Article: Twins Minor League Report (6/5): Gonsalves is DEALING

[Cody Christie]

The Twins were off on Monday, but there was plenty of exciting minor league action. Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Monday.

 

Transactions: Jonathan Rodriguez active from the seven-day DL (Chattanooga), replacing Kevin Garcia who was assigned to EST in Fort Myers. Fort Myers activated Jonny Drozd from the seven-day DL.RED WINGS REPORT

Scranton/WB 6 @ Rochester 3

Box Score

The Red Wings took an early lead in the bottom of the first thanks to some extra hustle from Zach Granite who singled to lead off the game, stole second base, advanced to third on a ground out and scored via a Tommy Field sacrifice fly. The Wings added another run to lead 2-0 in the third, again thanks to Zach Granite who singled, moved to second on a J.B. Shuck single, tagged up and took third on a long fly ball from Tommy field, and scored on a wild pitch. An active night on the base paths for Granite.

 

With the 2-0 lead, the Wings ran into trouble in the sixth as Yohan Pino gave up a three-run homer before being lifted for D.J. Baxendale, who escaped the sixth inning only thanks to a timely double-play after putting men on the corners. Pino’s final line was 5.1 innings, three runs (all earned), two walks, and he struck out seven. Baxendale could not escape trouble in the seventh inning as he gave up three unearned runs after a fielding error by Mitch Garver followed by a sacrifice fly and then a couple of singles and another error. Alan Busenitz cleaned up with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, including a strikeout.

 

Of note: ByungHo Park was 0-2 with a pair of walks and a strikeout and is hitting just .114 over his last 10 games

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Jackson 2 @ Chattanooga 4

Box Score

Before the game, it was announced that Nick Gordon was the Southern League Player of the Month for May. Gordon had 32 hits, 17 for extra bases, to go along with 22 runs scored and 15 RBIs.

 

Gonsalves earned his first win of the season and shut out the Jackson Generals for 5.0 innings on Monday night. Gonsalves gave up just two hits, he walked three, and struck out eight. After a quality start last time out (6.0IP 2ER, 8K) in which he received just a single run of support, on Monday Gonsalvez got four runs from the Lookouts in the first two innings. Gonsalvez, lifted after 96 pitches, was replaced by Jake Reed who gave up just one hit in 2.0 innings of relief. Raul Fernandez ran into trouble in the eighth inning and gave up a pair of runs in 0.2 innings before John Curtiss came in for the four-out save, striking out three of the four batters he faced, including the final two hitters of the game.

While the Lookouts scored those four early runs, they managed only four hits on the game, but took advantage of three walks and a fielding error in the first inning to push three runs across and chase starting pitcher Gabe Speier after just two-thirds of an inning. Southern League Player of the Month Nick Gordon was 1-4 with a double and a stolen base, swiping third base in the bottom of the second inning. Ryan Strausborger was also 1-4 with a double, but without the stolen base to accompany his extra-base hit. No Lookouts player had multiple hits, but LaMonte Wade and Travis Harrison both had a pair of walks and a run scored to go along with an 0-2 night.

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Fort Myers 0 @ Palm Beach 2 (SUSPENDED MID-FOURTH)

Box Score

Monday’s game will resume in the bottom of the fourth inning at 3:00 pm tomorrow afternoon. Before the rain forced the game into a delay and suspension, starter Lewis Thorpe gave up a pair of unearned runs in the second inning.

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

OFF

 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Chattanooga Lookouts

Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Zach Granite, Rochester Red Wings

 

 

TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Scranton/WB @ Rochester (6:05pm) - TBD

Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15pm) – Matt Tracy (3-4, 3.98)

Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30pm, 7-innings) – Brady Anderson (2-1, 4.01)

Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30pm) – Tyler Wells (2-0, 2.37)

 

Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games.

 

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[bird]

I'm sure we'll get the #freegonsalves plea just like we did last year when you needed to look past the ERA to see that his pitching efficiency needs to improve. But you have to like the K's.

[nicksaviking]

Glad Gonsalves is doing well. Looks like his pitches/inning are taking a bit of a step back. From 88 pitches in seven innings in the start on 5/26 to 95 pitches in six innings last start to 96 pitches in five innings yesterday.

 

Regardless of the eye-opening stats, you know that's something the front office is going to demand improve prior to any promotion. And rightly so.

[rdehring]

Great seeing Gonsalves back up to almost 100 pitches. Could missing the first 6 weeks of the season give him the innings to extend his season thru September?

[Vanimal46]

Concur. The team should be in no rush to move up Gonsalves. I wouldn't be upset if he spent all of this season off the 40 man roster. Maybe next season he'll make his MLB debut. 

 

In another episode of "Spring Training Stats are Meaningless!" let me introduce ByungHo Park! He of the .200 BA and .638 OPS in AAA... I'm losing hope he'll ever make a difference in Minnesota. 

[Jham]

 

Concur. The team should be in no rush to move up Gonsalves. I wouldn't be upset if he spent all of this season off the 40 man roster. Maybe next season he'll make his MLB debut. 

 

In another episode of "Spring Training Stats are Meaningless!" let me introduce ByungHo Park! He of the .200 BA and .638 OPS in AAA... I'm losing hope he'll ever make a difference in Minnesota. 

And Eric Thames is potentially All Star out of the KBO with no posting fee....  Twins are cursed.
 

[Steve Lein]

 

Great seeing Gonsalves back up to almost 100 pitches. Could missing the first 6 weeks of the season give him the innings to extend his season thru September?

 

He threw 140 innings last season. It would have been hard for him to hit any innings limit even if he hadn't started the season on the DL. I don't think this is an issue to worry about with him. 

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think AAA at some point would be nice for Gonsalves, but yeah, he's got to work on the walks without question.  He was a bit walk heavy in AA when he got promoted last year as well. 

[nicksaviking]

 

I think AAA at some point would be nice for Gonsalves, but yeah, he's got to work on the walks without question.  He was a bit walk heavy in AA when he got promoted last year as well. 

 

And from reports, he sounds like he has fairly decent command, which probably means he's a "picker" and trying to be cute on the edges and off the plate.

 

For some guys this is a bad sign that their stuff won't translate at higher levels against more selective hitters when they have to intentionally work in the zone. Then there's Jose Berrios who says screw that noise, my stuff will play.

[Seth Stohs]

Gonsalves is legit, and last night may be further proof of that. It's great when you have a game that you throw 88 pitches in 7 shutout innings, but it's impressive when you don't have your best stuff and you still throw 5 shutout innings. Not that you want that to be the case, but it does speak to Gonsalves's "toughness" that he doesn't let struggles become big innings and such. 

 

But it is something he'll keep working on. That he's full-go in terms of pitch count is great. Now, at least for me, it's about getting some more velocity back and continuing to work on command. 

[nicksaviking]

 

Gonsalves is legit, and last night may be further proof of that. It's great when you have a game that you throw 88 pitches in 7 shutout innings, but it's impressive when you don't have your best stuff and you still throw 5 shutout innings. Not that you want that to be the case, but it does speak to Gonsalves's "toughness" that he doesn't let struggles become big innings and such. 

 

But it is something he'll keep working on. That he's full-go in terms of pitch count is great. Now, at least for me, it's about getting some more velocity back and continuing to work on command. 

 

What is his velocity at?

 

And is his command now, and in the past been a bit rough? Or has he been one of those pitchers who is intentionally and frequently trying to get swings and misses on pitches out of the zone? Which has always got to be tempting when you know the batters at your level will swing at them.

[Don't Feed the Greed Guy]

Great that folks are debating whether or not Gonsalves' short shutout was a good thing, or not. Everything below "The Show" is about development, and last night in Chattanooga was a great night for development. Also, don't forget the clean innings put up by Jake Reed and John Curtiss. This, from the Lookouts website: 

 

The Lookouts slammed the door on any hopes of a game two victory for the Generals in the bottom of the ninth inning, when John "Baseball" Curtiss entered the game from the bullpen. Curtiss pitched 1.1 innings without allowing a hit, run, earned run, walk or a home run. Curtiss also struck out the side and picked up his eleventh save of the season in the process. Curtiss' ERA still remains an unblemished 0.00 for the season.

 

[Seth Stohs]

 

What is his velocity at?

 

And is his command now, and in the past been a bit rough? Or has he been one of those pitchers who is intentionally and frequently trying to get swings and misses on pitches out of the zone? Which has always got to be tempting when you know the batters at your level will swing at them.

 

I don't buy what the Birmingham broadcast was showing his velo (86-88). I think he's more 88-91. I think getting back 1-2 more mph as he develops and grows will be good.

 

(EDIT: A Twins contact informed me that the radar gun shown in the Birmingham milb.tv site during games is way off, as much as 4-5 mph. It showed Kopech hitting 92-95 (but he was actually sitting 98-101). It showed Gonsalves at 86-88, and he was actually hitting 90-93. In fact, last night, he hit 94 several times.)

 

As for command, it's definitely more than just walks. His control so far this season has been very good. But as we saw with Jose Berrios, you can have good control and command in the minors and it needs to transfer to the big leagues... I don't think that it's a big concern, but command is as important as any other piece of a pitcher's repertoire. 

[John Kelsey]

Curtiss is ridiculous. 

 

Gonsalves arguably should have started at AAA this year anyways if he was healthy, so I'd have no problem promoting him now. 

[Jham]

I don't buy what the Birmingham broadcast was showing his velo (86-88). I think he's more 88-91. I think getting back 1-2 more mph as he develops and grows will be good.

 

(EDIT: A Twins contact informed me that the radar gun shown in the Birmingham milb.tv site during games is way off, as much as 4-5 mph. It showed Kopech hitting 92-95 (but he was actually sitting 98-101). It showed Gonsalves at 86-88, and he was actually hitting 90-93. In fact, last night, he hit 94 several times.)

 

As for command, it's definitely more than just walks. His control so far this season has been very good. But as we saw with Jose Berrios, you can have good control and command in the minors and it needs to transfer to the big leagues... I don't think that it's a big concern, but command is as important as any other piece of a pitcher's repertoire.

Wait, why no mention of Gonsalves outdueling Kopesch? Or were his numbers from a different game?

[nicksaviking]

 

 

As for command, it's definitely more than just walks. His control so far this season has been very good. But as we saw with Jose Berrios, you can have good control and command in the minors and it needs to transfer to the big leagues... I don't think that it's a big concern, but command is as important as any other piece of a pitcher's repertoire. 

 

I was just wondering if the command/control issue* was due to being slightly off target or if it's because he's not attacking the zone because he knows AA batters will chase.

 

*To clarify to those who think I'm being pessimistic, I'm not critiquing him, I'm just curious as to the root provocation of his high(ish) number of pitches. I feel good about Gonsalves and I'm just wondering which aspect of pitching he should be working on. 

[jimbo92107]

I like the look of Gonsalves's delivery. He appears to get efficient thrust out front, where it won't stress his shoulder so much. It's a smooth delivery without max effort. To me, that means he will be able to gain velocity by gradually refining his rhythm. Good to see. A pitcher with good rhythm can last a long time. 

[FormerMinnasotan]

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/minnesota-twins-stephen-gonsalves-posts-five-zeros/c-234596054/t-185364810

 

According to this write-up from milb.com Gonsalves has tweaked his delivery a little, and by doing so Gonsalves stated it will help with his long term health of his pitching shoulder and has helped get his fastball into the 90-94 mph range. Since he already started 12 games in AA last year (and 4 this year) he can move up to AAA anytime now. I don't think we need another 10+ starts in AA to see if he is ready to make the jump to AAA (plus there is an Aussie who might be ready for AA soon who may need to be on the 40 man next season).

Edited June 6, 2017 by FormerMinnasotan

[Thrylos]

The best thing about the Chattanooga game that needs to be noted more is that Jake Reed made his first real appearance (he faced a single batter in a previous game) this season, going 2 full innings with 2K and 1H.

 

Reed can help the Twins more this season than Gonsalves can.

[Vanimal46]

 

The best thing about the Chattanooga game that needs to be noted more is that Jake Reed made his first real appearance (he faced a single batter in a previous game) this season, going 2 full innings with 2K and 1H.

 

Reed can help the Twins more this season than Gonsalves can.

 

As Reed's adopt-a-prospect father on this site, he faced at least 4 batters in his AA debut on June 2nd... He walked 3 and struck out one. 20 pitches, 7 strikes. 

[nicksaviking]

 

As Reed's adopt-a-prospect father on this site, he faced at least 4 batters in his AA debut on June 2nd... He walked 3 and struck out one. 20 pitches, 7 strikes. 

 

Did you send him to his room for a time-out?

[Vanimal46]

 

Did you send him to his room for a time-out?

 

No, but I did tell him, "I'm not mad, just disappointed." before his last outing yesterday. 

[highlander]

Granite is stone solid! I've been following him for a few years now. It's like he is the ultimate agitator on the base paths.

[Mr. Brooks]

I'm hoping that Gonsalves gets promoted to AAA shortly after the draft.

From there he can possibly help in September, or at the least be in the mix next Spring.

I've been a Gonsalves believer since he was drafted.

[bizaff]

 

I don't buy what the Birmingham broadcast was showing his velo (86-88). I think he's more 88-91. I think getting back 1-2 more mph as he develops and grows will be good.

 

(EDIT: A Twins contact informed me that the radar gun shown in the Birmingham milb.tv site during games is way off, as much as 4-5 mph. It showed Kopech hitting 92-95 (but he was actually sitting 98-101). It showed Gonsalves at 86-88, and he was actually hitting 90-93. In fact, last night, he hit 94 several times.)

I've read a number of times through the past years about speed gun inaccuracies.. how is this not a solved problem?  It's all of a few hundred bucks.. you'd think a major league affiliate would stamp this out immediately.

[David HK]

Man, that Zack is my boy! Out there raising heck on the bases, and getting key hits- I want to see that kind of excitement in the Cities soon.

[wabene]

Regardless of the eye-opening stats, you know that's something the front office is going to demand improve prior to any promotion. And rightly so.

 

This is something I see as different with the new regime. A definite plan for pitchers to follow to improve and earn promotions.

[wabene]

 

No, but I did tell him, "I'm not mad, just disappointed." before his last outing yesterday. 

Catholic

[Darius]

I'm sure we'll get the #freegonsalves plea just like we did last year when you needed to look past the ERA to see that his pitching efficiency needs to improve. But you have to like the K's.

I'm not advocating a call up, I'll lead with that.

 

But, it doesn't take a whole lot to be one of the best 5 pitchers in the organization right now.

 

Guys like Hughes and Santiago are not MLB starting pitchers anymore. There are high schoolers out there with better stuff (and that may not even fit the standards of exaggeration).

 

Mejia is looking good. Berrios is in the rotation for the rest of the year. Santana will likely regress hard, but isn't going anywhere. Outside of that, there, literally, is not another competent arm in the organization at this time (other than the one they have filling the 6th inning role right now - Duffey).

 

Not sure how you can blame, for example, a season ticket holder who is also contributing hard-earned tax dollars to this perennial loser, for expecting a quality product. There is sound logic in thinking the current top 5 pitchers on a first place club should be in the rotation....no?

Edited June 8, 2017 by Darius

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

I'm not advocating a call up, I'll lead with that.

But, it doesn't take a whole lot to be one of the best 5 pitchers in the organization right now.

Guys like Hughes and Santiago are not MLB starting pitchers anymore. There are high schoolers out there with better stuff (and that may not even fit the standards of exaggeration).

Mejia is looking good. Berrios is in the rotation for the rest of the year. Santana will likely regress hard, but isn't going anywhere. Outside of that, there, literally, is not another competent arm in the organization at this time (other than the one they have filling the 6th inning role right now - Duffey).

Not sure how you can blame, for example, a season ticket holder who is also contributing hard-earned tax dollars to this perennial loser, for expecting a quality product. There is sound logic in thinking the current top 5 pitchers on a first place club should be in the rotation....no?

 

I think you're being a bit liberal with the idea that a guy like Gonsalves is right now a top 5 pitcher.  There's a pretty wide gap between a bottom feeder major league pitcher and a top prospect.  Just look at how Berrios struggled last year (far worse I'd add than Santiago and even Gibson are right now)...  think about that, and he had far better results than Gonsalves and a better pedigree. 

 

That doesn't mean that Gonsalves would be a flop, but that we underestimate just how steep the curve is from the minors to the majors.  I do agree that he needs to work on those walks.  If AA is the right place, so be it, but if he continues to improve, my personal opinion would be get him a bit more challenge in AAA.