Article: Twins Minor League Report (8/20): Royce Continues To Roll

[Cody Christie]

Building a winning culture in an organization starts in the minor leagues. There has been a lot of losing in Minnesota leading into this season's surprise hunt for the playoffs. However, the Twins have been building up a solid young core throughout the organization which has started to garner some results.Nate Rowan, the PR guru for the Rochester Red Wings, tweeted out an interesting fact. Entering play on Sunday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins affiliates had the best collective winning percentage in the minors at .595 (396-270). This was a percentage point ahead of the Yankees (453-309).

 

Could the Twins affiliates continue their winning ways?

 

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 6, Louisville 13

Box Score

 

Rochester pitchers allowed runs in each of the first four innings including a big seven-run fourth frame to put themselves well behind in this one. Stephen Gonsalves was roughed up as he was charged with six earned runs in only three innings. He gave up three home runs and walked three on the way to his first Triple-A loss. It was the first time he allowed six earned runs or more since last July and it was the first time in his professional career he allowed multiple home runs. Heck, he only allowed three home runs all of last season.

 

Things didn't go well for Mason Melotakis in relief of Gonsalves. He couldn't make it out of the fourth inning and was charged with seven earned runs. He walked four and struck out one. Luke Bard and Leonardo Reginatto combined for 4.1 shutout innings. Bard struck out three in 2.1 frames and Reginatto was perfect over the final two.

 

Niko Goodrum and ByungHo Park each went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. JB Schuck and Anthony Recker each had multi-hit games. Shuck added his 24th double and a pair of RBI. In the entire game, the team didn't record a walk while going 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 11, Tennessee 6

Box Score

 

Chattanooga pounded out multiple runs in the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings to outlast Tennessee. Even with 17 hits, Brian Olson was the lone Lookouts batter to record an extra-base hit. Seven of the nine batters in the line-up recorded multiple hits and all but two batters had at least one RBI. Jonathan Rodriguez and Andy Wilkins each reached base four time while scoring three runs apiece. T.J. White went 3-for-5 with five RBI.

 

Lewis Thorpe made his Double-A debut and tossed six innings. He allowed four runs on five hits (two home runs) while striking out seven and walking two. Todd Van Steensel pitched two scoreless innings of relief. Sam Clay ran into some trouble in the ninth as he walked five batters, so Gabriel Moya was called on for his 22nd save.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 2, Tampa 3

Box Score

 

Fort Myers jumped out to an early lead in this one with Sean Miller getting things going in the first. He singled in front of a pair of walks by Brandon Lopez and Brent Rooker. Miller scored on a balk to put the Miracle up 1-0 but the offense went cold until the late innings.

 

Brady Anderson started for Fort Myers and kept the game close. Errors by Zander Wiel and Mitchell Kranson meant that only one earned run was charged to Anderson. He threw five innings and struck out one but was still saddled with a tough-luck loss. Anthony McIver, Michael Kohn and Alex Muren each pitched a shutout inning to keep the game close.

 

With one out in the eighth inning, Wiel tried to make up for his error earlier in the game. He clocked his 11th home run of the season to cut the lead to 3-2. Rooker would get a shot in the ninth with two runners in scoring position but he would be called out on strikes to end the game.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 12, Beloit 2

Box Score

 

Royce Lewis and Travis Blankenhorn each posted a four-hit game as part of a season-high 23-hit effort for the Kernels. All 10 Kernels batters reached safely. Cedar Rapids plated one run in the first, second and fourth innings before exploding for six runs in the fifth. Lewin Diaz went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI. Jimmy Kerrigan, Shane Carrier and Joe Cronin all had multiple extra-base hits with Kerrigan falling a home run short of the cycle.

 

Tyler Beardsley was able to coast through six innings by allowing one earned run on eight hits. He struck out four and didn't issue a walk. He hadn't earned a win since May 3 so this one had to feel good. It was the first time Beardsley hadn't allowed multiple earned runs since July 8, which was only a three-inning stint. Ryan Mason allowed one earned run in his two innings of work. Max Cordy finished off the ninth by striking out the side.

 

E-TWINS E-NOTES

Elizabethton 2, Johnson City 8

Box Score

 

The E-Twins were up 2-0 after three innings but the bullpen faltered as the Cardinals scored multiple runs in the fifth and sixth frames. Akil Baddoo walked to start the first and moved to third on a Wander Javier double. Jose Miranda drove in Baddoo with a single but Javier was thrown out at home. Javier started the third with a double and eventually scored on a Kolton Kendrick sacrifice fly but that was the end of the club's scoring.

 

Brusdar Graterol started and only gave up one hit in four shutout innings. He struck out five and walked one. Melvi Acosta took the loss as he allowed five earned runs over two innings. Rickey Ramirez also ran into some trouble as he walked five in 2.2 frames. Juan Gamez was asked to get the final out of the game and he got a strikeout.

 

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Beardsley, Cedar Rapids Kernels (6.0 IP, 1 ER, 4 K, 0 BB)

Hitter of the Day – Jimmy Kerrigan, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-5, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI)

 

 

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Rochester vs. Scranton/WB (6:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut (8-7, 3.56 ERA)

Chattanooga vs.Mississippi (6:15 CST) - RHP Zack Littell

Fort Myers- Scheduled Off-Day

Cedar Rapids vs. Beloit (12:05 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells

Elizabethton vs. Johnson City (6:00 CST) - RHP Nick Brown (1-1, 4.70 ERA)

GCL Twins vs. GCL Orioles (9:00 am CST) - TBD

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games.

 

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[h2oface]

I hope Royce Lewis makes me forget my disappointment of the Twins not drafting Hunter Greene! He sure is eating up the first two stops to the show!

 

Melotakis in relief of Gonsalves 3 home run and 6 earned in 3 innings effort..... 7 earned and only two outs, all with two hits. OUCH! For both of them.

 

Still ouching......

 

I see that the Tennessee Smokies have a pitcher named Cael Brockmeyer. I guess he must not be related to Jim Brockmire, or if he is, changed the spelling of his name........ 

[Rhino and Compass]

I don't know that I have followed a draft class as I have as closely as the 2017 version. Is it unusual for the Twins to have two guys (Lewis and Rooker) moving up as fast as they are? I'll hang up and listen

[Han Joelo]

Read the game recap of the Kernsls game. Lewis seems like he knows what he's talking about when it comes to baseball.

 

Greene fwiw, is at rookie level Billings. No pitching stats that I could find. Good sss hitting stats from 5 games at DH.

 

I'll believe it when I see it, but Lewis does seem like one of those guys who can debut at age 20.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I don't know that I have followed a draft class as I have as closely as the 2017 version. Is it unusual for the Twins to have two guys (Lewis and Rooker) moving up as fast as they are? I'll hang up and listen

 

It's really, really rare for a college pick to play in High-A right away these days.  Happened more 15+ years ago. Consider Brendan McKay is still playing in the NYPL.  None of the other college picks are playing in High A yet.

 

It's also incredibly rare for a high school pick, even one drafted 1.1 or so, to get to Low A that first year. Been a couple, like Courtney Hawkins, but not much. Didn't happen with Mauer, Correa, Buxton, etc. 

 

And I apologize if your message was ironic, as I know I've written that in many threads on Twins Daily.... I don't mind writing about it. 

 

There are three other college picks from this year already playing in Cedar Rapids too. 

[gman]

Rooker watch. In the 3 game Tampa series in 14 AB's he had 6 hits and 8 strikeouts. I guess that's called the good and the bad. But he also had 2 homers and 5 rbi's.

[clutterheart]

 

Rooker watch. In the 3 game Tampa series in 14 AB's he had 6 hits and 8 strikeouts. I guess that's called the good and the bad. But he also had 2 homers and 5 rbi's.

 

And his OB% is about .489 ish.  If a guy strikes out a lot and doesn't get on base, its a problem.  But if he is getting on base at a good clip, I can live with the strike outs.  (but if he figures out how to cut down his swing on Strike 2 and started getting baehits, he could be a great one) 

 

What I am interested in is how he is striking out.  If he is only hitting Fastballs out of the park, while flailing away at breaking stuff its a big concern.  

 

 

[ThejacKmp]

I know it's just one game but hopefully this will cool the "The Twins are incompetent because they won't bring up Gonsalves" talk. Gonsalves has a bright future but he's only got a few starts at AAA. His year is next year; the Gees, Melvilles and Sledgers can muddle through this year somehow.

[Phillip Buck]

Incorrect.

 

A "winning" culture starts with Major League team's owner, GM, manager and solid veterans. Fundamentally sound baseball and game preparation is what gives a team belief.

 

Was a "winning culture" present during the extra-inning Orioles' playoff loss to Toronto last year? Perhaps their farmhands feel more optimistic of being called-up with Showalter, though.

[DocBauer]

Nice start for Thorpe at Chattanooga. I know the 4 runs doesn't look great, but considering the past two seasons missed, how he's bounced back this year, and reaching AA with a solid first start, I'm happy for him.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I know it's just one game but hopefully this will cool the "The Twins are incompetent because they won't bring up Gonsalves" talk. Gonsalves has a bright future but he's only got a few starts at AAA. His year is next year; the Gees, Melvilles and Sledgers can muddle through this year somehow.

Yeah, I wouldn't call them incompetent over it; I don't think Gonsalves is any great savior either.  But to be fair, he only has "a few starts at AAA" because of other front office decisions.   Not sure if he needed 28 starts at AA.  Promote him after 8 starts at AA this year, and he'd have 10 under his belt at AAA already.  Not that we'd necessarily count on him this last month, but he could have been an option.

[drjim]

 

Yeah, I wouldn't call them incompetent over it; I don't think Gonsalves is any great savior either.  But to be fair, he only has "a few starts at AAA" because of other front office decisions.   Not sure if he needed 28 starts at AA.  Promote him after 8 starts at AA this year, and he'd have 10 under his belt at AAA already.  Not that we'd necessarily count on him this last month, but he could have been an option.

 

I don't think 10 starts instead of 3 really changes the equation that much. Either way he was going to potentially be able to be effective for a couple of starts but likely not in a position to be put permanently in the rotation.

 

They weren't keeping him in AA for giggles.

[drjim]

 

Don't you think that most everyone who is in the "promote Gonsalves to MLB" camp now has also been in the "promote Gonsalves to AAA" camp for the last several months too?  At least anyone who is reading this, in the minor league forum section.

 

It's fair to disagree with both, but responding to the former with "he only has a few starts at AAA" doesn't seem like it really addresses the argument.

 

I won't speak for the previous poster, but I don't think 3 vs. 10 AAA starts is much of a difference.

 

I also personally thought an argument could be made that he had more things to work on at AA and he might not have been quite ready for AAA at the point people were calling for it. Remains to be seen. As a counter, I have heard chatter from some of the executives that they are looking hard at Gonsalves, so maybe they aren't especially worried about limited AAA starts. I thought it was a virtual lock he would be starting in Chicago today instead of AAA yesterday, but maybe they didn't want to give up the 40 man spot yet and risk an option (if it wasn't worth it to bring him up again in September).

[ThejacKmp]

 

Yeah, I wouldn't call them incompetent over it; I don't think Gonsalves is any great savior either.  But to be fair, he only has "a few starts at AAA" because of other front office decisions.   Not sure if he needed 28 starts at AA.  Promote him after 8 starts at AA this year, and he'd have 10 under his belt at AAA already.  Not that we'd necessarily count on him this last month, but he could have been an option.

 

I've been hoping he'd make it to AAA the past month or two but not because he'd be available for the Twins this year. I wanted him to get enough time in AAA that it wouldn't be a barrier to him making the 2018 rotation out of spring training.

 

That said, I trust that minor league promotion is not just about numbers. The Twins likely saw things he needed to work on that were best done at the AA level. Or there was a coach at AA who was clicking with Gonsalves and they wanted to plumb that relationship a little bit more. If he'd stayed til the end of the year, I'd get the angst over how long he was at AA but a few months is within the range where I say "The professionals know more than me".

I do wish they'd be more forthcoming with that stuff in general. It can't be a competitive disadvantage to say "We want to see how he does with pickoff moves before we move him up" or "We want him to work on his circle change with _______." It would stop the angst considerably.

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I don't think 10 starts instead of 3 really changes the equation that much. Either way he was going to potentially be able to be effective for a couple of starts but likely not in a position to be put permanently in the rotation.

 

They weren't keeping him in AA for giggles.

It's quite possible they were keeping him in AA for non-critical reasons because they didn't expect to be in contention at this late point in the season.  The same thing that drove their selling at the deadline, last offseason's bullpen plans, etc.  Could have been non-critical refinements, waiting until they could provide Chattanooga with strong reinforcements (i.e. Littell and Thorpe?), sorting through AAA SP options, etc.

 

And while 10 starts vs 3 might not make a huge difference to you, I was responding to a poster who suggested that 3 was too few. And I think if you project a guy as a possible contributor, you should aim for more than 3 by the time you may need him to step in.  Especially for non-elite guys.  Duffey stepped into the rotation after ~12 AAA starts in 2015.  I would guess there would have been more hesitation about making that move if he had only 3 AAA starts at the time (after a solid debut, Duffey's next 3 AAA starts were a little shaky).  Berrios was an option that August too, and he finished 2015 with 12 AAA starts.  I suspect he would have been considered even less with only 3 AAA starts, although ultimately his innings limit and non-40-man status (and maybe Duffey's success) prevailed in that decision anyway.  Hard to tell how a guy is going to respond in just 3 starts.

[Vanimal46]

 

I won't speak for the previous poster, but I don't think 3 vs. 10 AAA starts is much of a difference.

 

I also personally thought an argument could be made that he had more things to work on at AA and he might not have been quite ready for AAA at the point people were calling for it. Remains to be seen. As a counter, I have heard chatter from some of the executives that they are looking hard at Gonsalves, so maybe they aren't especially worried about limited AAA starts. I thought it was a virtual lock he would be starting in Chicago today instead of AAA yesterday, but maybe they didn't want to give up the 40 man spot yet and risk an option (if it wasn't worth it to bring him up again in September).

 

Yeah, overall I've been fine with the development of Gonsalves this year. Some disagree and think he should have been up at AAA earlier, but he still has a chance to crack the opening day rotation next year if he impresses in camp. 

The numbers look great during his AA tenure, but who knows. There could have been underlying issues that the stats don't show. Such as missing his spots, and AA hitters not being able to take advantage of mistake pitches. 

 

He doesn't have overpowering stuff to make up for a lack of command. It's probably best to develop him low and slow. IMO he's probably like 9 hours into the smoking process, if he were hypothetically a brisket. The best briskets take 12+ hours to complete. 

[nicksaviking]

***Moderator Note***

 

Let's discuss the minor leaguers without making it personal by rubbing previously stated positions in other's faces.

[ThejacKmp]

 

It's quite possible they were keeping him in AA for non-critical reasons because they didn't expect to be in contention at this late point in the season.  The same thing that drove their selling at the deadline, last offseason's bullpen plans, etc.  Could have been non-critical refinements, waiting until they could provide Chattanooga with strong reinforcements (i.e. Littell and Thorpe?), sorting through AAA SP options, etc.

 

And while 10 starts vs 3 might not make a huge difference to you, I was responding to a poster who suggested that 3 was too few. And I think if you project a guy as a possible contributor, you should aim for more than 3 by the time you may need him to step in.  Especially for non-elite guys.  Duffey stepped into the rotation after ~12 AAA starts in 2015.  I would guess there would have been more hesitation about making that move if he had only 3 AAA starts at the time (after a solid debut, Duffey's next 3 AAA starts were a little shaky).  Berrios was an option that August too, and he finished 2015 with 12 AAA starts.  I suspect he would have been considered even less with only 3 AAA starts, although ultimately his innings limit and non-40-man status (and maybe Duffey's success) prevailed in that decision anyway.  Hard to tell how a guy is going to respond in just 3 starts.

 

This is interesting. Looking ahead, Gonsalves looks to get 4-6 more starts in AAA, depending on rotation structuring and playoffs. So that would put him in the 7-9 range for AAA starts. More would obviously be better but if he pitches well (and maybe gets an MLB start down the stretch?) he'd likely be in the mix for 2018. It'll be interesting to see if he still starts in AAA due to service time considerations.

 

[Vanimal46]

 

This is interesting. Looking ahead, Gonsalves looks to get 4-6 more starts in AAA, depending on rotation structuring and playoffs. So that would put him in the 7-9 range for AAA starts. More would obviously be better but if he pitches well (and maybe gets an MLB start down the stretch?) he'd likely be in the mix for 2018. It'll be interesting to see if he still starts in AAA due to service time considerations.

 

I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that they keep him in AAA. It makes too much sense to keep him down until whenever that magic date is in order to gain another year of control. 

I wouldn't be surprised if they put Gonsalves on the same plan as Berrios. ~6-10 AAA starts and bring him up in May/June.  

[drjim]

 

I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that they keep him in AAA. It makes too much sense to keep him down until whenever that magic date is in order to gain another year of control. 

I wouldn't be surprised if they put Gonsalves on the same plan as Berrios. ~6-10 AAA starts and bring him up in May/June.  

 

I don't even think it would have much, if anything, about service time. He's rightly not going to be plan a entering spring training, but should be positioned to be one for the first couple of pitchers available for a call up.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Yeah, I think non-elite pitching prospects in general are pretty immune to service time considerations.  Just too many other factors in their health and development.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Yeah, I think non-elite pitching prospects in general are pretty immune to service time considerations.  Just too many other factors in their health and development.

 

Correct, but I do agree, he should be plan 7-8 or so, for starter.....not plan 1-5.

[Monkeypaws]

As a fan of small sample sizes, I am really digging Lewis's .400 batting average at Cedar Rapids.

 

Although he has dropped .400 points in the last week....

[drjim]

 

As a fan of small sample sizes, I am really digging Lewis's .400 batting average at Cedar Rapids. Although he has dropped .400 points in the last week....

 

First Cedar Rapids bomb today. Still 0 bbs in 9 games tho (with 7 ks).

[Darius]

I know it's just one game but hopefully this will cool the "The Twins are incompetent because they won't bring up Gonsalves" talk. Gonsalves has a bright future but he's only got a few starts at AAA. His year is next year; the Gees, Melvilles and Sledgers can muddle through this year somehow.

He's thrown one bad game in a year. The current Twins starters put up starts like that multiple times in a week. How does that change anything?

 

If they're running independent leaguers out there to get demolished, how can one think it's a bad idea to give Gonsalves a start.

 

The paradigm that if a player has a bad start in the majors, as opposed to the minors, ruins his career is absurd.

Edited August 21, 2017 by Darius

[prouster]

He's thrown one bad game in a year. The current Twins starters put up starts like that multiple times in a week. How does that change anything?

 

If they're running independent leaguers out there to get demolished, how can one think it's a bad idea to give Gonsalves a start.

 

The paradigm that if a player has a bad start in the majors, as opposed to the minors, ruins his career is absurd.

I think the issue is that there's simply more to lose with Gonsalves. My guess is that they want to be sure he's ready, which we can't really know from the stat line alone. If they rush him and he fails, then there's probably some serious doubt about how effective he can ultimately be. But if a guy like Melville bombs, they're basically out a spot start or two. Much less is at stake. So, I'm assuming it's a risk-reward thing. Whether this is the proper way of deciding about calling up players is debatable. Personally, I can't find fault with keeping Gonsalves down for the time being. Maybe he gets a cup of coffee in September, maybe not until spring. Either way, he's going to have a role on the team.

[Rhino and Compass]

 

It's really, really rare for a college pick to play in High-A right away these days.  Happened more 15+ years ago. Consider Brendan McKay is still playing in the NYPL.  None of the other college picks are playing in High A yet.

 

It's also incredibly rare for a high school pick, even one drafted 1.1 or so, to get to Low A that first year. Been a couple, like Courtney Hawkins, but not much. Didn't happen with Mauer, Correa, Buxton, etc. 

 

And I apologize if your message was ironic, as I know I've written that in many threads on Twins Daily.... I don't mind writing about it. 

 

There are three other college picks from this year already playing in Cedar Rapids too. 

It wasn't ironic! I appreciate it, I don't get to read everything I want to and have the memory of a gold fish even if I did. Thanks!

[TRex]

 

I think the issue is that there's simply more to lose with Gonsalves. My guess is that they want to be sure he's ready, which we can't really know from the stat line alone. If they rush him and he fails, then there's probably some serious doubt about how effective he can ultimately be. <snip>

Not to hijack this thread, but as a comparison look at how the White Sox have handled Fullmer (whom we pummeled last night). I am all for promotions, but the WS seem to have promoted Fullmer aggressively, with somewhat disastrous results. I know we can point to people who were disasters despite earning the promotion (e.g. Berrios), and still managed to overcome their horrible debuts. At some point, though, you have to wonder if the degree of failure will take a toll on a prospect (even one drafted 1:8).