Article: Trending (4/21): Minor Trends

[Jeremy Nygaard]

After taking a week off to lick the wounds of over a half-dozen losses and to take a look at some names that could be in play when the Twins draft in June, the sometimes-popular TRENDING article is back.

So what’s been new? This week we’re going to look at some minor leaguers who got off to a very quick start.The Miracle Rotation

 

If you would have been asked to project the ceiling - statswise - for the Miracle starters 13 games into the season, you would be fixing some tiles after the group of Stephen Gonsalves, Kohl Stewart, Tyler Jay, Randy Rosario, Felix Jorge and Keaton Steele went Macklemore all over your ceiling.

 

Through 13 games - stats were compiled before Wednesday’s game - the starters combined to pitch 75.2 innings and strike out 74 batters. They’ve combined for a WHIP below 1.000, allowing only 44 hits and issuing 18 free passes (0.951) for a combined ERA of 1.90. That’s absolute dominance. In about half the innings, the bullpen has allowed only four less runs.

 

With full rotations in both Minnesota and Rochester and Gonsalves and Stewart both pushing towards earning promotions, you wonder how secure some rotation holds are in Chattanooga.

 

Trending towards Chattanooga… right?!?

 

J.T. Chargois, power closer

 

Chargois has been nasty. He’s made five one-inning appearances and has gotten pretty consistent results: No walks, no hits, no runs, and lots of swings-and-misses.

 

On the season, Chargois has thrown 77 pitches (by game: 16, 17, 15, 13, 16) and 50 strikes (65%). Thirteen of those strikes have been swings-and-misses. While it is a very small sample size, a swinging-strike percentage of 26% is very high. In fact, compared to MLB, only one player, #oldfriend A.J. Achter (27.3%), has a higher rate. (Achter has pitched one inning, so even with the inclusion of the smallest of sample sizes, Chargois still has a very high rate.)

 

And did I mention he hasn’t allowed a walk, hit or run?

 

What could be next for Chargois? Well, he is on the 40-man, so he could get a call to the big league if the need presented itself. Could it also be possible that Rochester has a need in the bullpen and summons Chargois, as Chattanooga opens up a spot for the return of Nick Burdi?

 

Trending towards Rochester and, eventually, a future in the Target Field bullpen. Maybe soon. And maybe even sooner if Jepsen doesn’t return to 2015 Jepsen.

 

Nick Gordon, future starting shortstop

 

Entering the offseason, the shortstop position was likely considered the deepest position in the organization, likely boasting a legitimate shortstop prospect at every full-season roster and adding a four million dollar bonus baby, to boot.

 

It didn’t even take until the season started to hear questions of Jorge Polanco’s ability to stick at shortstop. (He hasn’t even played the position this year.) Engelb Vielma suffered a hamstring injury that has kept him from playing for over a week. Jermaine Palacios, who flirted with .400 last season, has seen his full-season career start in a 6-for-35 slump that has offered hardly any power.

 

So who’s left? Nick Gordon. Gordon has 18 hits in 51 at-bats and has hit safely in 10 of the 12 games he’s played. He’s demonstrated the ability to stick at the most difficult position to play defensively. He’s bulked up and shown more pop. (He’s already matched his career-high total in home runs: one.) He hasn’t shown the ability to draw a walk, but, you know, BLOODLINES!

 

Trending towards the top of the Twins prospect lists. The very top? Check in later this summer.

 

Stuart Turner, catcher

 

Before going hitless on Wednesday, Turner had a hit in seven of his first eight games including a three-hit night in the season opening series. There have been many questions about Turner’s hit tool as he’s struggled with the bat as a pro (career .246 batting average) and seen all of his triple slash numbers decrease from Fort Myers to Chattanooga last year. Turner has flashed a little more extra base pop this season as he has three doubles and a home run already in his first 25 at-bats (or one every 6.25 at-bats, compared to last year where he hit one every 18.2 at-bats).

 

Trending towards consideration of being a two-way threat… or at least, not strictly a defense-only catcher.

 

There were many others who could have been included. Who has impressed you with their start to the season?

 

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[John Kelsey]

LaMonte Wade, Alex Meyer, John Curtiss. 

[Jeremy Nygaard]

LaMonte Wade, Alex Meyer, John Curtiss. 

 

Yep. Those would have been my next three, but I figured there would be enough Meyer talk in the minor league report/forums with him pitching yesterday and I beat the Wade drum enough.

 

Curtiss is an interesting case, he had some really good starts before a concussion knocked him out for a few months last year. When he came back as a reliever, he was just ok. I'm glad that he has gotten off to a quick start. Curtiss missed a year at Texas with Tommy John and is super intelligent. 

[Vanimal46]

I remember Jose Mijares back in the day was a AA call-up without going to AAA first. Has there been other recent examples of Twins calling up a bullpen arm from AA? If Jepsen doesn't return to form here, I'd love to see Shaggy as the closer for the Twins...

[Seth Stohs]

 

Yep. Those would have been my next three, but I figured there would be enough Meyer talk in the minor league report/forums with him pitching yesterday and I beat the Wade drum enough.

 

Curtiss is an interesting case, he had some really good starts before a concussion knocked him out for a few months last year. When he came back as a reliever, he was just ok. I'm glad that he has gotten off to a quick start. Curtiss missed a year at Texas with Tommy John and is super intelligent. 

 

He is very interesting. I saw him pitch a couple of times during spring training. I went behind home plate and saw him consistently hitting 94-95. I assume he's moved fully to the bullpen at this point, so that has the ability to keep increasing. He also has a couple of other solid pitches. So, I do think he's very intriguing for us to watch. Could move up to Ft. Myers quickly.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I remember Jose Mijares back in the day was a AA call-up without going to AAA first. Has there been other recent examples of Twins calling up a bullpen arm from AA? If Jepsen doesn't return to form here, I'd love to see Shaggy as the closer for the Twins...

 

The Twins - and I don' think any team - would just call up a guy from AA or AAA And put him right into the closer's role. That said, he could certainly come up and potentially work his way up the ladder in the bullpen fairly quickly. 

[Steve Lein]

 

I remember Jose Mijares back in the day was a AA call-up without going to AAA first. Has there been other recent examples of Twins calling up a bullpen arm from AA? If Jepsen doesn't return to form here, I'd love to see Shaggy as the closer for the Twins...

 

Pretty sure that will be Trevor May if that happens.

[Vanimal46]

 

The Twins - and I don' think any team - would just call up a guy from AA or AAA And put him right into the closer's role. That said, he could certainly come up and potentially work his way up the ladder in the bullpen fairly quickly. 

Yeah that's true. I'm putting the cart before the horse. Just reading about his stuff in the off-season and now reading about him dominating AA hitters has me intrigued. I'm hoping either him or Burdi could be the next multi-year closer for this team. 

[Vanimal46]

 

Pretty sure that will be Trevor May if that happens.

 

For this season yeah, I could certainly see a scenario where May becomes the closer. Do you think he could be in that role for multiple years? Or would someone like Shaggy or Burdi be the next multi-year closer?

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I remember Jose Mijares back in the day was a AA call-up without going to AAA first. Has there been other recent examples of Twins calling up a bullpen arm from AA?

Alex Burnett made the opening day roster in 2010, skipping AAA.

 

Way back in 2001, I believe Grant Balfour skipped AAA to make his MLB debut too.  We did that with a number of starters that year -- Rincon, Brad Thomas, Adam Johnson...

[Steve Lein]

 

For this season yeah, I could certainly see a scenario where May becomes the closer. Do you think he could be in that role for multiple years? Or would someone like Shaggy or Burdi be the next multi-year closer?

 

I would see Burdi being the next multi-year guy once Perkins is done, but if the Twins are dead set against keeping May out of the rotation, he could be that guy too.

[Otto von Ballpark]

I've been a Stewart skeptic, but this 3 game stretch is exactly the kind of results I was hoping to see.  Hope he keeps it up!