Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of Mat Batts)
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With that, let's start our list of the Top 6 Starting Pitchers for July. We had a chance to catch up with this month’s choice as well. We begin with the big lot of players deserving of honorable mention.
- Rochester RHP JO Berrios – 5 GS, 2-0, 3.52 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 31.1 IP, 26 H, 10 BB, 30 K
- Rochester LHP Pat Dean – 6 GS, 2-2, 3.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 39.1 IP, 41 H, 10 BB, 23 K
- Chattanooga LHP Jason Wheeler – 5 GS, 2-1, 2.84 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 31.2 IP, 32 H, 5 BB, 26 K
- Cedar Rapids RHP Felix Jorge – 5 GS, 3-1, 2.78 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 32.1 IP, 29 H, 9 BB, 27 K
- Cedar Rapids RHP Sam Gibbons – 4 GS, 2-0, 2.42 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 22.1 IP, 23 H, 7 BB, 15 K
- Cedar Rapids LHP Randy Rosario – 5 GS, 1-2, 2.42 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 22.1 IP, 23 H, 7 BB, 16 K
- Elizabethton Twins RHP Cody Stashak – 5 GS, 2-1, 2.42 ERA, 26.0 IP, 24 H, 4 BB, 27 K
- GCL Twins RHP Jose Martinez – 5 GS, 1-2, 2.57 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 21.0 IP, 16 H, 7 BB, 11 K
- GCL Twins LHP Lachlan Wells – 5 GS, 2-1, 2.31 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 23.1 IP, 19 H, 6 BB, 22 K
- GCL Twins RHP Eduardo del Rosario – 5 GS, 2-0, 1.57 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 15 H, 5 BB, 28 K
TOP 6 STARTING PITCHERS IN JULY
Number 6 – Ft. Myers Miracle – LHP Stephen Gonsalves - 5 GS, 3-1, 0.96 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 28.0 IP, 21 H, 13 BB, 21 K
Seriously, Gonsalves had a 0.96 ERA over 28 innings in the month and isn’t higher than sixth this month. Gonsalves was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2013 out of high school in San Diego. He began the season by making nine starts with Cedar Rapids. He went 6-1 with a 1.15 ERA in 55 innings. He has now made nine starts with the Miracle and is 5-1 with a 2.11 ERA. 11-2 with a 1.59 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP is pretty solid for the recently-turned 21 year old. In July, batters hit just .206/.296/.225 (.521) against him.
Number 5 – Rochester Red Wings – RHP Tyler Duffey - 5 GS, 1-2, 2.48 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 32.2 IP, 25 H, 10 BB, 20 K
So, his major league debut didn’t exactly go well, but Duffey was the right choice. He was easily the best pitcher available in Rochester, the most ready. His final start of the month wasn’t real strong, but he still has terrific numbers for the month. The Twins fifth-round pick in 2012 out of Rice, he has been a strong performer as a starter since moving into that role. Generally, he is a ground ball pitcher with good control. He really does typically keep the ball in the park. He can be a solid major league starter, and should they decide to move him to the bullpen in time, he can be very good. Opponents hit just .205/.264/.279 (.542) against him.
Number 4 – Elizabethton Twins – RHP Dereck Rodriguez - 5 GS, 2-1, 1.33 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 22 H, 6 BB, 19 K
Rodriguez was the Twins sixth-round pick way back in 2011 out of high school in Florida. The son of Pudge Rodriguez, Dereck is a lanky 6-1 and maybe 180 pounds. He began his career as a potential five-tool outfielder, but that didn’t work. So before the 2014 season, he was moved to the mound. After working out of the bullpen last year, he has been starting for the Elizabethton Twins this year. He had short stints with the Miracle and Kernels when they needed an arm earlier in the year. Overall with the E-Twins, he is 4-1 with a 1.37 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He is 23-years-old, but patience will be important in this transition. In July, opponents hit just .216/.279/.245 (.524) off of him.
Number 3 – Elizabethton Twins – RHP Andro Cutura - 5 GS, 1-1, 1.20 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 30.0 IP, 18 H, 6 BB, 21 K
Cutura was the Twins seventh-round draft pick in 2014 out of Southeastern Louisiana University. He didn’t pitch at all last year with injury and spent much of the first half rehabbing. He’s now starting at E-Town and pitching well. Overall, he is 2-2 with a 1.12 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP in 40 innings over seven starts. For the month, opponents hit just .170/.221/.236 (.457).
Number 2 – GCL Twins – RHP Williams Ramirez - 5 GS, 2-1, 0.71 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 7 H, 13 BB, 29 K
Ramirez will turn 23-years-old on Saturday. So, why is he still in the GCL, you ask? He signed when he was a little older and was moved from a hitter to a pitcher at that time. He spent two years developing in the Dominican Summer League, and he has greatly improved his pitching this year. He was a third baseman/outfielder who had never pitched, but he had a strong arm and a good sense for secondary pitches. It’s all coming together. Hitters in the GCL hit ..092/.233/.118 (.352) against him in July.
And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is:
Ft. Myers Miracle – LHP Mat Batts – 5 GS, 3-0, 1.15 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 31.1 IP, 20 H, 7 BB, 30 K
Mat Batts was the Twins 17
th
round pick just a year ago after pitching for five years and UNC-Wilmington. He began his career in June of 2014 with three outings in the GCL before making four starts for Elizabethton. He ended the season with six appearances with the Cedar Rapids Kernels.
He returned to the Kernels to start this season. In seven starts, he went 3-2 with a 2.21 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. He was promoted to the Miracle where he has now gone 5-3 with a 2.04 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP.
Within a twelve month period, Batts pitched for five teams (UNC-W and four affiliates). However, he feels like he was well-prepared for all of this. “I don't know if I really ever thought about it. I will say that pitching in college for five years really prepared me for what I've faced in pro ball these past two years. I think college teaches everybody how to fail and how to make adjustments when you fail. Had I not gone through the experiences I did in college, I don't think I would be prepared for the demands of pro baseball. ”
Listed at 5-11 (maybe, Mat?) and 190 pounds, Batts has walked just 23 batters while striking out 105 batters in 111.1 innings.
He has made the transition from the Midwest League to the Florida State League look simple. He told us, “There wasn’t a huge difference between the two leagues. Hitters in the Florida State league definitely barrel up more balls, especially if you get behind in the count, but I’d say the benefit of the larger fields makes this league as much of a pitcher’s league as any out there.”
That said, with the larger fields, you’d think there could be more hits. In July, opponents hit just .179/.233/.214 (.448) against the left-hander.
Though he isn’t a flame-thrower, Batts is able to work with a five-pitch mix. He throws a two-seam and a four-seam fastball. He also has a curveball, a changeup and a slider. There is no truth to the rumor than he also throws a kitchen sink from time to time. In fact, if you ask him about it, he will likely tell you that a kitchen sink would be too heavy to throw and could mess up an arm real quick.
As far as what he considers his best pitch, he is non-committal. “It really depends on the day for which pitch is best. I think I can get outs with all four but a lot of it depends on the hitter’s approach and what they are looking to do up there. Generally we look to mix speeds early in the game with the change up but it doesn't always play out exactly how you plan.”
Batts has been part of a very impressive, deep, six-man rotation in Ft. Myers. Being around other starters with that much talent certainly pushes the teammates.
“We do have a great group of guys in this rotation. Obviously losing Hu last week, and now Slegers, it will be a different group moving forward but I'd say absolutely we feed off one another and compete with each other. Nobody wants to be the guy that can't do their job when it's their turn to pitch.”
One key to success for any player is to understand himself as a player. Batts understands why he has been successful and what he needs to do to remain successful as he moves forward, and moves up the organizational ladder.
Batts said, “I'd say my biggest key to success is just throwing strikes and being the aggressor. The more you attack hitters with quality strikes the more they are going to get themselves out, regardless of your stuff.”
Overall this season, Batts is 8-5 with a 2.10 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP in 19 total starts. It is likely that Batts will stick with the Miracle for the remainder of the 2015 season as they hope to get into a playoff position in the 2
nd
half.
Please feel free to post your comments on Mat Batts and the rest of the Twins minor league starting pitchers who pitched well in July. How do you feel about the rankings? We’ll be back tomorrow with the Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month.
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