Twins Daily 2018 Top Prospects: #4 Stephen Gonsalves

I really want to see him force his way into the Twins rotation early this summer.  Let's hope he puts up numbers like Liriano did all those years ago, at Rochester.  The Twins could use someone to come up and be lights out!

I'm hoping to see Gonsalves by July in the majors. From what I've read, it seems he'll slot in as a #3-4 starting pitcher. Having the young core of Berrios (#2), Gonsalves (#3), and Mejia (#4) and seeing them perform up to their talent levels would be huge for this team. Now if they only had a true ace...

I am concerned about the recent trend of rookie starters for the Twins. This includes Kyle Gibson (10 starts, 6.53 ERA), Trevor May (9 starts, 7.88 ERA), Jose Berrios (14 starts, 8.02 ERA). Mejia's first 10 starts were OK (4.93 ERA). The only good recent rookie starter I could find was Tyler Duffey (10 starts, 3.10 ERA) and it's been all downhill from here.

The Twins will have to be patient with Gonsalves... sophomore years have been much better for our starters.

I really want to see him force his way into the Twins rotation early this summer.  Let's hope he puts up numbers like Liriano did all those years ago, at Rochester.  The Twins could use someone to come up and be lights out!

Liriano had upper 90's heat and a wipe out slider. He still has the wipe out slider. Gonsalves will survive on the art of pitching, not on any one devastating pitch. Let's hope he gets good support from Twins catchers when he's called up.

I seriously feel he is just another Tommy Milone 2.0.  He has great stuff but just will not get any where in MLB.  I don't know why, and i really hope i am wrong. 

Nah, I get the feeling Gonsalves has a lot more natural stuff in his arsenal than Milone, who always walked a tightrope between success and disaster. Gonzo can bring reasonable heat in the low 90's. Milone was stuck below 90 most of the time. 

When I first read scouting reports on Gonsalves, all I could see was your classic junk-ball pitcher.  With a fastball that's sitting around 91 to 94 mph, that's a pleasant surprise.  Adding a cutter/slider is an excellent move.  

I don't like the return of Gibson at all.  I'd like to see Twins management put Gonsalves in the 5 slot early this year.

Unless he falls apart this spring - put him in the rotation.  Give him at least until Santana comes back then send down if needed, but hopefully he will have proven his value by then.  Good pick for #4.  Now for Romero to advance quickly.

I'm excited about Gonsalves. The makeup looks great, he's got the pitches to succeed, he just need more experience against higher levels of competition at this point. The velocity on the fastball doesn't concern me as much from a lefty; we've seen guys do just fine without needing the elite heat from that side of the plate (and its not like low 90's is slow!).

If he can get the curve in shape as a useable 4th pitch hes going to have a nice arsenal to work with, and it'll give him options on a day where he's not spotting the slider/cutter as effectively. I love the changeup from him and that can be such an awesome offspeed pitch.

Starting him in AAA makes sense, but I won't be shocked to see him up with the club by June.

Liriano had upper 90's heat and a wipe out slider. He still has the wipe out slider. Gonsalves will survive on the art of pitching, not on any one devastating pitch. Let's hope he gets good support from Twins catchers when he's called up.

Agree that he is a different type of pitcher than Liriano.  Doesn't mean he couldn't take another step forward and be as effective.  The Twins have done so much right the past couple years with one of the most exciting lineups in baseball.  Now we need to have a bit of luck with a couple pitchers stepping up big time.

And what's all this talk of not having a true ACE.  I believe that Berrios will become that.  And I expect you all will also believe it this time next year!

I've always been a bit skeptical of Gonsalves and his potential. He doesn't scream "ace", but the more I read about him I'm impressed with his makeup and attitude. Hopefully, he's got a lot more going for him than Milone (yikes!) and is closer to someone like a Greg Maddux who has great control. Let's give him a look-see soon!

I've always been a bit skeptical of Gonsalves and his potential. He doesn't scream "ace", but the more I read about him I'm impressed with his makeup and attitude. Hopefully, he's got a lot more going for him than Milone (yikes!) and is closer to someone like a Greg Maddux who has great control. Let's give him a look-see soon!

Maddux had great control, he also had (with his catchers) a way of getting pitches well of the plate to be called strikes,  I do not believe this will happen any more. 

When it comes to Twins starting pitching prospects, all we have is hope. Let's hope that first Berrios and now Gonsalves and Romero can become quality reality. If Gonsalves' changeup is that good, it will make 91-94 seem that much faster. Three quality pitches at three different speeds will hopefully make him an effective pitcher. I love our hitting and like the bullpen additions, but with our starting pitching there's still just hope.

I seriously feel he is just another Tommy Milone 2.0.  He has great stuff but just will not get any where in MLB.  I don't know why, and i really hope i am wrong. 

Tommy Milone wasn't so horrible such that an improved version would be so bad.    Milone mixed speeds well which is more effective when you have a higher top speed.    Hoping more for David Wells 2.0.    I kind of like big loopy curve balls as long as they are more vertical than horizontal.   I can't wait to see him with the Twins.    

I appreciate pitchers like Gonsalves. He hasn't been able to get by on a 97 MPH fastball or a Wipeout slider throughout his life. He's had to learn how to adjust at every level, and so far he's been able to do it.

I think it would do him a world of good to take things slow with him. I'd feel comfortable assessing the situation again after 15-20 more starts in AAA.

Agreed.  He seems to be a bit of a tall-framed bull dog out on the hill.  I'd be fine with him building up some innings in Rochester, but I'd also be fine with him getting a shot as well.  Give the 5 spot to the best player who earns it.

Looking out at our pitching prospects, I like Gonsalves & Romero being towards the top.  It's nice to know we have guys coming up who can contribute past these two, instead of coasting by on random free agents and fillers.  I respect how hard Gibson has worked, but I'd love for someone new to come in and finally give him a run for his money too.  Our rotation needed a revamping and we're getting closer to seeing that happen.

Unless he falls apart this spring - put him in the rotation.  Give him at least until Santana comes back then send down if needed, but hopefully he will have proven his value by then.  Good pick for #4.  Now for Romero to advance quickly.

No ... SMH

Let's see ...  Berrios is going to be a true ACE, Gonsalves has hope of being close to Greg Maddux and we should advance Romero quickly after he petered out at about 100 IP last year .... Can we start branching the comment threads?  One branch for fantasy and one for reality.

Unless he falls apart this spring - put him in the rotation.  Give him at least until Santana comes back then send down if needed, but hopefully he will have proven his value by then.  Good pick for #4.  Now for Romero to advance quickly.

He is a guy that has started the year the same place he ended the year before and now we are going to give him a shot in the majors, doesn't that seem like the Twins would be setting him up to fall flat on his face, so the first 5 years in the minors seemed to work really well, but lets change what has been working?

Romero has been in the minors since 2012 (yes I know he had TJ) but at this point I don't think you can consider anything he does as advancing quickly IMO.

I would love for Berrios, Gonzo and Romero to be our Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz or something even close but we all need to temper our expectations a bit on when this is going to happen.

Remember a few years ago when the Mets had a rotation of pitchers with maybe the greatest stuff every (Smoltz said himself they were better then the Braves top 3/4) and how has that worked out?

While very different pitchers, I always liked Berrios and Gonsalves both for their demeanor and reported work ethics. They both have that bulldog in them, and both seem to really grasp the idea of pitching, not just throwing. Both of them, at various stops, hit bumps before learning to make adjustments and then take off at that level. Just how good Gonsalves will be is yet to be determined. And I'm sure there will some growing pains, lime with most young pitchers. But I am a believer.

Gonsalves sort of reminds me of a softer throwing Madison Bumgarner.  If he can be 80% as good as MadBum I think all Twins fans will be very happy.  

We've seen guys do just fine without needing the elite heat from that side of the plate (and its not like low 90's is slow!).

 

 

If he does have a Plus-Plus changeup, that makes the low 90s heat seam like mid 90s. 

Nobody should ever mention Greg Maddux as a comp for anyone.

Ah, the search for a "true ace"! Sort of like looking for a new Messiah; nobody knows what he should look like but we all think we'll know him if we see him.

We used to think a "true ace" could win 20 games a year while throwing a minimum of 250. I mean if a guy is a "true ace", as differentiated from a "faux ace" that's not an unreasonable expectation, is it?  But how many pitchers have crossed that threshold in the last five years? The answer is none. In fact there's been less than 10 players in the last five years that were 20 game winners and no one met the 20 wins/250 strikeouts yardstick. The closest was RA Dickey in 2012, 20 wins, 230 strikeouts. Quick, all those out there who believe RA Dickey was a "true ace" raise your hands.

Thought so.

My point is, forget hoping for a new messiah to make a "sermon" on the Twins' mound (little play on words there). Give me five No. 2's (maybe we should define that standard) and I'll feel saved.

So will the Twins.

He's only 23 and only 215.  I wonder if as he grows and matures a little more he'll be able to add a tick or two to that 91-94 fastball.  93-95 would sound a lot better.  Gonsalves profiles as what us old guys refer to as "a pitcher" as opposed to a thrower.

He is a guy that has started the year the same place he ended the year before and now we are going to give him a shot in the majors, doesn't that seem like the Twins would be setting him up to fall flat on his face, so the first 5 years in the minors seemed to work really well, but lets change what has been working?

Romero has been in the minors since 2012 (yes I know he had TJ) but at this point I don't think you can consider anything he does as advancing quickly IMO.

I would love for Berrios, Gonzo and Romero to be our Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz or something even close but we all need to temper our expectations a bit on when this is going to happen.

Remember a few years ago when the Mets had a rotation of pitchers with maybe the greatest stuff every (Smoltz said himself they were better then the Braves top 3/4) and how has that worked out?

I am ready to take a chance.  What are our options?  Do you think Slegers really has potential?  It we do not get Cobb or Lynn is there anyone out there with the potential to make us better?  I am not a believer in Hughes, Pineda is not ready.  Put the young guys in.  Like I said before they can be pulled when Santana comes back.  I do not care if it is Gonsalves or Romero or both.  But I want us to do something to move us forward - especially towards 2019.