Article: Twins Minor League Report (8/17): Gonsalves World

[Seth Stohs]

With the promotion of Jose Berrios to the Twins, we can debate who the top Twins prospect prospect is in the minor leagues. Nick wrote about the Pitching Pipeline, specifically those in the upper levels in his article yesterday. He wrote the following:

 

“While Mejia is closest to the big leagues, he is not Minnesota's top pitching prospect. That honor, almost indisputably, goes to Gonsalves at this point.”

 

While I would say that it remains disputable, there is no question that Gonsalves is pitching as well as anyone in minor league baseball right now. On Wednesday evening in Montgomery, Gonsalves left after six innings, having thrown six no-hit innings. You can find much more below on how good he’s been over his last eight Lookouts starts, but we caught up with the lanky lefty following his tremendous outing.According to Gonsalves, the key to his outing was his slider. “My slider was my go-to tonight. I threw it 22 times.” He used it to get strikeouts and when he was behind in the count “to get me back in the count.”

 

While he likely would have loved to keep pitching, he knew that wasn’t going to happen. He didn’t lobby his manager, Doug Mientkiewicz, to stay in the game. “No, I didn’t. I looked at the scoreboard and joked it off.”

 

In his previous start, Gonsalves gave up only an unearned run in a nine-inning complete game. He told milb.com that he wasn’t feeling good coming out of the bullpen at the start of that game. True to form, Gonsalves said that he still wasn’t at 100% on Wednesday night.

 

“The changeup wasn’t there tonight, which is rare, but I was still able to mix it in. Fastball command hasn’t been there the last two games, but everything else was, so it’s been a battle.”

 

If the recent performances of Stephen Gonsalves represent a battle, there are a lot of exciting days ahead for Gonsalves, the Twins and Twins fans!

 

With that, let’s get to the Minor League Report for Wednesday, including more on Gonsalves’ terrific night and streak.

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 3, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 4

Box Score

 

This game was close throughout with all of the runs scored before the fifth inning, but the Red Wings were unable to get a win and fall to 68-57 on the season.

 

Daniel Palka gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when he connected for his 10th AAA home run. It was his 31st of the season.

 

Andrew Albers was back on the mound for Rochester. He threw two scoreless innings before giving up two runs in the third and fourth innings. In all, he gave up the four runs on 11 hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out five. Jake Reed threw much better in his second AAA appearance than in his first. He faced four batters and got them all out, two on strikeouts. Sean Burnett got the final two outs.

 

The other two runs the Red Wings scored came in the top of the fourth when Adam Brett Walker slugged a two-run homer. He now has 25 homers on the season. He knocked in Reynaldo Rodriguez, who had hit his seventh double of the year. James Beresford went 2-4.

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 6, Montgomery 3

Box Score

 

In his second AA start, Stephen Gonsalves gave up six earned runs in just 3.2 innings for the Lookouts. Since then, he has been remarkable. I’ll explain in more detail in just a moment, but on Wednesday night, it all came together. The southpaw started and threw six shutout innings. Not only that, he completed the six innings without giving up a hit. He walked two and struck out nine. Unfortunately, with 105 pitches, he was done after six innings.

 

Alan Busenitz came on and gave up three runs on two hits, a hit batter and a walk in just one inning. Mason Melotakis came in to pitch the eighth inning. He threw one pitch, a strike, and then the rains came and the game was delayed. When things resumed, Zack Jones took over. He walked one and struck out four in two scoreless innings to record his first save of the year. His Lookouts ERA drops to just 1.46.

 

Ryan Walker went 2-3 with a walk and his tenth double. TJ White was 2-3 with a walk, his third double and two RBIs. Niko Goodrum hit his sixth double while Edgar Corcino knocked his third AA double. Zach Granite stole his 44th bag.

 

Now let’s get back to Gonsalves. In his eight starts since that clunker in his second AA game, Gonsalves has been one of the best pitchers in minor league baseball, not just in the Twins system. Here is how his numbers look in those eight starts:

 

Gonsalves is 5-0 with a 0.71 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. In 51 innings, he has given up just four earned runs. He has allowed 22 hits and walked 22 while striking out 58 batters. His K-rate since then is at 10.2 K/9 and his walk rate is 3.9 BB/9. In other words, he’s been incredible.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 3, St. Lucie 6

Box Score

 

Miles Nordgren returned to the Miracle .He gave up six runs (four earned) on nine hits and two walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out five. John Curtiss gave up just one hit over the final 2.1 innings. He walked none and struck out three.

 

Tanner English led the offense. The outfielder went 2-4 with his third triple and third home run. Daniel Kihle went 2-3. AJ Murray added his ninth double.

 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 1

Box Score

 

The Kernels got off to an early lead and it was more than enough for Eduardo Del Rosario on this night. The right-hander posted his best start of the year. He threw six shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out six. He improved to 5-2. Logan Lombana came on. He gave up one run on two hits and three walks in 1.1 innings. He struck out one. Anthony McIver picked up his eighth save by recording the final five outs. Three of the outs came on strikeouts.

 

Kevin Garcia went 2-4 with his seventh double and an RBI. Luis Arraez with another multi-hit game. He went 2-4 and drove in a run. Nelson Molina added his 12th double. Zander Wiel hit his eighth triple.

 

With his third straight multi-hit game, Luis Arraez is now hitting .347. In was his 98th game played this year, and he now has 43 multi-hit games.

 

2-hit games: 27

3-hit games: 12

4-hit games: 3

5-hit games: 1

 

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton

Box Score

 

The E-Twins had a rare off night. They return to action on Thursday.

 

 

GCL TWINS TAKES

GCL Twins 2, GCL Rays 4

Box Score

 

The Twins fell behind 2-0 after two innings. They managed to tie the score at two in the top of the seventh inning, but gave two runs right back in the bottom of the inning. That’s how the score stayed, and they fell 4-2.

 

There wasn’t much offense for the Twins in the game. They managed just five hits. Zach Featherstone had two of them. Kidany Salva’s seventh-inning triple scored the Twins’ two runs.

 

Lefty Taylor Clemensia started for the Twins. He gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits. He walked three and struck out three. He hurt himself a bit with two errors. Callan Pearce was charged with two runs on two hits. He walked one, hit one, and struck out one over his three innings. Pearce left the game with two runners on base, and both scored off of Onas Farfan who gave up one hit over 1.2 innings. He struck out two.

 

Kolton Kendrick returned to the Twins lineup. He went 0-2 in his first game since mid-July. He had a bone bruise caused by being hit by a pitch.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

 

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day –Stephen Gonsalves, Chattanooga Lookouts (though Eduardo Del Rosario’s honorable mention is very well deserved)

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tanner English, Ft. Myers Miracle

 

 

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

 

Buffalo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler

Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers (vs Chi-Wei Hu)

Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero

Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:00 CST) – RHP Sean Poppen (1st MWL start)

Elizabethton @ Burlington (6:00 CST) - TBD

GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (DH @ 9:00 am CST) - TBD

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games.

 

Click here to view the article

[jsteve96]

wonder if Romero can 1-up Gonsalves again this week for Twins minor leaguer of the week? 7 no hit innings and 21 strike outs?

[GMinTraining]

BASH BROTHERS

 

PALKA's 31st  (AA & AAA)

Palka and Walker tied for 2nd place in the home run derby in the 2011 Cape Cod summer league.  Destined to be together.

 

WALKER's 25th (AAA)

These 25 are the most in Rochester since MLB vet Garret Jones hit 24 in 2005.

Walker has now hit:

15 Appy League - short season (Rookie)

27 Midwest League - full season (A)

25 Florida State League - full season (A+)

31 Southern League - full season (AA)

25 International League - full season (AAA) 19 games left

 

He won't be able to do this at the next level though?  You might be right, but damn he's been a consistent power threat.  At least 25 HRs in 4 straight seasons and has led his league in 5 straight.  (and yes we know he has led the league in strikeouts too in 4 of the 5 seasons).  September call up?  Only position player on 40 man not to get a call up, but then again ABW has never been promoted before either.  So no real surprise.   

[FormerMinnasotan]

So yeah, in his 3 August starts Gonsalves has an ERA of 0.00. While I love what he is doing I am fine keeping him in AA for the rest of this season if anything to help him improve on his control/command because he won't have as much challenge with AAA hitters as many of them are either washed up MLB vets or struggling MLB youngsters (see Byron Buxton) who may have less plate discipline than they should have. Honestly if Gonsalves doesn't start in AAA next year there is something wrong. It also seems this year Gonsalves has had a lot of success with his curve and slider this year leading me to believe that he has improved those pitches a lot this year. I'm excited to see him with the big league team next year.

[roger]

With almost 4 walks per 9 innings, Gonsalves still has something to work on.  Is there a chance we see him in September?

 

You have seen Arraez play Seth?  Is he potentially as good as it seems?  Also, any word on how Thorpe is doing?

[clutterheart]

When does Gonsalves have to be added to the 40 man? 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2016 by clutterheart

[DocBauer]

I'm sure there are things Gonsalves has to work on that we don't necessarily know, not being able to see him daily. Slightly higher BBC totals would indicate that. But his performance this year is one of the top highlights for the entire Twins system. No way he can't be at AAA to begin next season.

[nytwinsfan]

While it is worth noting that the (only?) weakness in Gonsalves' game right now appears to be the BB rate, in his last 4 starts he has a BB/9 of 2.67 and no more than 2 BB in any of those games. So that is a SSS, but it appears he might be improving.

 

Also, comparing to Berrios, it is worth noting that Berrios' HR rates were routinely .4 to .7 HR per 9 innings in the minors with a .5HR/9 overall in his minors career. Gonsalves is at .2 HR/9 for his minors career.  Berrios has a slightly better BB rate at 2.6 BB/9 in his minors career, with Gonsalves at 3.4.  They have almost identical K rates (Berrios 9.5K/9, Gonsalves 9.6K/9).

[Seth Stohs]

 

  On 8/18/2016 at 12:34 PM, roger said:

With almost 4 walks per 9 innings, Gonsalves still has something to work on.  Is there a chance we see him in September?

 

You have seen Arraez play Seth?  Is he potentially as good as it seems?  Also, any word on how Thorpe is doing?

 

I don't think Gonsalves gets called up in September. Not that he doesn't deserve it, but since he doesn't need to be added to the 40 man roster for another year, they can wait. If he was a guy who could make the starting rotation out of spring training, then you could. But they have enough starters they need to figure out futures for right now.

 

Yes, I saw Arraez this spring and then again in late-May. I'll say this... he can hit. Good approach at the plate. Not big, and not really athletic, so I'm not sure the upside, but he can hit. 

 

Things are very quiet on Thorpe.

[Seth Stohs]

 

  On 8/18/2016 at 12:36 PM, clutterheart said:

When does Gonsalves have to be added to the 40 man? 

 

After 2017.

[FormerMinnasotan]

  On 8/18/2016 at 1:15 PM, DocBauer said:

I'm sure there are things Gonsalves has to work on that we don't necessarily know, not being able to see him daily. Slightly higher BBC totals would indicate that. But his performance this year is one of the top highlights for the entire Twins system. No way he can't be at AAA to begin next season.

I don't mind Gonsalves ending this year in AA to help him improve his control. But you are absolutely right, there is no reason Gonsalves shouldn't start next year in Rochester.

[FormerMinnasotan]

  On 8/18/2016 at 2:28 PM, nytwinsfan said:

While it is worth noting that the (only?) weakness in Gonsalves' game right now appears to be the BB rate, in his last 4 starts he has a BB/9 of 2.67 and no more than 2 BB in any of those games. So that is a SSS, but it appears he might be improving.

 

Also, comparing to Berrios, it is worth noting that Berrios' HR rates were routinely .4 to .7 HR per 9 innings in the minors with a .5HR/9 overall in his minors career. Gonsalves is at .2 HR/9 for his minors career. Berrios has a slightly better BB rate at 2.6 BB/9 in his minors career, with Gonsalves at 3.4. They have almost identical K rates (Berrios 9.5K/9, Gonsalves 9.6K/9).

16 of Gonsalves walks in AA came in 3 starts. In Gonsalves 7 other starts he walked 12. In the 3 starts he walked 4, 5, and 7 batters. In other words he has improved his walk rate. Edited August 18, 2016 by FormerMinnasotan

[Tom Froemming]

I keep expecting Gonsalves to slip up at some point. Coming off that 100-pitch complete game I was thinking this may be the spot. Boy was I wrong. 

 

I'm in the camp that's ok with him staying at Double A, but what I'm wondering is what this guy has to do to jump over Tyler Jay in prospect rankings? I know the walks aren't where you'd like them to be, but he's been unhittable, giving up something like 5.1 hits per nine in Chattanooga.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

  On 8/18/2016 at 2:57 PM, FormerMinnasotan said:

16 of Gonsalves walks in AA came in 3 starts. In Gonsalves 7 other starts he walked 12. In the 3 starts he walked 4, 5, and 7 batters. In other words he has improved his walk rate.

 

That's good info.  Wouldn't be surprised if he started in AAA.  He was over 4BB/9 in AA earlier, glad to see that's ticking down, but 12 walks in 7 starts is certainly not much to be concerned about.  Looking more like a 3 game adjustment for him to realize what he couldn't get away with anymore in AA. 

 

This kid might be a monster.

[FormerMinnasotan]

  On 8/18/2016 at 3:13 PM, diehardtwinsfan said:

That's good info. Wouldn't be surprised if he started in AAA. He was over 4BB/9 in AA earlier, glad to see that's ticking down, but 12 walks in 7 starts is certainly not much to be concerned about. Looking more like a 3 game adjustment for him to realize what he couldn't get away with anymore in AA.

 

This kid might be a monster.

Also from what I've heard from post game recaps recently is that he has been able to trust his breaking pitches (curve and slider) a lot more this year even though his fastball and change command hasn't been where he wants it. If I remember right MLB scouts wanted to see more from Gonsalves curve/slider and it looks like Gonsalves has responded.

[Loosey]

When is the Gonsalves ETA in Minnesota if he keeps this sort of production up?  July 2017?

[Badsmerf]

We need an updated scoring report from the outside. He has to be turning some heads nationally. That k rate is awesome, i was expecting it to fall a little, but it seems like it's getting better.

[Deduno Abides]

Promising performances by Jake Reed and Zack Jones. They could be bullpen factors in 2017.

[Hrbek70]

  On 8/18/2016 at 3:27 PM, Loosey said:

When is the Gonsalves ETA in Minnesota if he keeps this sort of production up?  July 2017?

 

If he keeps this up, it will hard for the Twins to justify keeping him down long enough to not be a Super 2. But knowing the Twins, he wouldn't be up until mid to late June

[Deduno Abides]

Palka and Walker are fun, I get it, but does everyone realize that they are each more than a year older than Miguel Sano and have higher K rates and lower OBP in AAA than Sano does in the majors? Their ceilings could be April's version of Byung Ho Park.

[rghrbek]

Is Lamonte Wade hurt?  I have not see his name in the updates.  Maybe he is just slumping?

[Seth Stohs]

 

  On 8/18/2016 at 3:27 PM, Loosey said:

When is the Gonsalves ETA in Minnesota if he keeps this sort of production up?  July 2017?

 

May to August 2017 depending on other factors.

[Seth Stohs]

 

  On 8/18/2016 at 3:52 PM, Deduno Abides said:

Palka and Walker are fun, I get it, but does everyone realize that they are each more than a year older than Miguel Sano and have higher K rates and lower OBP in AAA than Sano does in the majors? Their ceilings could be April's version of Byung Ho Park.

Comparing prospects to guys like Sano probably will reduce the number of guys that are prospects. Pretty sure no one is putting them in that category... and because of it, we get the upside and ceiling.

[Seth Stohs]

 

  On 8/18/2016 at 3:56 PM, rghrbek said:

Is Lamonte Wade hurt?  I have not see his name in the updates.  Maybe he is just slumping?

 

Was placed on the DL maybe a week ago.

[Deduno Abides]

  On 8/18/2016 at 4:26 PM, Seth Stohs said:

Comparing prospects to guys like Sano probably will reduce the number of guys that are prospects. Pretty sure no one is putting them in that category... and because of it, we get the upside and ceiling.

 

There's a difference between comparing them to Sano's potential, which nobody is doing, and comparing them to his 2016 results, in what most people consider a disappointing year but still a step on his growth path. The fact that their projections are much shallower than his is precisely the point.

 

A lot of people were just talking about sending Sano back to AAA and Sano's K rates are considered tolerable only because of his other skills. If their K rates are going to be worse than his barely tolerable rate and their other skills will not approach his (in what we expect to be a disappointing year for Sano), well, then, they will have little if any value.

[ALessKosherScott]

Gonsalves as the best pitching prospect in the system? That makes sense.

 

Gonsalves as a extreme flyball left-handed pitcher who righties have an easier time with coming into a park that really favors right handed hitters as the best fit? That's the scarier thought. 

[Darius]

I'll be shocked if we see Gonsalves before September 2017, if at all in 2017. But here's to being optimistic.

 

Maybe if they keep May in the Pen, Hughes doesn't return next year, they don't go to arbitration with Santiago, and whichever bargain bin starter they sign in the offseason gets hurt.

 

But, who knows. Maybe our new GM will break the Twins mold.

 

Not saying they should or shouldn't, just don't see it happening.

[Mike Sixel]

Most teams use around 8-10 starters during the year. Hughes won't return, imo. Santiago won't be back, imo. Even if I'm wrong....

 

I don't get why you predict we won't see a guy who is doing well (dominating?) in AA this year, in the majors next year. 

[Bob Sacamento]

 

  On 8/18/2016 at 2:53 PM, Seth Stohs said:

Things are very quiet on Thorpe.

As of right now, I can tell you no GCL for Lewis, he's on a throwing program for whatever that means.  He might see some time in Instructs though, hopefully...maybe.  

 

Sidenote - he is really happy for his countrymate Lachlan Wells and his season thus far.

[jsteve96]

 

  On 8/18/2016 at 5:41 PM, Mike Sixel said:

. Hughes won't return, imo.

you think they will release hughes and pay his 50 million for no production?