No, Tony Gonsolin has not changed his name; it remains Anthony D. Gonsolin. But after being selected by Baseball America (BA) as their Major League Baseball rookie of the year (ROY) for the 2020 regular season, it is likely that his teammates have good-naturedly nicknamed Roy. And, today he is World Champion, ROY Gonsolin. What a remarkable year for this young man.

On Sunday, October 25, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts named Gonsolin the team’s starting pitcher for Game-6 of the 2020 World Series. Seventy-two hours later, he is being congratulated for being BA’s ROY, and MLB World Series Champion. What a thrilling, memorable year for the 26-year old right-handed pitcher from Vacaville, California. Not bad for a four-year college (St. Marys) player selected by the Dodgers in the ninth round of the 2016 first-year entry draft.

After signing with the Dodgers for $2,500.00 – that is not a typo – Gonsolin was steady in his first two minor league seasons, splitting time between the Ogden Raptors rookie-level team, the Low-A Great Lakes Loons, and High-A Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. Then, in spring training 2017, veteran pitcher Joel Peralta taught him how to throw a split-fingered change of pace, a pitch that he has since refined to an above-average major league quality.

Tony was pushing hard in spring training 2020 for a spot on the Dodgers opening day roster, winning three times and holding opposing hitters to a .150 batting average. Then came the global pandemic shutdown. MLB did not restart organized baseball activities until summer camps opened in July, but Gonsolin was delayed due to a positive COVID-19 test result and a period of personal quarantine.

When the 2020 regular season began, Tony was not on the Dodgers active roster. Instead, he was left behind to buildup arm strength at the University of Southern California baseball facility, the team’s alternative training site. His first appearance for the team was not until July 31 when he was the starting pitcher at Chase Field Arizona against the NL rival Arizona Diamondbacks. In his four innings of work, he shutout the Dbacks hitters, allowing only 1 hit. He went on to pitch 16.2 innings without allowing an earned run, and over the course of the season pitched to a 2.31 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, a strikeout-to-walk ratio 6.57, and holding opposing hitters to a .193/.229/.289 slash-line.

Statistically, Gonsolin did not have a great postseason tournament in 2020, but in the words of future Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw: “We won the World Series. I don’t care about legacy, I don’t care about what happened last year,” he said. “I don’t care at all. We won the World Series. The 2020 Dodgers won the World Series. Who cares about all that other stuff? It’s just pointless, doesn’t matter. We won. It’s great.”

Congrats to World Champion ROY (Anthony D.) Gonsolin!

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