Former Blue Jay Anthony Gose Returns to MLB as Pitcher
It's been a long road back for Anthony Gose.
The former Toronto Blue Jay hasn't played in the Major Leagues since 2016, but five years later he'll return to the highest level. The former outfielder has been promoted by the Cleveland Indians, MLB Network's Jon Morosi reports, but will return to the bigs as a left-handed reliever.
Gose appeared in 202 games across three seasons for the Blue Jays before he was traded for infielder Devon Travis. As an outfielder with Toronto, Gose hit .234 with a .301 on-base percentage, driving in 36 runs from 2012 through 2014. After 170 games with the Detroit Tigers, and five total MLB seasons with a .656 OPS, Gose decided to convert to a pitcher.
“Our people saw (Gose) throw in high school,” former Tigers pitching coach Rich Dubee told the Detroit Free Press at the time. “And I guess he was a real interesting kid but didn’t want to pitch back then.”
Great story: LHP Anthony Gose is being called up to @MLB by Cleveland, source confirms @indiansPro report. Gose, 31, last appeared in the majors as a @Tigers outfielder on May 15, 2016. Congratulations to Anthony. What a journey. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) September 20, 2021
In the four seasons since his last MLB action, Gose has pitched out of the bullpen for six minor-league teams across three organizations. Latching on with Cleveland in 2019 and 2021, Gose owns a 3.55 ERA in 33 innings pitched for the Indians triple-A affiliate this year. The lefty also pitched for the United States Olympic baseball team at Tokyo 2020, pitching 5.1 innings of relief, allowing no runs, and earning a silver medal alongside the rest of the USA squad.
Gose owns a high-90s fastball that can reach triple-digits with slider, change-up, and curveball secondary offerings.
“It’s easy to dream,” Terry Francona told The Athletic earlier this year. “The kid’s got such a big arm.”
H/T Detroit Free Press, Jon Morosi, and Zack Meisel
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon