Gonsalves makes Mayo's team of the week

[gunnarthor]

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/174420718/prospect-team-of-week-led-by-brendan-rodgers

 

Obviously, that doesn't mean much itself but it's nice to see Gonsalves get a little national recognition.  The write up on him was:

 

"The southpaw continues to show he just flat-out knows how to pitch and has gone at least six innings in each of his first three starts. Gonsalves has walked just four in 19 innings, holding Florida State League hitters to a .156 batting average. He earned a promotion up to Fort Myers last year. If he keeps this up, a bump to Double-A Chattanooga should be in order."

 

It's early, of course, but he really has had a nice start to the season.  Lots of strike outs and few walks.  Good to see.  

[clutterheart]

Hopefully FM sends at least 4 starting pitchers to AA in mid season call ups.  But the Orioles have Carl Yastrzemski's grand kid on their team!?  Thats an interesting factoid.

 

 

[ShouldaCouldaWoulda]

I just can't for the life of me find a way to believe in Gonsalves or Stewart. Partly because the numbers at A+ don't really carry as much challenge compared to other leagues. But, it has been shown that Lefty pitchers with decent control and refinement can dominate in the minors (Milone and many others), but struggle in the bigs as starters.

 

Certain 'things' translate up more than others, but I fear Gonsalves will fade just a tiny little at the next two levels, and then a lot in MLB. I trust Stewart less because of injuries and his performance over the past few years. However, K%'s have nothing to do with ballparks, and he is striking guys out like crazy, while still getting ground balls. I don't know who he is right now, but at least I can buy into the numbers he is putting up more due to the K%. 

 

I want these two to prove me wrong in the worst way. I really do. I just want to see Stewart succeed in AA, with continued success in the K% department. I have never been high on sinker ball/2-seamer pitchers who rely on contact outs only. Now, sinkerballer's that strike guys out though are awesome. Depends who he is....Arrietta/Tanaka or Gibbson/Pelfrey.

 

Maybe Gonsalves has better velocity, stuff, and out pitches than I think. Maybe Stewart is just getting healthy, getting stronger, getting smarter, more confident, or using more secondary stuff right now? I don't know, but I will be skeptical and reserved in my enthusiasm of these two until they are keeping K%'s in the 20's in both AA and then AAA. 

 

Again, I soooooo want to be wrong here!!! Please, let me be wrong.

 

 

[jsteve96]

 

I just can't for the life of me find a way to believe in Gonsalves or Stewart. Partly because the numbers at A+ don't really carry as much challenge compared to other leagues. But, it has been shown that Lefty pitchers with decent control and refinement can dominate in the minors (Milone and many others), but struggle in the bigs as starters.

 

Certain 'things' translate up more than others, but I fear Gonsalves will fade just a tiny little at the next two levels, and then a lot in MLB. I trust Stewart less because of injuries and his performance over the past few years. However, K%'s have nothing to do with ballparks, and he is striking guys out like crazy, while still getting ground balls. I don't know who he is right now, but at least I can buy into the numbers he is putting up more due to the K%. 

 

I want these two to prove me wrong in the worst way. I really do

 

Maybe Gonsalves has better velocity, stuff, and out pitches than I think. I don't know, but I will be skeptical and reserved in my enthusiasm of these two until they are keeping K%'s in the 20's in both AA and then AAA. 

 

Again, I soooooo want to be wrong here!!! Please, let me be wrong.

hey lucky you, you're wrong. dont even need to see them get to AA. you're wrong. Gonsalves has dominated every league and your milone comparison is way off. Milone was a college arm around a 3 ERA for his minor league career, Milone was a 10th rounder, his stuff was not great. Gonsalves was supposed to be a 1st rounder before getting into trouble in high school and has much better stuff. he's not a soft tossing lefty like milone either. Milone OPP BA was .240 or above every year, Gonsalves has had .150-.160 range in multiple levels.. A ball last year and High A ball this year so far and rookie league in 2013.

[ShouldaCouldaWoulda]

 

hey lucky you, you're wrong. dont even need to see them get to AA. you're wrong. Gonsalves has dominated every league and your milone comparison is way off. Milone was a college arm around a 3 ERA for his minor league career, Milone was a 10th rounder, his stuff was not great. Gonsalves was supposed to be a 1st rounder before getting into trouble in high school and has much better stuff. he's not a soft tossing lefty like milone either.

At age 22, Milone pitched 151.1 innings to the tune of a 2.91 ERA in a more difficult pitching A+ league environment. This is Gonsalves age 22 season. But, I hope you are right. 

[gunnarthor]

 

I just can't for the life of me find a way to believe in Gonsalves or Stewart. Partly because the numbers at A+ don't really carry as much challenge compared to other leagues. But, it has been shown that Lefty pitchers with decent control and refinement can dominate in the minors (Milone and many others), but struggle in the bigs as starters.

 

Certain 'things' translate up more than others, but I fear Gonsalves will fade just a tiny little at the next two levels, and then a lot in MLB. I trust Stewart less because of injuries and his performance over the past few years. However, K%'s have nothing to do with ballparks, and he is striking guys out like crazy, while still getting ground balls. I don't know who he is right now, but at least I can buy into the numbers he is putting up more due to the K%. 

 

I want these two to prove me wrong in the worst way. I really do. I just want to see Stewart succeed in AA, with continued success in the K% department. I have never been high on sinker ball/2-seamer pitchers who rely on contact outs only. Now, sinkerballer's that strike guys out though are awesome. Depends who he is....Arrietta/Tanaka or Gibbson/Pelfrey.

 

Maybe Gonsalves has better velocity, stuff, and out pitches than I think. Maybe Stewart is just getting healthy, getting stronger, getting smarter, more confident, or using more secondary stuff right now? I don't know, but I will be skeptical and reserved in my enthusiasm of these two until they are keeping K%'s in the 20's in both AA and then AAA. 

 

Again, I soooooo want to be wrong here!!! Please, let me be wrong.

I don't have any problems with waiting for a pitcher or a hitter to make it to AA before you really believe in them.  That's usually the toughest jump.  I'll get excited before that but certainly the AA jump is a real thing.  I hope that they both can make it.  I had a lot of faith in Stewart coming into this year but not much in Gonsalves. Now, I'm really warming up to him.

[Pardon My Dinger]

What is Gonsalves throwing these days, in terms of repertoire? I thought I read last season that he hadn't been using anything other than fastballs. 

[bluechipper]

 

What is Gonsalves throwing these days, in terms of repertoire? I thought I read last season that he hadn't been using anything other than fastballs. 

That's the thing that worries me a little about Gonsalves. We always hear how he knows how to use a fastball and changeup to get minor leaguers out, but his breaking pitch is still a work in progress. And he's going to need a third pitch, especially since he's throwing in the low 90's.

[jimbo92107]

What is Gonsalves throwing these days, in terms of repertoire? I thought I read last season that he hadn't been using anything other than fastballs. 

Hard to imagine why a national sportswriter would make a comment like, "The southpaw continues to show he just flat-out knows how to pitch..." if all Gonsalves had was a fastball. 

 

His scouting grades from the Twins site:

Fastball: 55 | Curve: 50 | Slider: 40 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50 | Overall: 50

 

Does anybody ever update those blurbs and grades? 

[FormerMinnasotan]

I had heard that Gonsalves fastball is a bit faster than last year and he was working on his curveball at least over this year's spring training at least per reports I have read here.

[jsteve96]

 

At age 22, Milone pitched 151.1 innings to the tune of a 2.91 ERA in a more difficult pitching A+ league environment. This is Gonsalves age 22 season. But, I hope you are right. 

hes 21 and he will be in AA before his 22nd birthday. 6 innings 2 hits today. in his last 24 innings he's given up 1 run. Tommy Milone and Gonsalves are nothing alike outside of good control. 

[old nurse]

Gonsalves has a fb that is reported in a couple sources to be in the low 90's with a peak of 95.  Milone sits in the mid 80's with a peak of still under 90. To compare the two is compare  apples to eggs.