Twins Call Ups 2017 Edition
Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2017 9:17 am
http://www.1500espn.com/twins-2/2017/08/mining-minors-whos-likely-get-big-league-audition-season/
Well, the trade deadline has passed, and in all likelihood, so too has the competitive portion of the Twins season. August and September will likely serve as auditions for a number of Twins minor leaguers, as has been the case in five of the last six years.
While that's disappointing for Twins fans--especially since the team came this close to being buyers and making a playoff push--it does present the opportunity to see the future in action. Unlike years past, though, I think a real case can be made that the Twins' "winning window" opens fully in 2018, making 2017 auditions all the more interesting. Before we check in on how the Mining the Minors regulars are performing, then, here's a quick look at some other prospects we may see at Target Field over the next two months.
Mitch Garver: Almost certain to be called up, Garver's putting up great numbers in Rochester, particularly for a catcher.
Jake Reed: A hard throwing relief pitcher with good numbers at Double-A and Triple-A, Reed's earned a shot in the Twins' pen.
John Curtiss: Similar profile to Reed, with even higher strikeout totals.
Aaron Slegers: Slegers has quietly been dominant of late at Triple-A, and now sports a 3.13 ERA over 113 IP. His frame (6-foot-10) and durability make him a possible 5th starter candidate next year.
Gabriel Moya: Acquired in the John Ryan Murphy trade, he's put up video game numbers at Double-A, including 14.1 K/9.
Mason Melotakis: A surprise DFA in June, the lefty reliever has nevertheless put up excellent numbers again this year, despite diminished velocity.
Nik Turley: We all saw how it went for him in three starts in Minnesota. Maybe I'm crazy, but I still think there may be something there as a reliever. The Twins wouldn't have kept him on the 40-man if they had no intention of seeing him again.
Randy Rosario: He struggled in two outings in the big leagues, but he's on the 40-man and has a 1.84 ERA at Double-A.
Dietrich Enns: Acquired in the Jaime Garcia trade, Enns has a 2.29 ERA and 8.5 K/9 at Triple-A. On the 40-man and a dark horse rotation candidate next season.
ByungHo Park: Remember him? He's been heating up in Rochester. 40-man roster crunch might hurt his chances, though.
All right, let's get back to the Mining the Minors regulars.
Mining the Minors
Stephen Gonsalves, LHP, Chattanooga: Gonsalves just keeps chugging along with a sub-3.00 ERA, high K numbers, and a low WHIP. On the year, he has a 2.90 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 80.2 IP. Gonsalves, while lacking an overpowering fastball, has demonstrated over and over again that he can get hitters out at every level he's pitched. Since his professional career began in 2013, there's not a blip on the radar; every year has been strong and earned him a promotion, along with a steadily climbing prospect ranking that now sees him among MLB.com's top 100 prospects.
I'd like to see Gonsalves moved up the organizational ladder this season--to Triple-A and the big leagues-for a couple of reasons. First, he's now pitched the equivalent of a full year--between the second half of last year and this year--at Double-A without any issues. It's time to see how he fares against more seasoned hitters at Triple-A. Second, Gonsalves should be a rotation candidate next spring, and thus it'd be valuable to give him a taste of the big leagues this September. An opportunity is there to get an important player's feet wet in the majors in games that don't matter, and doing so could help ease his transition for when he's presumably starting important games for a contender next season. We saw J.O. Berrios appear nervous and overwhelmed in his first MLB go-around last year, and while every player's different, taking action to help mitigate that possibility makes sense.
Fernando Romero, RHP, Chattanooga: Like Gonsalves, Romero has also continued to be outstanding for the Lookouts. He currently has a 2.64 ERA, 1.259 WHIP and 9.5 K/9 in 105.2 IP. Romero should be a candidate for the rotation next spring, but unlike Gonsalves, I don't see him getting big league time this year. Although it'd be nice for him to get a taste of the majors for reasons described above, Romero is likely going to run out of innings. The Twins haven't announced any innings limit that I'm aware of, but he's already pitched 15 innings more this season than he has in any previous minor league season.
A look at his 2017 game log suggests the Twins are clearly being careful with his workload. In his last six starts, despite never giving up more than two earned runs, Romero hasn't been allowed to pitch past the 5th inning. Only once in those starts has he thrown more than 90 pitches, and all season he's only thrown 100 pitches in a game once. With the Twins now out of contention, I'm not sure it makes sense to call him up for a spot start either, as they did with Felix Jorge. My guess is Romero will be pitching 5 innings or less the rest of the way and be shut down at the end of the Double-A season.
Nevertheless, he's been phenomenal, and along with Gonsalves represents real reason for optimism about the 2018 Twins rotation.
Nick Gordon, SS, Chattanooga: Gordon's cooled off a little bit of late, but he's still hitting a very solid .288/.357/.440. July was his first sub-par month, as he hit just .220/.287/.308 with five extra base hits in 101 plate appearances. Every player has slumps, of course, and Gordon's more than demonstrated that the bat is legit, particularly for a middle infielder. I don't think Twins fans should be worried about whether he'll eventually hit in the big leagues.
I do think there are real concerns about his ability to stick at shortstop, however. He's now committed 17 errors at shortstop in 74 games. Last season, he committed 24 errors in 103 games there. To put that in perspective, Jorge Polanco--whose defense has been mediocre this season after a nice start--has committed 11 errors in 76 games at shortstop. As I've mentioned a number of times in this column, errors aren't a great defensive stat, because players with good range get to more balls, and thus are likely to commit more errors. However, Gordon's range, based on the scouting reports I've read, isn't elite. So, if his range is average and he's committing a lot of errors, that suggests some real question marks about his ability to play the position in the big leagues.
Let's say, for argument's sake, that the Twins determine his long-term position is second base. That creates a real dilemma for 2018. Although Gordon projects as an eventual star, Brian Dozier's still probably the better MLB player next season. That is, I think the 2018 Twins would win more games with Dozier as the everyday second baseman than Gordon. So, do they keep Dozier through the last year of his contract in hopes of making a postseason push and watch him walk in free agency? Do they trade Dozier in the offseason and insert a rookie into a starting role on a postseason contender? If Gordon can't play shortstop, there isn't an easy answer for Derek Falvey and Thad Levine.
Daniel Palka, OF, Rochester: After being out nearly two months with a fractured finger, Palka returned to the Red Wings about a week ago. The injury was a tough break for Palka, who saw much of his summer taken away. Overall on the season, he's hitting .264/.324/.444. Those are respectable numbers, but for a bat-first corner outfielder he probably needs to hit a bit more to get a shot in the big leagues. With a career slugging percentage over .500, his track record suggests he will. Outfield is a position of strength for the Twins, with five players--Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Robbie Grossman, and Zack Granite--all making solid cases for getting regular big league at bats. Like Rosario, Kepler and Granite, Palka is also left-handed, so there's not a real platoon opportunity for him in the big leagues right now. The hope for Palka is that he heats up in August and earns a September call-up. There's still a lot to like in his bat.
Engelb Vielma, SS, Rochester: The transition to Triple-A hasn't been kind to Vielma. I was excited about him after he started the year hitting .286/.362/.328 at Double-A Chattanooga, earning a promotion to Rochester. If he could put up anything resembling those numbers, he could be a useful player, because his defense at shortstop is outstanding. While great defense at shortstop is an incredibly valuable skill, you still have to be able to hit a little bit, and Vielma hasn't been able to do that so far in Triple-A. In 224 plate appearances, he's hitting .197/.223/.230. If he's not able to raise those numbers by the end of the year, he could be a candidate to be taken off the 40-man roster in the offseason. I think there's a bit more in the bat than he's shown so far in Rochester, but his track record offensively doesn't really suggest there will be a dramatic turnaround. That's too bad for the Twins, who continue to search for an everyday shortstop with plus defense.
Well, the trade deadline has passed, and in all likelihood, so too has the competitive portion of the Twins season. August and September will likely serve as auditions for a number of Twins minor leaguers, as has been the case in five of the last six years.
While that's disappointing for Twins fans--especially since the team came this close to being buyers and making a playoff push--it does present the opportunity to see the future in action. Unlike years past, though, I think a real case can be made that the Twins' "winning window" opens fully in 2018, making 2017 auditions all the more interesting. Before we check in on how the Mining the Minors regulars are performing, then, here's a quick look at some other prospects we may see at Target Field over the next two months.
Mitch Garver: Almost certain to be called up, Garver's putting up great numbers in Rochester, particularly for a catcher.
Jake Reed: A hard throwing relief pitcher with good numbers at Double-A and Triple-A, Reed's earned a shot in the Twins' pen.
John Curtiss: Similar profile to Reed, with even higher strikeout totals.
Aaron Slegers: Slegers has quietly been dominant of late at Triple-A, and now sports a 3.13 ERA over 113 IP. His frame (6-foot-10) and durability make him a possible 5th starter candidate next year.
Gabriel Moya: Acquired in the John Ryan Murphy trade, he's put up video game numbers at Double-A, including 14.1 K/9.
Mason Melotakis: A surprise DFA in June, the lefty reliever has nevertheless put up excellent numbers again this year, despite diminished velocity.
Nik Turley: We all saw how it went for him in three starts in Minnesota. Maybe I'm crazy, but I still think there may be something there as a reliever. The Twins wouldn't have kept him on the 40-man if they had no intention of seeing him again.
Randy Rosario: He struggled in two outings in the big leagues, but he's on the 40-man and has a 1.84 ERA at Double-A.
Dietrich Enns: Acquired in the Jaime Garcia trade, Enns has a 2.29 ERA and 8.5 K/9 at Triple-A. On the 40-man and a dark horse rotation candidate next season.
ByungHo Park: Remember him? He's been heating up in Rochester. 40-man roster crunch might hurt his chances, though.
All right, let's get back to the Mining the Minors regulars.
Mining the Minors
Stephen Gonsalves, LHP, Chattanooga: Gonsalves just keeps chugging along with a sub-3.00 ERA, high K numbers, and a low WHIP. On the year, he has a 2.90 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 80.2 IP. Gonsalves, while lacking an overpowering fastball, has demonstrated over and over again that he can get hitters out at every level he's pitched. Since his professional career began in 2013, there's not a blip on the radar; every year has been strong and earned him a promotion, along with a steadily climbing prospect ranking that now sees him among MLB.com's top 100 prospects.
I'd like to see Gonsalves moved up the organizational ladder this season--to Triple-A and the big leagues-for a couple of reasons. First, he's now pitched the equivalent of a full year--between the second half of last year and this year--at Double-A without any issues. It's time to see how he fares against more seasoned hitters at Triple-A. Second, Gonsalves should be a rotation candidate next spring, and thus it'd be valuable to give him a taste of the big leagues this September. An opportunity is there to get an important player's feet wet in the majors in games that don't matter, and doing so could help ease his transition for when he's presumably starting important games for a contender next season. We saw J.O. Berrios appear nervous and overwhelmed in his first MLB go-around last year, and while every player's different, taking action to help mitigate that possibility makes sense.
Fernando Romero, RHP, Chattanooga: Like Gonsalves, Romero has also continued to be outstanding for the Lookouts. He currently has a 2.64 ERA, 1.259 WHIP and 9.5 K/9 in 105.2 IP. Romero should be a candidate for the rotation next spring, but unlike Gonsalves, I don't see him getting big league time this year. Although it'd be nice for him to get a taste of the majors for reasons described above, Romero is likely going to run out of innings. The Twins haven't announced any innings limit that I'm aware of, but he's already pitched 15 innings more this season than he has in any previous minor league season.
A look at his 2017 game log suggests the Twins are clearly being careful with his workload. In his last six starts, despite never giving up more than two earned runs, Romero hasn't been allowed to pitch past the 5th inning. Only once in those starts has he thrown more than 90 pitches, and all season he's only thrown 100 pitches in a game once. With the Twins now out of contention, I'm not sure it makes sense to call him up for a spot start either, as they did with Felix Jorge. My guess is Romero will be pitching 5 innings or less the rest of the way and be shut down at the end of the Double-A season.
Nevertheless, he's been phenomenal, and along with Gonsalves represents real reason for optimism about the 2018 Twins rotation.
Nick Gordon, SS, Chattanooga: Gordon's cooled off a little bit of late, but he's still hitting a very solid .288/.357/.440. July was his first sub-par month, as he hit just .220/.287/.308 with five extra base hits in 101 plate appearances. Every player has slumps, of course, and Gordon's more than demonstrated that the bat is legit, particularly for a middle infielder. I don't think Twins fans should be worried about whether he'll eventually hit in the big leagues.
I do think there are real concerns about his ability to stick at shortstop, however. He's now committed 17 errors at shortstop in 74 games. Last season, he committed 24 errors in 103 games there. To put that in perspective, Jorge Polanco--whose defense has been mediocre this season after a nice start--has committed 11 errors in 76 games at shortstop. As I've mentioned a number of times in this column, errors aren't a great defensive stat, because players with good range get to more balls, and thus are likely to commit more errors. However, Gordon's range, based on the scouting reports I've read, isn't elite. So, if his range is average and he's committing a lot of errors, that suggests some real question marks about his ability to play the position in the big leagues.
Let's say, for argument's sake, that the Twins determine his long-term position is second base. That creates a real dilemma for 2018. Although Gordon projects as an eventual star, Brian Dozier's still probably the better MLB player next season. That is, I think the 2018 Twins would win more games with Dozier as the everyday second baseman than Gordon. So, do they keep Dozier through the last year of his contract in hopes of making a postseason push and watch him walk in free agency? Do they trade Dozier in the offseason and insert a rookie into a starting role on a postseason contender? If Gordon can't play shortstop, there isn't an easy answer for Derek Falvey and Thad Levine.
Daniel Palka, OF, Rochester: After being out nearly two months with a fractured finger, Palka returned to the Red Wings about a week ago. The injury was a tough break for Palka, who saw much of his summer taken away. Overall on the season, he's hitting .264/.324/.444. Those are respectable numbers, but for a bat-first corner outfielder he probably needs to hit a bit more to get a shot in the big leagues. With a career slugging percentage over .500, his track record suggests he will. Outfield is a position of strength for the Twins, with five players--Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Robbie Grossman, and Zack Granite--all making solid cases for getting regular big league at bats. Like Rosario, Kepler and Granite, Palka is also left-handed, so there's not a real platoon opportunity for him in the big leagues right now. The hope for Palka is that he heats up in August and earns a September call-up. There's still a lot to like in his bat.
Engelb Vielma, SS, Rochester: The transition to Triple-A hasn't been kind to Vielma. I was excited about him after he started the year hitting .286/.362/.328 at Double-A Chattanooga, earning a promotion to Rochester. If he could put up anything resembling those numbers, he could be a useful player, because his defense at shortstop is outstanding. While great defense at shortstop is an incredibly valuable skill, you still have to be able to hit a little bit, and Vielma hasn't been able to do that so far in Triple-A. In 224 plate appearances, he's hitting .197/.223/.230. If he's not able to raise those numbers by the end of the year, he could be a candidate to be taken off the 40-man roster in the offseason. I think there's a bit more in the bat than he's shown so far in Rochester, but his track record offensively doesn't really suggest there will be a dramatic turnaround. That's too bad for the Twins, who continue to search for an everyday shortstop with plus defense.