Prospect Roundup: Games of Aug. 15

Twins LHP Stephen Gonsalves, Triple-A Rochester: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 96 pitches, 67 strikes -- The Twins' No. 3 prospect once again found success in his second Triple-A start. After fanning seven and allowing two runs on four hits in seven frames last Thursday against Norfolk, the Red Wings left-hander tossed another quality outing Tuesday with eight punchouts representing his highest at any level since July 19. Gonsalves earned a move to the International League after posting a 2.68 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 96 strikeouts and 23 walks in 87 1/3 innings at Double-A Chattanooga, and it's entirely possible he would've been promoted sooner had a shoulder injury not kept him from making his season debut until May 20. Fully healthy, Gonsalves regularly racks up K's with an above-average fastball and plus changeup. With the Twins only a half game out of a packed American League Wild Card race, they could do worse than giving MLB.com's No. 73 overall prospect a look in September or earlier, especially as he tries to make up for the missed time.

Yankees 2B Nick Solak, Double-A Trenton: 4-for-6, 3B, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, K -- Similarly to Gonsalves, Solak has had little trouble seeing his skills translate to a new level, in this case from Class A Advanced Tampa to Double-A Trenton. The No. 10 Yankees prospect not only set a Double-A high for hits Tuesday, he also achieved his fifth multi-hit game over 12 Eastern League contests. Since being promoted to the Thunder on Aug. 1, the 22-year-old second baseman owns a .327/.352/.538 line with one homer, one triple and six doubles after hitting .301/.397/.460 with 31 extra-base hits over 100 games in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. There's no doubting Solak's hit tool is by far his best, though he's got good speed as well with 14 steals this season. The only knock against the 2016 second-rounder is his defense at second base, though he did play some outfield in college. No matter where he plays the field, it's his bat that'll push him up the chain, and he hasn't disappointed in that department in his first full season.

Rays LHP Brock Burke, Class A Advanced Charlotte: 8 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 12 K -- The Rays' No. 16 prospect was enjoying a breakout season at Class A Bowling Green, where he owned a 1.10 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over 10 starts (57 1/3 innings) before a promotion to Charlotte on June 8. He's found Class A Advanced much more difficult with a 4.80 ERA over the same amount of starts (50 2/3 innings), but perhaps Tuesday's outing was a sign he's turning a corner. His career-high dozen punchouts were more than he'd collected in his last four outings combined, while eight frames marks the longest outing of his four-year Minor League career. The Rays have brought up the 2014 third-rounder slowly with 2017 marking his first year at any full-season level, so some hiccups in the Florida State League are excusable. But the 21-year-old left-hander has shown a plus fastball at times this summer along with solid offerings in his breaking ball and changeup, giving him the stuff to end 2017 as strong as it began.
Reds OF Taylor Trammell, Class A Dayton: 3-for-5, HR, RBI, 2 R, SB -- Listeners to The Show Before the Show podcast will remember last week's episode in which the Reds' No. 3 prospect was asked about when he knew he was so fast. He showed off that blazing speed Tuesday with an inside-the-park homer in the fifth inning of Dayton's 7-5 loss to West Michigan. Trammell also added his 33rd steal of the season, putting him in second place in the Midwest League. But it's not just the 19-year-old left fielder's speed that has stood out in his first full season. Trammell has put up a solid .283/.364/.443 line over 113 games at Class A. That overall package of tools has moved the 2016 second-rounder into the No. 77 spot in MLB.com's overall rankings already.

Padres LHP Mackenzie Gore, Rookie-level AZL Padres: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K -- The No. 3 overall pick in the Draft continues to get stretched out down on the complex as he builds more success as a pro. On Tuesday, Gore tied his July 31 outing for the longest of five Arizona League starts so far and matched his July 24 outing for most strikeouts. The 18-year-old southpaw has struck out 24 and walked only three of the 59 batters he's faced while allowing one earned run on 10 hits over 16 innings. With all four of his pitches considered above-average and his control earning solid marks from MLB.com, Gore has the right skills to hit the ground running in pro ball, and he's done just that.