Twins Arizona Fall League update

The Surprise Saguaros (which is a type of Cactus in-case you were wondering) have played 31 games as of this writing and are 19-11-1 because ties are a thing in Baseball when no one actually cares about standings. They’ve also clinched their division, for what that’s worth. How much have the Twins additions to the team helped out? Let’s find out.

Mitch Garver C

Garver’s hitting hasn’t been terrible, and he has shown some pop, but the drop he would see in the MLB makes him very marginal indeed. He’s also been striking out once every 3.7 ABs. His defense has been improving though, so given his age (25) and proximity to the Majors, he seems like a solid candidate for backup catcher (behind Jason Castro?), or even starter next season because this is the Twins we are talking about. He also has the same middle name as my sister, so that’s cool. Mitchell Lynn Garver should compete for a roster spot this spring.

Nick Gordon SS

Probable #1 Twins prospect Nick Gordon continues to look like the shortstop of the future for the Twins. He’s hit for a high average with absolutely no power, whilst playing solid defense at short. He’ll need to work on not striking out so much, but everything still points at him being at least a solid everyday player in the future.

Tanner English OF

The 23 year old English hasn’t hit well this AFL season. He hasn’t hit well at all. A glance at the stat line shows that he’s bringing almost nothing to the plate. He’s a good outfielder, with actual real speed to play actual real center-field defense. What do you all think, is there a chance he hits well enough in the MLB to be a 4th or 5th outfielder/pinch runner type player? I’m not so sure myself.

Stephen Gonsalves LHP

Our first pitchman of the update is Stephen Gonsalves, probable #2 Twins prospect (But only YOU the voters can decide that. Later, or whatever.) Note about AFL pitching stats: Each team carries about 4 babillindy pitchers, so the sample sizes are even smaller than the normal small of the AFL.

Well, After a strong 2016 in Fort Myers, Gonsalves must not have had much left in the tank. In his first start he gave up 3 1 run in 3 innings, which isn’t too shabby. His second start didn’t go great, as he gave up 2 runs in two innings. His latest start though is the reason his stats look awful. He gave up 4 runs before being pulled with an out left in the first. That’ll do it. 3 of his 4 walks were also in that game. Hopefully he can finish his AFL season strong.

So while that statline might make alarms ring in your brain, obviously 3 starts mean very little and while I’m sure he’s disappointed in himself, we shouldn’t let this hurt his stock.

Edit: I somehow missed that he had missed most of his AFL season with an injury, only recently coming back. Thanks to community member roger13 for the heads up. #FIRETAWNY

Randy Rosario LHP

As a reliever, Rosario gives us a bit more innings to work with. He hasn’t done all too well, but his ERA isn’t helped by a few bad outings, including his last in which he gave up two runs in .2 innings after walking two batters.

Mason Melotakis LHP

Melotakis is a guy whom, despite pitching in AA all year, could soon be knocking on the MLB team’s door. His AFL stint very much helps his case, as he’s given up a mere 1 run with over 1 K per inning and only a single walk. He’s done an extremely good job of keeping the ball on the ground when he isn’t missing bats, which is a good thing. Yay good pitching!

John Curtiss RHP

The lone righty thrower the Twins sent to the AFL is John Curtiss. I actually didn’t know this guy existed until right now. He had a solid year pitching in relief in AA, and his AFL stats so far have been middling. However he has shown decent control and has done well with the strikeouts. We like strikeouts!

We’ll be back with a more in depth look when the season (and playoffs) end in a few weeks!