Twins prospect Kirilloff an extra-base hit machine
The Minnesota Twins are reshaping their franchise with an injection of youth and prospects.
Every Thursday for the rest of the season, FOX Sports North will take a closer look at some specific young players in Minnesota's farm system — as well as noting others who might be stepping up — measuring, highlighting and evaluating their progress.
This is the second edition of the 2018 Young Twins Tracker.
Stephen Gonsalves (age 23/Triple-A)
Last week: 1 game (1 start), 0-1, 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 3 BB, 2 K
Season (Triple-A): 3 games (3 starts), 2-1, 2.72 ERA, 16 IP, 8 H, 2 HR, 5 BB, 16 K, .158 OBA, 0.81 WHIP
Season (Double-A): 4 games (4 starts), 3-0, 1.77 ERA, 20 1/3 IP, 11 H, 2 HR, 10 BB, 25 K, .167 OBA, 1.03 WHIP
Notable: Gonsalves' ERA jumped all the way from 1.30 to 2.72 following the first rough outing of his Triple-A career. He struggled Friday against Scranton Wilkes-Barre, walking three and allowing six runs in just 1 2/3 innings.
Nick Gordon (age 22/Double-A)
Last week: 6 games, 23 AB, 8 H, 1 2B, 0 HR, 5 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 3 BB, 5 K, .348 BA
Season: 37 games, 141 AB, .340 BA, .386 OBP, .511 SLG, .897 OPS, 9 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 19 R, 18 RBI, 5 SB, 10 BB, 25 K
Notable: Gordon's seven game hit streak came to an end Tuesday. He's hitting .340 on the season -- fifth in the Southern League -- and seems destined for a promotion to Triple-A soon after tearing it up in Double-A last year.
Tyler Jay (age 24/Double-A)
Last week: 2 games (0 starts), 1-0, 3 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K
Season: 7 games, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 12 1/3 IP, 11 H, 0 HR, 5 BB, 9 K, .234 OBA, 1.30 WHIP
Notable: After missing most of 2017 due to injuries, Jay, Minnesota's first-round pick in 2015, was sidelined for a couple of weeks in April due to a groin strain. He allowed his first runs of the season last week, giving up two in a 1 2/3-inning relief appearance, then allowed three hits in 1 2/3 innings in the follow-up, but didn't give up a run.
Alex Kirilloff (age 20/High-A)
Last week: 6 games, 21 AB, 7 H, 1 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 5 R, 3 RBI, 0 SB, 2 BB, 6 K, .333 BA
Season: 32 games, 128 AB, .305 BA, .353 OBP, .594 SLG, .946 OPS, 13 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 19 R, 29 RBI, 0 SB, 9 BB, 28 K
Notable: Minnesota's top pick in 2016 is back after missing all of 2017 following Tommy John surgery on his left elbow. Kirilloff ranks fourth in the Midwest League with a .594 slugging percentage and hit his first three triples of the season last week. He had a 13-game extra-base hit streak snapped Wednesday, when he went 0-for-3 in a seven-inning game. Per MLB Pipeline, just two players have had streaks of longer than 12 games at the major-league level.
Royce Lewis (age 18/High-A)
Last week: 6 games, 20 AB, 3 H, 2 2B, 0 HR, 2 R, 0 RBI, 2 SB, 4 BB, 5 K, .150 BA
Season: 26 games, 103 AB, .330 BA, .389 OBP, .398 SLG, .787 OPS, 4 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 16 R, 12 RBI, 12 SB, 10 BB, 15 K
Notable: Lewis' batting average fell from .356 to .330 after a tough week at the plate. That's still good enough for eighth in the Midwest League.
Brent Rooker (age 23/Double-A)
Last week: 7 games, 31 AB, 10 H, 2 2B, 3 HR, 7 R, 12 RBI, 0 SB, 0 BB, 7 K, .323 BA
Season: 36 games, 139 AB, .245 BA, .282 OBP, .396 SLG, .678 OPS, 7 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 15 R, 19 RBI, 1 SB, 6 BB, 42 K
Notable: Last year's first-round (compensatory) pick is making his debut in Double-A after hitting .281/.364/.566 combined in 2017 at Elizabethton and Fort Myers. He's on an eight-game hit streak, and has driven in eight runs in his last four games.
LaMonte Wade (age 24/Double-A)
Last week: 7 games, 28 AB, 10 H, 0 2B, 1 HR, 7 R, 6 RBI, 1 SB, 6 BB, 3 K, .357 BA
Season: 35 games, 128 AB, .305 BA, .408 OBP, .438 SLG, .845 OPS, 0 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 22 R, 18 RBI, 4 SB, 21 BB, 13 K
Notable: Wade was feeling it last week. He had one of the Southern League's hottest bats last week, hitting .357 to lead the Lookouts and registering four multi-hit games. His on-base percentage is up to .408, which ranks seventh in the Southern League.
Others: Red Wings RF Jake Cave's bat is heating up after an inconsistent start. He led the team with a .368 average in 19 at-bats last week. … Seven players hit .300 or better for Double-A Chattanooga last week: Wade, Gordon, Rooker, 2B Alex Perez, LF Zander Wiel, 3B Chris Paul and RF Edgar Corcino. … Red Wings RHP Zack Little allowed just two hits and one run in six innings Friday in his seven start, bringing his ERA down to 4.11 on the season.
Statistics courtesy milb.com and STATS
