to Altoona to start out 2023. In 396 plate appearances, he posted a line of .238/.296/.437. The injury bug got to him again, this time a hamstring injury. In early September, Gorski returned to Indianapolis. He would slash only .190/.262/.414, in 65 plate appearances.
Although Gorski was hurt for a second straight year, and had a lower OPS than the season prior (.725), he still managed to produce another 20/20 (20 HR; 23 SB).
This past offseason, Gorski was eligible for the Rule 5 again, but wasn’t taken, which didn’t come as a surprise, as his overall offensive numbers in ‘23 weren’t as good as ‘22.
MLB Pipeline currently has Gorski ranked as the 19th best Pirates prospect entering 2024. While the power-speed combination is a big part of Gorski’s game, the defense in the outfield is an underrated part, as he’s an above average defender in all three spots, and displays a good arm. In the last couple years, he’s played some first base, to enhance his versatility.
The one Achilles heel for Gorski throughout his minor league career has been the strikeouts, and it’s a high figure at 30.8%, with plenty of chase. He does have a decent, career walk rate of 8.6%, but it still lends itself to more of a free swinging approach.
Gorski is an older prospect, as he will enter his age 26 season, so it’s imperative that he has himself a good showing at AAA.
The jury is still out on whether Jack Suwinski can be the Pirates everyday center fielder, as his splits are extreme. Continued woes against lefty pitching would likely lead to Suwinski being placed in a strict CF platoon. If Gorski can get off to a fast start, then he could be a candidate as an early call up, since his right-handed bat has upside, and also his ability to play a fine, center field.