Anthony Robert Gose (; born August 10, 1990) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

in the

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

organization. Originally an outfielder, Gose transitioned from a center fielder to a pitcher, following the 2016 season. He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, Detroit Tigers, and the Cleveland Indians/Guardians.

Early life

Gose attended Bellflower High School in

Bellflower, California Bellflower is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was founded in 1906 and incorporated on September 3, 1957. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 79,190, up ...

. In his senior year, he had a .443

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

, a .618 on-base percentage, and 31 stolen bases for the school's baseball team. He pitched for the team as well, throwing as fast as . Gose also competed in

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

. He ran the

100 100 or one hundred ( Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

and 200 meter races, and the 4 × 100 and 4 × 400 meter relays. He also attended the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California. He received a scholarship to attend the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

to play

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

with the Arizona Wildcats.

Career

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Gose in the second round, with the 51st overall selection, of the

2008 Major League Baseball Draft The 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft continued Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, and was held on June 5 and 6, 2008. First round selections ;Key Supplemental first ro ...

. He opted to sign with the Phillies, forgoing his college scholarship for a $772,000 signing bonus. Playing for the

Lakewood BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locat ...

of the Class A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

(SAL) in 2009, he appeared in the SAL All-Star Game. His 76 stolen bases that season led all of minor league baseball. Gose began the 2010 season with the Clearwater Threshers of the

Class A-Advanced High-A (officially Class High-A, formerly known as Class A-Advanced, and sometimes abbreviated "A+" in writing) is the third-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States and Canada, below Triple-A and Double-A, and abov ...

Florida State League (FSL). He batted .263 with 4 home runs, 20

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the ba ...

(RBIs), 17 doubles, and 11 triples.

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 29, 2010, Gose, along with J. A. Happ and Jonathan Villar, was traded to the Houston Astros in exchange for

Roy Oswalt Roy Edward Oswalt (; born August 29, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Oswalt played for the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Houston Astros. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texa ...

and $12 million. Immediately after, he was traded to the

for first baseman Brett Wallace. The Blue Jays had attempted to acquire Gose from the Phillies before, including in the

Roy Halladay Harry Leroy "Roy" Halladay III (May 14, 1977 – November 7, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies between 1998 and 2013. His nicknam ...

trade. They assigned him to the Dunedin Blue Jays of the FSL. Gose was ranked by

MLB.com MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports column ...

in 2011 as the Blue Jays fifth-best prospect in the organization. In 2011, he played for the

New Hampshire Fisher Cats The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a Minor League Baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major league club. During the team's first seaso ...

of the Double-A Eastern League (EL). The Fisher Cats were EL champions and Gose scored the winning run in the championship game. He broke Darin Mastroianni's record for stolen bases in one season, finishing with 70 stolen bases and getting caught 15 times. He also hit 15 home runs. During the 2011–12 offseason, he played in the

Venezuelan Winter League The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League or Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional (LVBP) is the professional baseball league in Venezuela. The league's champion takes part in the Caribbean Series each year. History Early years Baseball exp ...

, batting .182 in 18 games. Prior to the 2012 season, he was ranked as the 39th-best prospect in baseball. Gose started the 2012 season with the Las Vegas 51s of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He was named to appear in the 2012 All-Star Futures Game. In Triple-A in 2012, Gose had a .286 average with 5 home runs, 21 doubles, 10 triples, and 43 runs batted in. Gose played in 106 games in the 2013 season with the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen ...

in the International League, finishing with a .239 average, 3 home runs, and 27 RBIs in 393 at bats, along with 22 stolen bases in 35 attempts.

Major league career

On July 17, 2012, Gose was called up to the Blue Jays to replace the injured

José Bautista José Antonio Bautista Santos (born October 19, 1980), nicknamed "Joey Bats", is a Dominican special advisor for the general manager of the Leones del Escogido and former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman. He played in Majo ...

. Gose made his MLB debut that day, against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

. Gose collected his first Major League hit on a bunt single in the ninth inning off Clay Rapada. Gose made his first Major League start on July 18, playing right field and batting leadoff, going 0-for-3 with 2 strikeouts. Gose was returned to Triple-A on August 25 when

Brandon Morrow Brandon John Morrow (born July 26, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Amateu ...

returned from the disabled list. Gose was recalled by the Jays on September 4 when major league rosters expanded, and the Triple-A season ended. In a game on September 8, against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

, Gose hit his first career home run, a three-run shot off reliever Andrew Bailey. Gose played in 56 games in the 2012 season, finishing with a .223 average, 1 home run, and 11 RBIs in 166 at bats, along with 15 stolen bases. Gose was optioned to the Blue Jays' new Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons on March 25, 2013. He was recalled by the Blue Jays on May 20. Mickey Storey was optioned to make room on the 25-man roster for Gose. Gose was optioned back to the Bisons on June 6. He was recalled on August 16. Gose played in 52 games in the 2013 season, finishing with a .259 average, .283 on base percentage, 2 home runs, and 12 RBIs in 147 at bats, along with 4 stolen bases in 7 attempts. Gose was optioned to the Bisons on March 24, 2014. Gose was up and down between Buffalo and Toronto for much of the 2014 season. After hitting .234 with one home run and 14 stolen bases with the big league team, Gose was optioned back to Buffalo on August 15 to make room for the returning

Edwin Encarnación Edwin Elpidio Encarnación (born January 7, 1983) is a Dominican former professional baseball designated hitter, third baseman and first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland ...

. He was brought back to the Blue Jays on September 1, as part of the September roster expansion.

Detroit Tigers

On November 12, 2014, Gose was traded to the Detroit Tigers for second baseman Devon Travis. In the 2015 season, he served as the Tigers primary centerfielder, playing in 140 games, and hit .254 with 23 stolen bases. On May 16, 2016, Gose was optioned to the Triple-A

Toledo Mud Hens The Toledo Mud Hens are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Toledo, Ohio, and play their home games at Fifth Third Field. A Mud Hens team has played in ...

. Prior to being sent down, Gose batted .209 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 30 games for Detroit. Anthony Gose on July 31, 2015

On July 9, 2016, Gose engaged in a dugout incident with Triple-A manager

Lloyd McClendon Lloyd Glenn McClendon (born January 11, 1959) is an American former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1987 to 1994 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners and the ...

. During the first game of a doubleheader, McClendon appeared to be giving "constructive criticism" to Gose, who responded in a negative fashion to these comments and allegedly swore at his manager. Gose was promptly sent home and did not play the remainder of the first game nor any of the second game. On July 10, 2016, Gose refused to show up for the game and had cleared out his locker. On July 13, 2016, the Tigers decided they would demote Gose to their Double-A affiliate following a three-day suspension. "After collectively evaluating the situation in Toledo, we spoke with Anthony and emphasized our organization's expectations of him," said Tigers general manager Al Avila. "Most importantly, Anthony's transfer to Erie is a move to give him a fresh start to his overall performance as he works his way back to Detroit." The Tigers designated Gose for assignment on January 18, 2017, to make room for Mikie Mahtook on the roster. On January 25, 2017, Gose cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Triple-A

. On March 26, 2017, after sending Gose down to minor league camp, the Tigers announced that they would try to convert him into a pitcher after he came to them with the idea. Gose made his pitching debut on May 22 with the

Lakeland Flying Tigers The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. They are located in Lakeland, Florida, and play their home games at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. H ...

of the FSL, pitching an inning and reaching . He elected free agency on November 6, 2017.

Texas Rangers

On November 30, 2017, Gose signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. Two weeks later on December 14, the Houston Astros selected Gose in the Rule 5 draft. On March 5, 2018, Gose was placed on outright waivers by the Astros who then returned him to the Rangers, where he was assigned to Triple-A. He declared free agency on October 5, 2018.

Cleveland Indians / Guardians

On December 8, 2018, Gose signed a minor-league contract with the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

. Gose was invited to Spring Training for 2020. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020. Gose signed a minor league deal with the Indians on November 17, 2020; the deal included an invitation to the Indians' 2021 major league spring training camp. Gose was assigned to the Indians’ taxi squad to begin the 2021 season. The Indians selected Gose's contract on September 20, 2021. Gose was designated for assignment on November 15, 2022. The Guardians declined to tender Gose a contract for the 2023 season by the non-tender deadline of November 18, 2022; Gose subsequently became a free agent. On December 1, 2022, the Guardians re-signed Gose to a two-year minor league contract while he recovers from

Tommy John Thomas Edward John Jr. (born May 22, 1943), nicknamed "The Bionic Man," is an American retired professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 26 seasons between 1963 and 1989. He played for the Cleveland Indians, ...

surgery on his left elbow; the deal includes an invitation to the Guardians' 2023 major league spring training camp.

International career

In May 2021, Gose was named to the roster of the

United States national baseball team The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball t ...

for qualifying for baseball at the 2020 Summer Olympics. After the team qualified, he was named to the Olympics roster on July 2. The team went on to win silver, falling to Japan in the gold-medal game.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gose, Anthony 1990 births Living people African-American baseball players Akron RubberDucks players American expatriate baseball players in Canada Atenienses de Manatí (baseball) players Baseball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Clearwater Threshers players Cleveland Guardians players Cleveland Indians players Detroit Tigers players Down East Wood Ducks players Dunedin Blue Jays players Erie SeaWolves players Frisco RoughRiders players Florida Complex League Phillies players Lakewood BlueClaws players Las Vegas 51s players Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente outfielders Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente pitchers Lynchburg Hillcats players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball pitchers New Hampshire Fisher Cats players People from Bellflower, California Phoenix Desert Dogs players Tiburones de La Guaira players American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela Tigres de Aragua players Toledo Mud Hens players Toronto Blue Jays players United States national baseball team players Olympic baseball players of the United States Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in baseball Columbus Clippers players Lakeland Flying Tigers players Toros del Este players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic 21st-century African-American sportspeople