Right-hander Tony Gonsolin was selected by the Dodgers in the ninth round of the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Saint Mary’s College, a Division I School in Moraga, California.

Gonsolin was born in Vacaville, California and attended high school in Vacaville which is located roughly midway between Sacramento and San Francisco.

Following his graduation from high school Gonsolin made his way to Saint Mary’s College in 2013 with a strong high school reference from the Vacaville High School Bulldogs. As a two-way high school player, he was 4-1 as a pitcher with two saves and posted a 2.60 ERA. In 29.2 innings pitched he gave up only 20 hits and struck out 33. His work on the mound included two complete games, one of them a shutout.

At the plate as an outfielder, he hit .370 with 30 hits, 19 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases. He was named to the All Monticello Empire League team and also named an Optimist Sacramento Area All-Star as well as garnering MVP honors for the South squad in the All-Star game.

Tony Gonsolin
(Photo credit – Tod Fierner)

In spite of his success as a college player in his first three years at Saint Mary’s, and also in summer leagues with the Anchorage Bucs in 2013, the East Texas Bump Jacks in 2014 and the Madison Mallards of the Northwoods League in 2015, he was not drafted.

However, things took on a different look for Tony Gonsolin in his 2015 season with the Madison Mallards of the Northwoods League. The 6’2”-180-pound outfielder earned All-Star honors and well into the season was a threat to win the first Triple Crown in Northwoods League history. That didn’t happen but Gonsolin finished his season with a .316 batting average along with 46 runs batted in and a .913 OPS.

With his all-out style of play and enthusiasm for the game he became a team leader on the Mallards as a 21-year-old. Alec Dopp, reporting for the Mallards Public Relations Department, writes that Gonsolin was the first one to the ball park each day, often seven hours before game time. He was the first to hit the batting cages and the first of his teammates to partake in pre-batting practice cuts. He prepared Donnie Scott’s batting practice equipment at home plate and he shagged balls in the outfield with child-like energy and intensity for his teammates.

Gonsolin gets it. Playing baseball is a serious business with high risk yet high reward. He also gets that it is what you make it. No doubt he could handle the wealth or fame that the game sometimes provides, but more than that he flat out wants to play baseball, wherever that might take him.

“Sometimes this game can get serious, but at the end of the day you have to remind yourself that this is a game and it’s fun – especially playing in front of these fans this year,” said Gonsolin. “For me, I just want to be a baseball player.”

His commitment and enthusiasm were not lost on Madison Mallards team manager Donnie Scott: “You can’t really say enough about this kid,” said Mallards field manager Donnie Scott. “He’s been incredible at the top of the lineup all year. He knows the strike zone and puts a great swing on everything. I think the thing that stands out with him is the work ethic. He’s always one of the first guys in here and last out. I think that says a lot about him.”

Tony Gonsolin explains that his style of play and commitment to the game are the result of two influences.

First, he has patterned his play after former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter who is the type of player he wants to become someday. There was something about the way Jeter took command of the infield that imprinted on Gonsolin. He is inspired by the way Jeter scratched and clawed for everything all the time when as a star player it might have been permissible to take a play off now and then.

“I loved how he played and went about his business,” said Gonsolin of Jeter. “He was definitely a hard worker. He didn’t seem like one of the most talented people out there, but he just got it done and did things the right way. He carried himself well.”

Secondly – from a very early age – his family has played a significant role in helping him develop his love for the game. His grandmother played whiffle ball with him as a toddler, he played ball with his older brother at every opportunity, and his mother is presently his confident and has been his biggest fan.

“He loves baseball and he’s worked very hard to get where he’s at,” said Gonsolin’s mother. “I’ve always taught him to be positive and I’ve tried to be a positive role model for him when things aren’t going his way. If he had a bad day at the plate, we’ll talk on the phone and I’ll tell him to find the positive in it. I think it’s worked for the most part.”

Tony Gonsolin agrees with his mother: “Honestly, I just want to play baseball.”

Gonsolin returned to Saint Mary’s College for his senior year in 2016. With the Gaels he posted a 3.86 ERA in 18 games, including five starts, with 39 strikeouts and 16 walks in 42 innings. He also had a triple slash of .307/.400/.476 with seven home runs, nine doubles and 30 walks in 57 games while playing the outfield when he didn’t pitch.

He did get drafted in the 2016 June Draft and he was selected as a pitcher, not a position player. In reading about his baseball acumen, to me it is a bit surprising that the Dodgers chose to draft him as a pitcher since his energy level seems more suited to that of an everyday player. Perhaps the Dodgers felt that his fastball, which sat between 92-93 mph and topped out at 94 mph, and his upper-70’s curveball were more attractive than his offensive prowess. Perhaps it was his arm that had only 155 innings on it in four years of college ball that was the determining factor.

Gonsolin made his professional debut with the Ogden Raptors of the rookie level Pioneer League on June 20, 2016 against the Orem Owlz. He pitched a perfect inning with two strikeouts. On the season with the Raptors, he pitched 17.1 innings posting a 2.60 ERA along with a WHIP of 0.98. He struck out 15 and walked three.

On August 5 he was promoted to the Class-A Great Lakes Loons and on Saturday, August 6 he made his debut in the Midwest League against the South Bend Cubs. Up against one of the three best team offenses in the Midwest League he gave up three runs on four hits over two innings while striking out one.

The Loons went on to lose the game 5-4 to the Cubs after tying the game at four in the top of the eighth inning. The winning run for the South Bend squad came as a result of a hit batter by right-hander Angel German, followed by three wild pitches.

How much fun would it be to have been able to listen in on Tony Gonsolin’s post-game conversation with his mother? How much fun will it be to see him acclimate to his Great Lakes Loons teammates and fans and see how his mother’s advice works for him in his next outing?