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Stephen Gonsalves, a former Top-100 pitching prospect in MLB whose career included stops with the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox, has retired after 11 professional seasons.
The 32-year-old left-hander announced on Instagram that his Aug. 2 start for the Conspiradores de Querétaro in the Mexican League was the final appearance of his career. Gonsalves finished with 1,001 professional strikeouts after pitching in five major league organizations and spending the final two seasons of his career in Mexico.
MORE: Former All-Star, World Series MVP cut immediately after MLB trade deadline
A San Diego native, Gonsalves was selected by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of Cathedral Catholic High School. He steadily climbed Minnesota’s farm system and entered the 2018 season as one of baseball’s Top-100 prospects before making his major league debut later that year.
Gonsalves appeared in seven games, including four starts, for the Twins in 2018, going 2-2 with a 6.57 ERA. His debut season hinted at the command issues that ultimately stalled his career, as he walked 22 batters while striking out 16 across 24.2 innings.
MORE: All-Star will return to Pirates, officially retire from MLB at 39
After bouncing through waivers and brief stops with the New York Mets and Red Sox organizations, Gonsalves returned to the majors in 2021. He made three relief appearances for Boston, allowing two runs over 4.1 innings. Those outings proved to be the final major league appearances of his career.
Gonsalves continued pitching in affiliated baseball for several more seasons. He signed with the Dodgers on a minor league contract before the 2024 season, appeared in four Cactus League games, then spent the first two months of the year at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
MORE: MLB agent Scott Boras doesn’t plan to retire until after he turns 100
Although he limited Pacific Coast League hitters to a .219 batting average and struck out more than a batter per inning, persistent control problems led to his release in May.
He finished the 2024 season with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque before heading to the Mexican League, where he made 23 appearances this year. His final outing closed the book on a professional career that spanned more than a decade and ended with a milestone few pitchers ever reach: 1,001 career strikeouts.
“From watching you debut at Target field to holding our son watching you pitch at Fenway, seeing all of your hard work pay off was truly the experience of a lifetime,” his wife, Hali, wrote on Instagram.
— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —
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The 32-year-old left-hander announced on Instagram that his Aug. 2 start for the Conspiradores de Querétaro in the Mexican League was the final appearance of his career. Gonsalves finished with 1,001 professional strikeouts after pitching in five major league organizations and spending the final two seasons of his career in Mexico.
MORE: Former All-Star, World Series MVP cut immediately after MLB trade deadline
A San Diego native, Gonsalves was selected by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of Cathedral Catholic High School. He steadily climbed Minnesota’s farm system and entered the 2018 season as one of baseball’s Top-100 prospects before making his major league debut later that year.
Gonsalves appeared in seven games, including four starts, for the Twins in 2018, going 2-2 with a 6.57 ERA. His debut season hinted at the command issues that ultimately stalled his career, as he walked 22 batters while striking out 16 across 24.2 innings.
MORE: All-Star will return to Pirates, officially retire from MLB at 39
After bouncing through waivers and brief stops with the New York Mets and Red Sox organizations, Gonsalves returned to the majors in 2021. He made three relief appearances for Boston, allowing two runs over 4.1 innings. Those outings proved to be the final major league appearances of his career.
Gonsalves continued pitching in affiliated baseball for several more seasons. He signed with the Dodgers on a minor league contract before the 2024 season, appeared in four Cactus League games, then spent the first two months of the year at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
MORE: MLB agent Scott Boras doesn’t plan to retire until after he turns 100
Although he limited Pacific Coast League hitters to a .219 batting average and struck out more than a batter per inning, persistent control problems led to his release in May.
He finished the 2024 season with the Rockies’ Triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque before heading to the Mexican League, where he made 23 appearances this year. His final outing closed the book on a professional career that spanned more than a decade and ended with a milestone few pitchers ever reach: 1,001 career strikeouts.
“From watching you debut at Target field to holding our son watching you pitch at Fenway, seeing all of your hard work pay off was truly the experience of a lifetime,” his wife, Hali, wrote on Instagram.
— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —
Continue reading...
