Article: Twins Minor League Report (5/18): Gonsalves, Stewart, Enlow Deal Out Zeroes

[Seth Stohs]

It was a night of close games throughout the Twins minor league system. Rochester won a 2-0 decision behind a K-filled start by one of the organization’s top pitching prospects. The three other affiliates all played close, one-run games. Along with Stephen Gonsalves, the other starters on Friday included a current, former and potentially a future Top 10 Twins prospect. Find out how they all did.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Friday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions.

 

TRANSACTIONS

• It’s been few and far between, but there were no transactions in the Twins farm system on Friday.
• However, following the Twins loss to the Brewers, they said that Miguel Sano will be joining the Rochester Red Wings on Saturday to start a rehab assignment.

RED WINGS REPORT

Rochester 2, Pawtucket 0

Box Score

 

Stephen Gonsalves made two very strong starts in AAA before throwing a bit of a clunker in his third start. He responded well in his fourth start with 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked four and struck out 11 batters.

 

 

Alan Busenitz came on and got the next five outs. He walked one and struck out one. John Curtiss recorded his third save with two scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out three.

 

There wasn’t a lot of offense, but just enough. Ryan LaMarre went 3-for-4 with his fourth double. He’s hitting .478 at AAA. Willians Astudillo hit his third home run.

 

For the PawSox, Dustin Pedroia played his first rehab game. He went 0-for-2 with two walks and two strikeouts.

 

 

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER

Chattanooga 3, Biloxi 2

Box Score

 

Things went well for the Lookouts both early and then late. Nick Gordon hit a home run in the first inning, his fourth of the year, to give the Lookouts a 1-0 lead.

 

Kohl Stewart made the start. He threw five scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked four and struck out one. Ryan Eades pitched a scoreless sixth inning, but he gave up solo home runs in both the seventh and eighth innings. But in the top of the eighth, the Lookouts scored two runs, on back-to-back RBIs off the bats of Chris Paul and Ryan Walker. Williams Ramirez recorded his sixth save with a perfect ninth frame.

 

Paul went 2-for-4 with his 12th double. Alex Perez went 2-for-4. Tanner English went 2-for-4.

 

LaMonte Wade was out of the lineup after leaving the game in the sixth inning of Thursday night’s game after a collision with a wall.

 

 

MIRACLE MATTERS

Ft. Myers 1, St. Lucie 2

Box Score

 

On this day, the Miracle bats just were not able to get much going. They managed just three hits and one walk.

 

Tyler Wells made the start for the Miracle. He was charged with two runs on five hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three. Andrew Vasquez came on and struck out four over 2 1/3 innings. He gave up four hits but no runs. Ryan Mason struck out two in a scoreless innings, and Hector Lujan worked a perfect ninth frame.

 

 

KERNELS NUGGETS

Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 7

Box Score

 

Blayne Enlow put together arguably the best start of his season for the Kernels. The young right-hander gave up six hits, but no runs, in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three and did not issue a walk. It was a rough outing for righty Nick Brown, however, In just one inning, he gave up seven runs on eight hits and a walk. Jose Martinez worked the final 2 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two.

 

The Kernels tried to make a comeback. In the eighth inning, they scored six runs (and just one was earned). The big blow came on a bases-clearing double off the bat of Ben Rortvedt.

 

Trey Cabbage went 2-for-4 with his first triple. Alex Kirilloff was also 2-for-4. Jordan Gore went 2-for-3 and drove in a run.

 

 

STARS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Ryan LaMarre (3-4, 2B(4))

Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Stephen Gonsalves (5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 11 K)

 

 

PROSPECT SUMMARY

Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:

 

#1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, R, 2K

#3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 1-4, HR(4), 2 R, RBI

#4 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 11 K, 94 pitches, 63 strikes

#5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, R

#7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-5, R, K

#8 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - 4.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K,

#10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K

#13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 0-4

#16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2B(6), 3 RBI

 

 

SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Myles Jay (2-5, 5.22 ERA)

Chattanooga @ Biloxi (6:35 CST) - RHP Omar Bencomo (3-0, 2.41 ERA)

St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (5:00 CST) - Brady Anderson (0-4, 5.92 ERA)

Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:35 CST) - LHP Bryan Sammons (0-3, 2.76 ERA)

 

 

Please feel free to ask any questions about Friday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have.

 

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[D.C Twins]

Your Honor FO,

 

We would like to present our closing arguments featuring the evidence from the last 4 hitters in todays MLB box score with current BA (OPS):

 

Grossman:   0.231    (0.646)

Buxton:        0.156    (0.397)

Adrianza:     0.213    (0.535)

Wilson:         0.158    (0.530)                                                 

 

We are not experts in advanced metrics, but it seems like sustained winning will be difficult with this strategy. If only there were something else to try (wink, wink)                                        

Your Excited Prospects,

 

Gordon and Wade           

[D.C Twins]

Esteemed FO,

 

I hate to pile on, but you have seen Lynn pitch right?!                                                        

I don't want to come off as arrogant but I'm pretty sure I can best an ERA of 7.47, WHIP of 2.04, and 4ish average innings per start. 

 

I'm ready when you are!                                                                                                  

Yours Truly,

Gonsalves  

[laloesch]

 

Esteemed FO,

 

I hate to pile on, but you have seen Lynn pitch right?!                                                        

I don't want to come off as arrogant but I'm pretty sure I can best an ERA of 7.47, WHIP of 2.04, and 4ish average innings per start. 

 

I'm ready when you are!                                                                                                  

Yours Truly,

Gonsalves  

 

Exactly Gonsalves can't do too much more to earn a promotion.

[rghrbek]

Stewarts start is better, but again I am not feeling he is a legit prospect at this point.  Gonsalvez is knocking at the door.  In another post people are suggesting we should trade Lynn.  Who would trade for him?  We would literally have to pick up 10 million I would think of his contract...it's messy

[benji21]

Does anyone know how Enlow looks. His box scores are never very impressive. I hoped for more from him.

[h2oface]

 

Stewarts start is better, but again I am not feeling he is a legit prospect at this point.  Gonsalvez is knocking at the door.  In another post people are suggesting we should trade Lynn.  Who would trade for him?  We would literally have to pick up 10 million I would think of his contract...it's messy

 

Regarding Lynn...... which is better: to pay 10 mil and have him lose games for us, or to pay 10 mil and have him lose games for some other team?

[Otto von Ballpark]

Does anyone know how Enlow looks. His box scores are never very impressive. I hoped for more from him.

Keep in mind Enlow just turned 19 in March, and is the youngest pitcher on the Cedar Rapids staff. Younger than all the position players too, except Royce Lewis.

[mikelink45]

D. C. Twins covered by thoughts in his two posts.  Excellent.  Dump the chaff, bring up the potential and lets look at the best Twins team we can have.  Wasted money on Hughes, Lynn, and others does not matter.  We are paying to lose, how about investing in winning.

[IndianaTwin]

Does anyone know how Enlow looks. His box scores are never very impressive. I hoped for more from him.

 

I saw him last night, and I thought he looked pretty good. Of the six hits, one was a bloop, and most of the others were ground ball singles through the infield. A couple were nearly knocked down by diving infielders but took big hops on an infield that looked like it had a couple lips.

 

Several other comments. I thought Banuelos did a good job working with all three pitchers. I was sitting right behind the dugout, and I liked how Lewis interacted with others, from being the only guy to talk to both bat boys and then comparing notes on pitchers with other hitters. Cabbage seemed to have good wheels for his size. Rortvedt crushed the ball on his double into a brutal wind.

[puckstopper1]

Solid starts by several in the minors which is great to see.  My concern is the lack of innings these starters are going.  This is one of the big issues with the Twins this season - the starters are only going 5 to 6 innings (if that) causing a great deal of stress on the bullpen.

[VATwinsFan]

Cave and Astudillo are now both hitting over .260, and even Vargas is over .200!!!!

 

Hope springs eternal.

[birddog]

Buxton is a notoriously slow starter, but it is becoming apparent that he has to go down to the minors to get his confidence back. I love the guy but it's painful to watch him hit--or at least attempt to hit. Down to .156, I think it's time to let him have some success in the minors and bring back LaMarre or go with Wade. Enough of Grossman. I would even start to play Gordon in the OF to get him some experience there as I don't see any other OF prospects at AAA or AA who appear ready to help the Twins any time soon if Buxton doesn't come around.

 

Twins still talking like Lynn is going to come around, but so will Halley's comet which will probably come sooner. Time to release Hughes, put Lynn in his spot in the bullpen, and bring up Gonsalves. Twins need a spark like what Romero provided and I think Gonsalves will also.

[rdehring]

 

Your Honor FO,

 

We would like to present our closing arguments featuring the evidence from the last 4 hitters in todays MLB box score with current BA (OPS):

 

Grossman:   0.231    (0.646)

Buxton:        0.156    (0.397)

Adrianza:     0.213    (0.535)

Wilson:         0.158    (0.530)                                                 

 

We are not experts in advanced metrics, but it seems like sustained winning will be difficult with this strategy. If only there were something else to try (wink, wink)                                        

Your Excited Prospects,

 

Gordon and Wade           

Grossman was in for Morrison, who had a night off versus a tough lefty.  Adrianza won't see much playing time as soon as Sano is back and Escobar moves back to short.  Wilson is the backup to a backup.  Buxton should come around once he gets back into a groove following his injuries.  And Polanco will be back the first of July.

 

I know a lot of us, including me, have been disappointed in the Twins so far this spring.  Yet, they have played most of the year without four players (of the eight position players) who were projected to be their opening day starters...Castro, Polanco, Sano and Buxton (for several weeks).  That's a lot for any team to overcome.  Let's see where they are come All-Star time.  

[rdehring]

Five shutout innings for Stewart with only two hits is good. One strikeout and four walks isn't.  I guess he is a pitcher who will not dominate a game like we have seen Berrios, Romero, Graterol or even Gonsalves.  

 

My question, Seth.  Do you see a pitcher with this type of stuff/ability able to be successful in the big leagues?  Or do you see his ceiling more of a AAAA type that will struggle to break into a good starting rotation?

[Mr. Brooks]

Solid starts by several in the minors which is great to see. My concern is the lack of innings these starters are going. This is one of the big issues with the Twins this season - the starters are only going 5 to 6 innings (if that) causing a great deal of stress on the bullpen.

That's baseball now. League average start is just over 5 1/3 innings. This isn't a Twins thing.

[108Stitches]

The starters are also on a pitch count.

[benji21]

Thanks for the feedback on Enlow. Youth considered, it would be nice to see him take a step. He’s one to be excited about I think.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Five shutout innings for Stewart with only two hits is good. One strikeout and four walks isn't.  I guess he is a pitcher who will not dominate a game like we have seen Berrios, Romero, Graterol or even Gonsalves.  

 

My question, Seth.  Do you see a pitcher with this type of stuff/ability able to be successful in the big leagues?  Or do you see his ceiling more of a AAAA type that will struggle to break into a good starting rotation?

 

I mean, to me, he looks good. I don't get the lack of strikeouts cuz he's got good velo and good stuff. I have no idea how to differentiate a AAA, AAAA and #4/5 starter is. Probably not much more than opportunity and patience. He has enough stuff to pitch in the big leagues, I think, but I would hope that people don't see him as a frontline starter at this point. 

[Doctor Wu]

Very encouraging starts by those young pitchers. Hope they can "build on" those performances and gain some confidence, in addition to that much valued experience. As others have said, I'm still not sold on Kohl Stewart's future as a solid MLB pitcher, but games like the one he just had give me more reason to hope.

[ashbury]

I have no idea how to differentiate a AAA, AAAA and #4/5 starter is.

Best insight of the day, IMO. A major league starting rotation is what it is, so a given successful pitcher may get a number assigned for discussion purposes. But no organization develops a guy whose ceiling they view as "a #5". The 5 slot is for promising guys getting a chance (e.g. Fernando Romero) or for veterans on the way down (e.g. Bartolo Colon). A 5-designation isn't for very long - neither is a 4 usually. If one's view is that a guy will never be a 180+ IP workhorse, you damn the guy with faint praise by calling him a 4/5 or less.

[Seth Stohs]

 

Best insight of the day, IMO. A major league starting rotation is what it is, so a given successful pitcher may get a number assigned for discussion purposes. But no organization develops a guy whose ceiling they view as "a #5". The 5 slot is for promising guys getting a chance (e.g. Fernando Romero) or for veterans on the way down (e.g. Bartolo Colon). A 5-designation isn't for very long - neither is a 4 usually. If one's view is that a guy will never be a 180+ IP workhorse, you damn the guy with faint praise by calling him a 4/5 or less.

 

That's one way to look at it. Another is to say that there are probably a lot of guys who could be just fine given an opportunity. Slegers might be one of those guys. His ceiling is probably a #4/5 starter in the big leagues, but he's really good in AAA. He could go to the Marlins or something and pitch in their starting rotation (maybe as their #3/4) for 4-5 years.  With the Twins, he's kind of a #6/7 right now. 

[ashbury]

That's one way to look at it. Another is to say that there are probably a lot of guys who could be just fine given an opportunity. Slegers might be one of those guys. His ceiling is probably a #4/5 starter in the big leagues, but he's really good in AAA. He could go to the Marlins or something and pitch in their starting rotation (maybe as their #3/4) for 4-5 years.  With the Twins, he's kind of a #6/7 right now. 

Slegers is a great example of what I'm talking about. I happen to believe he could settle in as a workhorse in a good rotation. But, the lack of strikeouts is a warning flag for many, and maybe I'm foolish to believe in him. It's that difference of opinion that might give him the Marlins opportunity you speak of, if the Marlins are more interested in results than form. But no way were the Twins investing minor league starts in him because they were hoping he reaches a ceiling of a #4; the opportunity cost is too great through the years as he's coming up the ranks.

 

These rotation numbers are so arbitrary and roster-dependent as to make them meaningless, except as "potential #1/ace", "potential #2/#3", or "make him a reliever before it's too late". Someone who's a AAAA guy flunked out of whatever ceiling people thought he had.

[caninatl04]

Zack Granite hitting .179? What's up with that?

[jkcarew]

 

Zack Granite hitting .179? What's up with that?

Now 203.  Highest it's been all season...and coming off a spring where he slugged about 160.

 

He went on a fairly lengthy DL stint right after the Rochester season got underway...so, there is that.  But has literally not been getting the ball out of the infield.