You can never predict a Major League Baseball player’s career. I used those exact words a week ago when talking about Harry Ford and his unique achievements in a very short amount of time. Some players are doing it on the mound now, but 19 seasons ago no one could have predicted it.
READ: Catcher Harry Ford Has First Two-Walk, Two-RBI Game With Washington Nationals Against LA Dodgers
Outfielder Anthony Gose Reinvents Himself As A Pitcher
Anthony Gose of the Kansas City Royals was chosen No.51 overall in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies and has since redefined himself as a pitcher after playing the outfield to start his professional career.
Gose Impressed As Speedy Minor League Outfielder In Mid 2000’s
Gose was impressive in 2009 as he not only played all three outfield positions but led all of minor league baseball with 76 stolen bases for the Lakewood Blue Claws, the Phillies Low-A affiliate. Trades are part of baseball, and Gose found himself in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He continued to show off his speed with 70 stolen bases for the Eastern League Champion New Hampshire Fisher Cats in 2011 at the Double-A level.
He found consistency at the plate at the Triple-A level and earned a midseason call-up to Toronto as his outfield versatility allowed him to play in 56 big league games in 2012. Gose rode the proverbial Triple-A shuttle back and forth the next two seasons, going between Toronto and Buffalo before being traded to the Detroit Tigers. Playing in the Motor City is where his career began to shift.
It seemed he would be their regular center fielder for a long time after a full season in Detroit in 2015, but a slow start to the 2016 season led him back down to Triple-AA Toledo, and he unfortunately clashed with MLB manager Lloyd McClendon, who at the time was the skipper for the Mud Hens. No longer looked at as a player who could help their immediate need,s Gose made a decision that ultimately saved his career. He became a pitcher in 2017 at the low levels of the minor leagues.
Classic MLBbro Playoff Moment | Lloyd McClendon Went HAM For the Pirates In 1992
Pitching wasn’t totally new to the California native, ve but it was something he hadn’t done since high school. He was taken seriously as he was able to deliver pitches as hard as 99 Miles Per Hour. In signing with the Rangers organization, I know he was able to get on the mound regularly but wasn’t dominant,nant as it takes a while to get used to getting professional hitters out.
The Guardians organization took a look at him, and he delivered 35 strikeouts in 29 innings in 201,9 but COVID slowed his momentum in 2020.
After an exemplary showing in the Olympics, Gose finally got the big league call (again) in September and finished the season with a 1.35 E.R.A . 2022 was typical for Gose, with a 3-0 record to finish the season, but Tommy surgery ended that year and all of 2023 for the southpaw. The ups and downs truly continued.
There is no stopping Gose, as he has now pitched for four Triple-AA teams as well as serving a stint in the Mexican League. The Royals brought him up on August 27, and in eight relief appearances totaling almost eight innings, he has yet to allow an earned run. Gose always had a strong left arm; it’s just not in center field anymore. In a draft that saw guys such as Buster Posey,
Eric Hosmer, and MLBbro Aaron Hicks selected ahead of him, who would have thought that Gose would outlast them all as a pitcher?
