Gonsalves out to prove his doubters wrong

CEDAR RAPIDS – It's not like Stephen Gonsalves is hurting for money.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels pitcher got a signing bonus of $700,000 last year when he agreed to terms on a contract with the parent Minnesota Twins. That was well-above slot money for a guy taken in the fourth round.

But there is a part of him that always will play the 'What if?” card. He almost has to.

What if he wouldn't have tried to cover for teammates at an out-of-state all-star tournament last year? Those teammates smoked marijuana , Gonsalves lied to his high-school dean about that and ended up being suspended for eight games of his senior season.

As a result, he sank like a stone in the draft.

'That is one of my top motivators,” the 20-year-old from San Diego said Friday night, after his seven shutout innings helped the Kernels to a 11-0 win over Peoria at Veterans Memorial Stadium. 'Everyone dropping me from their radar definitely pissed me off a lot. Just having to sit there watching on draft day and not getting one call. But I'm very happy with where I am today, being with the Twins. I couldn't be happier.”

The 6-foot-5 lefty oozes upside, with a fastball that tops out at 90 miles per hour but promises to increase as his body matures. Kernels Manager Jake Mauer believes Gonsalves will pitch at 92 to 93 by the time it's all said and done.

Add a good breaking ball and improving changeup, and the makings are there for a big league starting pitcher. Gonsalves (2-2) gave up just three hits in his longest pro start, didn't walk anyone and struck out five.

The Kernels (63-60, 32-21) moved five games up on Peoria for a playoff spot in the Midwest League's Western Division, with 17 left in the regular season.

'He was in command all the way,” Mauer said. 'He kept the ball down, had a good breaking ball, his changeup has gotten a lot better. The biggest thing was when we got the lead, he just attacked. That's what you want from your starting pitcher.”

Gonsalves joined the Kernels from Rookie ball last month and is being limited to around 85 pitches a start, per orders from the Twins. There hasn't been one issue with him character wise since he turned pro.

'My parents told me I did the right thing,” he said. 'Never give up your friends. It cost me some money, but whatever. My plan is to make it in the long run. Make the Twins pay more a little bit later in (my) life.”

Cedar Rapids battered Peoria starter Blake McKnight to the tune of 12 hits and eight runs in 3 ½ innings. Chad Christensen led the way with three hits, while newcomer Jonatan Hinojosa added a double, triple and four RBIs.

Hinojosa's not actually a newcomer. He played one game for the Kernels early in the season, then was suspended 50 games for violating Major League Baseball's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. He was promoted last week from Rookie-level Elizabethton.

The teams play again Saturday night at 6:35.

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