Trending (4/21): Minor Trends

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?