The Chattanooga Lookouts will begin their 2016 season with a slew of experienced Double-A pitchers and with a trio of touted pitching prospects just a phone call away.
Three of Baseball America’s top 10 prospects in the Minnesota Twins organization – Kohl Stewart, Tyler Jay and Stephen Gonsalves – are returning to the mound of the Fort Myers Miracle in the high Single-A Florida State League. Minnesota’s highest-ranked pitching prospect, Jose Berrios, went 8-3 with a 3.08 earned run average in 15 starts for the Lookouts a year ago before getting promoted to Triple-A Rochester (N.Y.), which is where he will start this year after going 6-2 with a 2.62 ERA there in 12 starts late last season.
Stewart is rated the No. 8 organizational prospect after going 7-8 with a 3.20 ERA last season in 22 starts with Fort Myers. He was Minnesota’s first-round pick (fourth overall) in the 2013 draft out of St. Pius X High School in Houston.
“Kohl had a nice second half last year in terms of development,” Twins player development director Brad Steil said, “but our take is that he’s not quite ready for Double-A yet. We hope at some point this season that he’ll be ready to move.”
Jay is the No. 5 prospect with the Twins, who selected him in the first round (sixth overall) of last June’s draft out of the University of Illinois. In 19 relief appearances with the Miracle, he went 0-1 with a 3.93 ERA, recording 22 strikeouts in 18 innings.
“Tyler is making the transition from reliever to starter,” Steil said, “and it’s probably going to take a little time for him to make that adjustment.”
Gonsalves is Minnesota’s No. 9 prospect after going 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 15 starts last season with the Miracle.
The only Baseball America top-10 organizational prospect starting out with this season’s Lookouts is reliever Nick Burdi, who is ranked No. 10. Burdi began last season with the Lookouts but struggled and was sent down to Fort Myers before returning to Chattanooga and finishing out the year.
In 30 appearances with the Lookouts, Burdi went 3-4 with a 4.53 ERA, racking up 54 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched.
The Lookouts will hold their media day this afternoon before playing their annual exhibition game at 6:05 against Chattanooga State. The Lookouts open Southern League play Thursday night in Biloxi, Miss., with their league home opener set for April 12 against Jackson.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.