Article: Twins Minor League Report (4/23): Gonsalves Gon' Save Us

[Eric R Pleiss]

The Twins were off on Thursday, so a lot of people spent a lot of time trying to figure out what the heck Torii Hunter was doing when he scampered towards home plate on Wednesday night, attempting a straight steal of home. If that doesn't do it for you, you can get your baseball fix from the newest Talk to Contact podcast featuring TwinsDaily's own Jeremy Nygaard talking about the MLB draft and the Twins' payroll.RED WINGS REPORT

 

Rochester @ Syracuse Chiefs

 

The Red Wings and Chiefs were postponed due to inclement weather.

 

 

LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN

 

Chattanooga @ Mississippi Braves

Box Score

 

Byron Buxton had the night off, which likely ruffled the feathers of a few of the 2,735 packed into Trustman Park in Pearl, Mississippi, but the Braves came away with the victory, so the home crowd went home winners. Max Kepler replaced Buxton in center field and went 0-4 on the evening. The only real bright spot for Chattanooga was Mike Gonzales, we picked up a pair of hits, including a seventh inning solo home run to knot the game at two-two. The Lookouts had just six hits on the evening, none from their second ranked prospect, Miguel Sano, was was 0-3 with a walk and a strike out. Sano is now hitting just .163 but retains an OBP well above .300 thanks to AA pitchers giving him nearly a free pass a game.

 

Greg Peavey, a name all but the most die-hard Twins fans might not be familiar with (2014 Rule 5 draftee from the Triple-A portion of the draft), started for the Lookouts but failed to make it through the sixth inning. Over 5.2 innings, Peavey gave up a pair of runs, walked four, struck out four, and surrendered five hits. Peavey left the game with the Lookouts trailing 2-1 but was left out of the decision after that Gonzales homer. Cole Johnson, a former 44th rounder out of Notre Dame, came on in relief to close out the sixth without issue. Johnson came back out for the seventh and ran into trouble, giving up three runs before being bulled for Dallas Gallant with two outs. Gallant quickly retired the side and pitched a perfect eight for good measure.

 

Final Score: Lookouts 2, Braves 5

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

 

Fort Myers @ St. Lucie Mets

Box Score

 

In front of 1,259 fans at Tradition Field in St. Lucie, Florida, Chih-Wei Hu moved his record to 2-0 with six innings of five-hit baseball against the Mets. Hu struck out four, walked none, and gave up just a single home run, a first inning home run to the St. Lucie leadoff hitter Champ Stuart Stuart owes Kernel's centerfielder Jason Kanzler a beer after the game for the assist on the home run, bouncing from Kanzler's glove over the wall as Kanzler crashed into the padding. After Hu left the game, Todd Van Steensel pitched two perfect innings that included four strike outs. Madison Boer earned earned his first save of the year, but he had to work for it. He gave up a run and three hits before sending the Mets to the showers.

 

Losers of their last three games, the Miracle rallied from the first inning deficit to tie the game in the fourth before taking the lead for good with a pair of runs in the fifth innings. Aderlin Mejia and Engelb Vielma both had a pair of hits and an RBI but Mejia earns hitter of the game honors for me as he reached base a third time with a base on balls. Fort Myers had plenty of opportunities to score more runs, but were just 3-13 with runners in scoring position, stranding eight men on base and striking out ten times.

 

Final score: Miracle 4, Mets 2

 

KERNELS KORNER

 

Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Box Score

 

Six hits and three runs was plenty of offense for the Kernels as Stephen Gonsalves shut down the Timber Rattlers for seven innings and Trevor Hildenberger slammed the door shut with two shutout innings to earn his first save of the young season. Gonsalves was absolutely brilliant, giving up just a single hit and a single walk, and he fanned eleven of the twenty-four batters he faced. At one point Gonsalves retired ten consecutive batters. Gonsalves has been nearly unhittable this season, he has fanned 30 in just 20 innings spread over three starts and his ERA is just 0.90. Hildenberger kept Wisconsin guessing as well, adding in another pair of strike outs.

 

Cedar Rapids' number nine hitter, Jonatan Hinojosa was the only batter from either team to collect multiple hits, finishing the night two for three with a couple of singles. Brian Navarreto provided the game's only extra base hit, his first double of the year. Without much in the way of a hitting display, this game went quickly, just 2:07 in front of a mid-week day game crowd of 476 at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, WI.

 

Final Score: Kernels 3, Timber Rattlers 0

 

 

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Hitter of the Day - Mike Gonzales, Chattanooga Lookouts

Pitcher of the Day - Stephen Gonsalves, Cedar Rapids Kernels

 

 

FRIDAY'S PROBABLES

 

Syracuse @ Rochester - Scott McGregor vs. Mark Hamburger (0-1, 9.35)

Chattanooga @ Mississippi - D.J. Baxendale (2-0, 0.00) vs. Ryan Weber

Fort Myers @ St. Lucie - Ethan Mildren (0-2, 5.79) vs. Logan Taylor

Kane County @ Cedar Rapids - Brent Jones vs. Michael Caderoth (0-1, 4.50)

 

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[Sweetwater]

The Aces on the way. Just a couple more years....

[h2oface]

Your Cedar Rapids link is going to a game on April 16, 2015, against Peoria.

[AlwaysinModeration]

Good choice of Gonsalves for pitcher of the day.

 

As noted on another thread, his no-hitter was broken up by a bunt single, and he promptly plunked the next hitter. Gonsalves perhaps has a chip on his shoulder for lasting until the fourth round.

[Platoon]

I am not sure what inning the bunt was, but that would have violated one of those unwritten rules, everyone writes about. After a certain time you don't bunt your way out of a no hitter. I am likely in the minority here, but I think those rules are ok, as long as you follow ALL of them, including the one about not hitting anyone above the waist.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Your Cedar Rapids link is going to a game on April 16, 2015, against Peoria.

 

Fixed.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I am not sure what inning the bunt was, but that would have violated one of those unwritten rules, everyone writes about. After a certain time you don't bunt your way out of a no hitter. I am likely in the minority here, but I think those rules are ok, as long as you follow ALL of them, including the one about not hitting anyone above the waist.

 

It was in the 4th inning. Definitely not an issue at that point. 

[nytwinsfan]

That photo of Gonsalves in the dugout is awesome.

[clutterheart]

Its hard to not be disappointed by the offense at Chattanooga. But both Buxton and Sano have rust on them and are young for the level so patience is needed.

But f they are still struggling in July it will be time to panic.

Harrison is looking pretty good though.

[Seth Stohs]

 

That photo of Gonsalves in the dugout is awesome.

 

Thank you! He's a really good kid. And a pretty good pitcher.

[Eric R Pleiss]

Must have accidentally been left over in the formatting from when I did the report a week ago.  Luckily Seth is on the ball this morning to fix it!

 

Your Cedar Rapids link is going to a game on April 16, 2015, against Peoria.

 

[Eric R Pleiss]

I don't mind the bunting.  No-hitters are half luck and good sequencing to begin with.  Play defense.  I like the plunking, too, seems to be a fair trade off.

I am not sure what inning the bunt was, but that would have violated one of those unwritten rules, everyone writes about. After a certain time you don't bunt your way out of a no hitter. I am likely in the minority here, but I think those rules are ok, as long as you follow ALL of them, including the one about not hitting anyone above the waist.

 

[JaleelWhite FanClub]

Another dominant start from Gonsalves. How many more starts do you think before he gets the call to FTM?

 

Also, the Kanzler - Hu homer story is funny considering it was the first home run Hu has given up with Twins organization.

[nytwinsfan]

Has anyone seen the readings on the gun for Gonsalves' fastball the last three starts?

[DocBauer]

Gonsalves for Cy Young!

 

Mmmmmm.....maybe a little premature?

[Mike Sixel]

I hate the plunking. It's immature. The other team got a hit by bunting.....that's called smart, not rude. 

[jokin]

 

Its hard to not be disappointed by the offense at Chattanooga. But both Buxton and Sano have rust on them and are young for the level so patience is needed.
But f they are still struggling in July it will be time to panic.
Harrison is looking pretty good though.

 

Yep, the franchise has pretty much most of their offensive prospect eggs in that one Lookout basket.  Especially considering the offensive black hole in the next class coming after them at Ft Myers.  With all of those relief pitchers drafted recently with the top picks, the Miracle are in last place in the FSL in BA (.216) and OPS (.589) and the Kernels are only doing a little better than that.

[Cap'n Piranha]

MiLB had a nice write-up yesterday about Gonsalves where he talked about how training with and learning from Strasburg and Shields in the offseason really helped him. In the story, it also mentioned that his fastball is in the low 90's, with a decent change, and he has an iffy slider and curve.

 

As for the bunting to break up a no-hitter being against the unwritten rules, that is the stupidest thing ever. The pitchers job is to get outs, and the hitters job is to avoid making outs, however he can. If you don't want to give up a bunt single, then play a bunt defense. Otherwise, get over it and move on.

[Steve Lein]

A bunt in the fourth inning shouldn't be an issue. If it's in the 6th or 7th inning or later, then it bothers me. But if the game is close in those late innings, that's also just a guy trying to help his team win.

[bird]

 

Its hard to not be disappointed by the offense at Chattanooga. But both Buxton and Sano have rust on them and are young for the level so patience is needed.
But f they are still struggling in July it will be time to panic.
Harrison is looking pretty good though.

 

Yeah, it would be one thing if they were so-so, but they both have performed miserably so far. Their talent will probably shine through eventually, but when I'm looking out my window at snow flakes, I'd love a day-brightener from our two best prospects.

[bird]

We have no idea if the HBP was retaliatory, do we? 

[bird]

 

Yep, the franchise has pretty much most of their offensive prospect eggs in that one Lookout basket.  Especially considering the offensive black hole in the next class coming after them at Ft Myers.  With all of those relief pitchers drafted recently with the top picks, the Miracle are in last place in the FSL in BA (.216) and OPS (.589) and the Kernels are only doing a little better than that.

 

 

 

It's true that both Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids have a lack of elite hitters, and it's showing up in the stats you chose to share about Fort Myers. However, the last time I looked, Cedar Rapids ranked 5th out of 16 teams in team OPS.

 

The bright side for both teams is that their team ERA's are among the two best in their leagues, and we're talking about 12 teams in the FSL and 16 teams in the MWL.

 

At Fort Myers, their three top position prospects, Garver, Vielma, and Goodrum, are all doing poorly so far. At Cedar Rapids, Nick Gordon is holding his own, JJ Fernandez is injured and Max Murphy has been anemic so far. They're not going to be explosive teams offensively, even if the guys mentioned here come alive and Minier and Diaz get promoted.

 

It's not the "relief pitchers" that are shining at those two levels. The best performances have come from Hu, Eades, Sleger, Gonsalves, Jorge, and Bats, and none of them are converted relievers.

[DJL44]

"against the unwritten rules"

 

Ever notice how many of the unwritten rules are just macho stupidity?

[jokin]

 

It's true that both Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids have a lack of elite hitters, and it's showing up in the stats you chose to share about Fort Myers. However, the last time I looked, Cedar Rapids ranked 5th out of 16 teams in team OPS.

 

 

 

Cedar Rapids is currently OPSing @ .659, which is 7th in the Midwest League.  Beyond Gordon and possibly Fernandez and the Zachs, I'm hard-pressed to find many potential major league hitters there, but I would defer to Jim Crikket on that front.

 

 

[Seth Stohs]

 

I hate the plunking. It's immature. The other team got a hit by bunting.....that's called smart, not rude. 

 

It should be noted that although Gonsalves has good control, there is absolutely no indication that it was intentional at all. My guess is that it wasn't.

[Seth Stohs]

 

MiLB had a nice write-up yesterday about Gonsalves where he talked about how training with and learning from Strasburg and Shields in the offseason really helped him. In the story, it also mentioned that his fastball is in the low 90's, with a decent change, and he has an iffy slider and curve.

As for the bunting to break up a no-hitter being against the unwritten rules, that is the stupidest thing ever. The pitchers job is to get outs, and the hitters job is to avoid making outs, however he can. If you don't want to give up a bunt single, then play a bunt defense. Otherwise, get over it and move on.

 

SDBuhr caught up with Gonsalves this spring (Read Here) about working with Strasburg and Shields. When I was in Cedar Rapids, he said there were several other big leaguers working out with them too. It's always good to be able to pick the brains of others, and especially guys who are at the level that he wants to get to. 

 

As for the bunt, I don't have a problem with it  because it's the 4th inning of a close game. 

[Mike Sixel]

 

It should be noted that although Gonsalves has good control, there is absolutely no indication that it was intentional at all. My guess is that it wasn't.

 

I should have been clear on that, but I was responding to the previous posts, which implied it was intentional.

[nater79a]

What?? Scott McGregor, the old Orioles southpaw, apparently is still in pro ball w/ AAA Syracuse? What's next, Mike Boddicker kicking it around this summer in the Cape Cod League?!

[bird]

 

Cedar Rapids is currently OPSing @ .659, which is 7th in the Midwest League.  Beyond Gordon and possibly Fernandez and the Zachs, I'm hard-pressed to find many potential major league hitters there, but I would defer to Jim Crikket on that front.

 

 

Thank you for that important correction. I was wrong when I said the Kernels were 5th out of 16 teams in OPS. This morning they're actually tied for 6th, .003 percentage points behind the 5th place team. My bad.

 

I base my observations about the talent on a given team to a large extent on the rankings given out by those who claim an expertise. Like you, those dozen and a half rankers are hard-pressed to find much elite offensive talent in either A+ or A-. Gordon is the only player ranked in anyone's top ten. No other position player on either team has a top 25 ranking from more than two rankers.

 

In each of our last few drafts, there has been a consistent balance of pitching and position draftees, so the lack of elite offensive talent can't simply be traced to the emphasis on drafting those hard-throwing relievers. My suspicion is that we're seeing a bit of a drought when it comes to American hitting talent. If we examine this year's draft thread, we'll see maybe a half-dozen offensive players being mentioned among the top prospects, and it's conceivable the experts are having trouble finding two dozen position players worthy of even a second round selection. It appears that hitting is a problem league-wide at the A level, and isn't just a Twins problem.

[Steven Buhr]

 

Cedar Rapids is currently OPSing @ .659, which is 7th in the Midwest League.  Beyond Gordon and possibly Fernandez and the Zachs, I'm hard-pressed to find many potential major league hitters there, but I would defer to Jim Crikket on that front.

The Kernels have been a middle of the pack offensive team in the MWL, so far. A little streaky. They have beaten up on some teams and then been real silent against others.

 

In additio to the guys you mentioned, I've liked what I've seen at the plate from the two 1Bs, Trey Vavra and Tyler Kuresa, as well as Tanner English. It's still early, though. With their pitching, they don't have to score a ton of runs to win.

 

Also, going back to comments about the Miracle, just to be fair, keep in mind that a couple of those "relief pitchers drafted recently with top picks" are already up in Chattanooga. I'll also be surprised (and disappointed) if Kanzler, Garver and a couple other hitters don't start to figure things out soon. A lot of slow starts on that team, though, I grant.

 

Regarding the comments on Gonsalves, I saw observations/questions that refer to him as a "great kid" and someone "with a chip on his shoulder." I would opine that both are true. Throw in that lefty 93 mph fastball with movement and there's really not much you wouldn't like in a 20 year old.