Twins Minor League Report (5/26): Gonsalves Dominates Again

Seth- you had mentioned in a previous post than Gonsalves would not be the next pitcher brought up to FM because of seniority. Can you please expand on that issue?

Thanks!

MSR article can be found by clicking here.

Brad Steil and Eric Rasmussen are both in CR.

From the article, Steil's response to post-game question regarding what more Gonsalves needs to demonstrate to get a promotion:

Steil said after the game that Gonsalves just needs to “keep doing what he’s doing” to earn the coveted promotion to Class High-A Fort Myers.

“Trying to get him to throw his curveball more and use that,” Steil added. “That’s one thing he’s going to need as he goes up the ladder here, so that’s one thing we’re working on right now. His opportunity will come in time.”

Not included in the article was Jake Mauer's comment immediately after Steil said Gonsalves' "opportunity will come in time."

Mauer immediately said, "Next season, right?"

Yeah, everyone in the room laughed.

Gonsalves said all the right things when asked if he thought he was ready. He has shelved the slider and is working on that curveball with pitching coach Henry Bonilla.

Also of note in CR, the injury bug bit the Kernels.

Trey Vavra left the game in the 3rd inning after his foot got caught in the rolled up tarp as he was chasing a foul ball to LF. Mauer said the swelling wasn't as bad afterward as they feared it might be. Vavra is leading the Kernels in a boatload of offensive categories.

Brian Navarreto's return from the DL may be short-lived. He left the game in the 7th after getting his thumb bent awkwardly. 

Both guys will get checked up on Wednesday morning before any decisions are made.

He did tell JJ and I that he has pretty much shelved his slider for now, focusing just on working on the curveball. He's trying different grips, but felt the "spike" curve he used tonight was pretty good early, then it "disappeared" a bit later in the game.

Could he get outs at high-A? Yeah, I have little doubt. But you're right, Seth, there's nothing wrong with a 20 year old working on getting that pitch in shape here for a couple more starts.

I would point out, however, that it's not at all unusual for roster changes to get made within a few days of Steil spending time here.

I want to see Chih Wei Hu pitch.. Hasn't pitched in 8 days and in order for him to go up to A+ Hu or Sledgers will have to go to AA.

In order for Gonsalves to go up..

From the game recaps it sounds like Gonsalves is not still not comfortable with his offspeed pitches. Did i read that right? If so we need to keep his success in perspective as if those secondary pitches dont develop he is a bullpen guy.

From the game recaps it sounds like Gonsalves is not still not comfortable with his offspeed pitches. Did i read that right? If so we need to keep his success in perspective as if those secondary pitches dont develop he is a bullpen guy.

Replace "offspeed pitches" with "breaking ball" and you've got it pretty much right. Gonsalves is totally comfortable with his change up and it has been very effective.

The thing is that Ft. Myers is an easy place to pitch. Guys can hang a curve and not really pay the price for it a lot of times because of how hard it is to hit homers there. So they may as well promote Gonsalves to High-A, but he probably should spend the rest of the year there working on his breaking ball. 

Taking a step back... fastball command alone is enough to dominate A-ball, and even do pretty well in the high minors (e.g., Kevin Slowey). It's certainly crucial to starting in the Majors, but that also requires secondary stuff. 

The downside with Gonsalves is that most scouts think breaking balls are the hardest pitch to improve on, depending largely on natural feel for spinning the ball. The positive aspect is that he probably needs to only throw around 10 per start because he has a quality change-up. 

Wonder if Steil might be taking a look at a couple Kernels' relievers - Trevor Hildenberger and Cameron Booser? Both putting up some very nice numbers with CR.

 

Gonsalves looked incredible through 3 last night. He struck out 5 of the first 6 batters.

 

 

You aren't giving him his full due. He actually struck out 8 of the first 9 he faced. Struck out the side in the first and third inning.

There's one more thing on that game that is probably being overlooked and that was Michael Cederoth's relief work.

It was the first chance we've had to see him out of the bullpen at home and the difference was eye-opening. He still didn't have pinpoint control, but since he no longer has to pace himself or try to work on several pitches, he was letting the ball fly. Consistently 95-97 and from a guy as tall as he is, that's a tough pitch to hit.

Gonsalves to Cederoth to Booser against the MWL's worst hitting team. It was really unfair. The 3 Kernels errors tried to give Wisconsin a chance, but they didn't have much of one.

Lookouts need to play a triple-header

I hate the idea of moving people up based on how old they are, and not how they're producing. If anything, the results gap between Gonsalves and Batts is even larger, given that Gonsalves is that much younger.

Additionally, aggressively promoting kids who sign right out of high school (who have earned it) can send a message to other kids like Gonsalves, and get them to sign after being picked in the third or fourth round, instead of going to school for three years. I'm not saying that should be the determining factor, just that it should be taken into account.

That photo - is that Gonsalves?

Reminds me that these young men are YOUNG. Wow.

We should sometimes cut these guys a bit of slack when they don't behave like 70 year old sages. . . 

Lookouts need to play a triple-header

Everyday!!!!!