Minnesota Twins: Minor League June Recap
Among the Minnesota Twins minor league affiliate’s success in June, a number of players performed spectacularly. Here’s a recap of those players that dazzled.
It was quite the month for the Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates.
Rochester cruised to 19-11 record in June thanks to winning streaks of seven and five games. Chattanooga secured a playoff spot by finishing atop the Southern League North division. Cedar Rapids clinched a playoff spot as well, finishing a game and a half behind the division leader. Meanwhile, Fort Myers sits a half game behind the division leader to start the second half of its season.
Along with the teams’ success, a handful of minor leaguers played at a premier level. Here’s a recap of the players who stood out:
Stephen Gonsalves
Stephen Gonsalves pitched brilliantly in June, winning four of five starts. He struck out 38 batters in 31 innings while walking just eight, and he kept opponents to a .177 batting average.
Last season, Gonsalves made 11 starts with Fort Myers before the Twins promoted him to double-A Chattanooga. As the Twins No. 2 prospect, Gonsalves is steadily climbing the ranks. He should get a chance to pitch in Triple-A after the All-Star break.
Jermaine Palacios
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Jermaine Palacios continued his “breakout” season without missing a beat in June. Between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers, he slashed .353/.391/.565. He also scored 21 runs in 20 games. On the defensive side of the ball, he committed just one error at shortstop.
The Twins promoted Palacios to Fort Myers in late June due to his red-hot season. He’s having a season at the plate reminiscent of Luis Arraez’s 2016 season in which Arraez slashed .347/.386/.444 and drove in 66 RBIs.
Nick Gordon
As the top prospect in the Twins farm system, Nick Gordon showed why in June. He slashed .313/.382/.465 in 22 games. The hottest portion of his month was June 5 to June 18 when he owned a 12-game hit streak. During that streak, he collected 23 hits and drove in 15 runs.
Gordon will be a part of the 2017 Futures All-Star game. He is the only Twins representative and will attempt to perform better than J.T. Chargois did in last year’s Futures game in which Chargois allowed three runs without recording an out.
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Zach Granite
After a slow start in May, Zach Granite went absolutely bonkers in June. He slashed .470/.527/.667 in 29 games. He owned a 16/14 K/BB ratio and stole eight bases.
Granite is on the 40-man roster and will definitely make a big league appearance this season. When that will be is the question. If there is an injury to an outfielder, Granite should be the one that gets the call to join the Twins. No doubt, his production in June put him atop the minor league radar.