Sickels on Stewart, Gonsalves

[gunnarthor]

SIckels at minorleagueball.com is working on his top 100 right now - might be top 150 - and didn't include Stewart in his top 50 pitchers.  In the comments section he wrote out his concerns - 

 

"The top high school pitcher selected in the 2013 draft, Kohl Stewart had a season of mixed results for Low-A Cedar Rapids in 2014. On the positive side, he posted a pretty ERA, showed good command, demonstrated a better change-up than expected, and impressed scouts with his mound presence. On the negative side, his fastball was usually in the low-90s instead of the mid-90s he showed when drafted. Velocity drops in pro ball are normal, but more disturbingly the heater was also straighter than it appeared in high school and his breaking stuff was not as crisp as expected. Worst of all, his velocity sagged into the 80s as the summer progressed and he ended up on the disabled list with shoulder problems. He was active in instructional league though his velocity hadn’t returned to earlier standards. It is hard to know what to make of this. The shoulder issue isn’t supposed to be a big deal, but you know how arm injuries are. Stewart could still develop into a rotation anchor given his youth and pedigree, and he certainly wasn’t bad by any means, just different than expected. My instincts are saying to back off a bit and be cautious with a Grade B, but that may prove to be an over-reaction."

 

On Gonsalves he wrote:

"A fourth-round pick in 2013 from high school in San Diego, Gonsalves has been statistically very successful to this point of his career, thanks to sharp control of his low-90s fastball and above-average changeup. His workload has been managed carefully, which is good, but he needs more innings to refine his breaking ball, which varies between solid and terrible depending on the alignment of Jupiter in the fourth house. He’s already picked up 15 pounds of strength since signing and his fastball could be in the mid-90s eventually. Gonsalves could develop into a number three starter who throws strikes with three solid pitches, or failing that a power relief arm. I’m intrigued but let’s see more innings. Grade B-."

 

[diehardtwinsfan]

Interesting review on both. We will see on Stewart. I'm hoping a lot of that picks back up in the FSL this season (particularly the Ks). It should be a big year for him.

[Shane Wahl]

So I haven't heard this before. How is this the first I am hearing of this concern with Stewart?

[tobi0040]

 

So I haven't heard this before. How is this the first I am hearing of this concern with Stewart?

 

Not overly concerned about the breaking ball.  If you take the guys breaking ball away from him.....I would expect it not to be crisp in the 2-3 times he gets to throw it a game.