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Anthony Gose

Post-Tommy John Players That Could Impact 2023

By Darragh McDonald | January 17, 2023 at 11:59pm CDT

News items about Tommy John surgeries are fairly commonplace in baseball circles, but there’s no doubting it’s a significant event for the impacted player. It usually takes over a year to return to form, with a multi-stage rehabilitation process required to regain functionality.

Once a player gets back into game shape, there’s no guarantee the results will be the same. Justin Verlander looked just as good as ever in 2022, but Mike Clevinger didn’t get his velocity all the way back and saw his strikeout rate dip. He could still take another step forward in 2023 now that he’s another year removed from the procedure, but it goes to show that there are no guarantees about what happens in the aftermath.

Here are some players who went under the knife over the past year or so and who will be looking for good progress in 2023, both for their teams and themselves. Huge shoutout to the Tommy John Surgery list for having these details and so much more.

Forrest Whitley, Astros — Surgery Date: March 2021

Whitley, 25, was once considered one of the best pitching prospects in baseball, but his progress has been stalled by various factors. He missed 50 games in 2018 due to a drug suspension, and injuries have hampered him in the years since. He returned from his layoff late last year and tossed 40 innings in the minors but walked 14.5% of batters faced. The Astros already have a great rotation without him, but if Whitley could get back to the form that made him such a hyped prospect, they would be even more loaded.

Kirby Yates, Braves — March 2021

Yates, 36 in March, was one of the best relievers in the league in 2018 and 2019, arguably the best. He posted a 1.67 ERA over 125 games, striking out 38.7% of batters faced, walking just 6.1% of them and getting grounders on 45.2% of balls in play. Since then, however, he’s thrown just 11 1/3 innings. Seven of those came late in the 2022  season, though Yates gave up four runs on six hits and five walks in seven innings. This will be his first full season back. The Braves have a strong bullpen even if Yates can’t get back to peak form, but they’ll likely be in a tight division race and that kind of elite stuff would provide a nice boost.

José Leclerc and Jonathan Hernández, Rangers — March and April 2021, respectively

Leclerc, 29, seemed to be establishing himself as an excellent reliever in 2018. He got into 59 games for the Rangers and posted a 1.56 ERA, getting 12 saves and 15 holds in the process. A .211 BABIP surely helped, but there was a lot to like. He took a step back in 2019 with a 4.33 ERA and then missed most of the following two years. Leclerc returned in June of last year and struggled at first before posting a 2.01 ERA from July onwards. Hernández had a 2.90 ERA in 2020 before missing the 2021 campaign. He returned last year and posted a 2.97 ERA, but with concerning peripherals. His 6.4% walk rate from the former campaign jumped to 13% while his strikeout rate fell from 24.8% to 20.6%. On the more encouraging side, his ground ball rate went from 45.7% to 62.4%. The Rangers totally overhauled their rotation without doing much to the bullpen, but they could potentially get a boost from within if Leclerc and/or Hernández look good this year.

Adrián Morejón, Padres — April 2021

Once considered a top pitching prospect, Morejón, 24 next month, has been slowed by various injuries. He returned in 2022 but worked only in relief, tossing 34 innings in the majors and 13 1/3 in the minors. The Padres have some uncertainty in the back of their rotation that Morejón could help with if he stays healthy, but he’ll likely have workload concerns after so much missed time.

James Paxton, Red Sox — April 2021

Paxton, 34, had a great four-year run with the Mariners and Yankees from 2016 to 2019. However, he’s hardly pitched over the last three years due to various arm issues. He got back on the mound last summer while attempting to come back from Tommy John but then suffered a lat tear that halted his comeback effort. The Red Sox then had the choice to trigger a two-year option on the lefty worth $26MM, which they turned down based on his uncertain health outlook. He then had a $4MM player option that he triggered and will be with the Sox for 2023. He and Chris Sale would have made for a formidable one-two punch at the top of a rotation a few years ago, but neither has been healthy and effective for quite some time. Their status this year figures to have a huge impact on the fortunes of the Sox for the upcoming campaign.

Dustin May, Dodgers — May 2021

May, 25, returned late last year and was able to make six starts for the Dodgers. He posted a 4.50 ERA in that time and struck out 22.8% of batters faced, with both of those numbers paling in comparison to his pre-surgery form. The Dodgers let Tyler Anderson and Andrew Heaney depart from their 2022 rotation, while bringing in Noah Syndergaard. The quiet offseason will be easier to accept if May can post results like he did over 2019-2021: 2.93 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate, 5.9% walk rate, 51.6% ground ball rate.

Joey Lucchesi, Mets — June 2021

Lucchesi, 30 in June, made 56 starts for the Padres in 2018 and 2019 with a 4.14 ERA. He didn’t get much of an opportunity in 2020 and was flipped to the Mets as part of the Joe Musgrove trade. He isn’t one of the club’s five best starters right now, but their rotation features four veterans who are 34 or older in Verlander, Max Scherzer, Carlos Carrasco and José Quintana. Also, Kodai Senga is making the transition from Japan, where starters frequently only pitch once a week. The club will surely need to rely on its depth this year at some point, making Lucchesi a key part of the equation.

Spencer Turnbull, Tigers — July 2021

Turnbull, 30, was seeming to make progress towards being a quality starter for the Tigers. He posted a 4.61 ERA in 2019 but got that down to 3.97 in 2020. He pushed it down even more in 2021, registering a 2.88 ERA over nine starts before getting shut down and requiring surgery. The Tigers seem likely to be without Casey Mize and Tarik Skubal to start the year as those pitchers deal with their own injuries. That could leave a path for Turnbull to get back on track.

Tyler Glasnow, Rays — August 2021

Glasnow, 29, didn’t live up to expectations with the Pirates but made good on his prospect pedigree after getting traded to the Rays. From 2019 to 2021, he had a 2.80 ERA while striking out 35.9% of batters faced and walking just 7.8% of them. Tommy John surgery put him out of action for a while but he was able to return late last year, making two starts in the regular season and one in the postseason. Glasnow has looked like an ace at times but still hasn’t maintained it over an extended stretch, still never reaching 115 innings in a major league season. The Rays have been fairly quiet this winter, but a healthy Glasnow is arguably a bigger upgrade to their roster than any move they could have made.

Tejay Antone, Reds — August 2021

Antone, 29, debuted in 2020 and was excellent out of the Reds’ bullpen. Over that year and 2021, he tossed 69 innings with a 2.48 ERA, 32.3% strikeout rate and 48% ground ball rate. The walks were a little high at 10.8% but he was still able to be incredibly effective regardless. He isn’t slated to reach free agency until after 2025, but the rebuilding Reds might have to consider a deadline deal if Antone is healthy and pitching well this summer.

Garrett Crochet, White Sox — April 2022

Crochet, 24 in June, was selected 11th overall in the 2020 draft and made his MLB debut later that year. Between his five appearances in 2020 and 54 more the following year, he has a 2.54 ERA and 29% strikeout rate. He’ll likely miss at least part of the upcoming campaign but the club is planning on keeping him in a relief role, which could help him return quicker.

Luke Jackson, Giants — April 2022

Jackson, 31, had a huge breakout with the Braves in 2021. He tossed 63 2/3 innings with a 1.98 ERA, striking out 26.8% of batters faced while getting grounders at a healthy 52.5% clip. He wasn’t as effective in the playoffs but nonetheless was part of the club’s World Series victory that year. He reached free agency and signed with the Giants, who are taking a shot on a return to form, though Jackson might miss the first couple of months of the 2023 season.

John Means, Orioles — April 2022

Means, 30 in April, was one of the few highlights for the Orioles during their leanest rebuilding years. He has a 3.81 ERA in 356 2/3 career innings, keeping his walks down to an excellent 5% rate. The Orioles took a huge step forward last year, graduating many of their top prospects and actually flirting with postseason contention. They’ll be looking to make more progress this year, but the rotation is still lacking in proven options. Getting Means back into the mix would be a big help if some of the younger guys struggle.

Chris Paddack, Twins — May 2022

Paddack, 27, had a great debut with the Padres in 2019, making 26 starts with a 3.33 ERA. His results fell off in the next two seasons, and he dealt with an elbow strain late in the 2021 season, but the Twins still liked him enough to acquire him as part of their return for Taylor Rogers. He was only able to make five starts before landing on the shelf. Their faith doesn’t seem to have wavered, as they recently signed him to a three-year extension. The Twins have a solid rotation on paper, but nearly the entire group landed on the injured list at some point in 2022. Kenta Maeda missed the whole season while rehabbing from an internal brace procedure, a modification of Tommy John surgery. Since injuries were the big story for the Twins in 2022, better health and/or better depth will be important in 2023.

Chad Green, Free Agent — June 2022

Green, 32 in May, spent the past seven seasons pitching for the Yankees. He tossed 383 2/3 innings in that time with a 3.17 ERA, striking out 32.5% of batters faced against a 6.3% walk rate. Unfortunately, he required Tommy John just a few months away from qualifying for free agency. He has yet to sign with a club, but players in this position often sign two-year deals that cover their rehab and give the team an extra year of control. If Green can find himself a deal like that, he could be a wild card down the stretch.

Casey Mize, Tigers — June 2022

Mize, 26 in May, was selected first overall by the Tigers in 2018. He posted a solid 3.71 ERA in 2021, but with disappointing underlying metrics. He only struck out 19.3% of batters faced and had a much higher 4.92 xERA, 4.71 FIP and 4.45 SIERA. After a dreadful 2022 season, the Tigers need to see how Turnbull, Mize, Skubal and Manning look this year before deciding how to proceed for the future.

Hyun Jin Ryu, Blue Jays — June 2022

Ryu, 36 in March, has oscillated between being injured and dominant for much of his career. He signed a four-year deal with the Blue Jays prior to 2020 and posted a 2.69 ERA that year, coming in third in the AL Cy Young voting. His ERA ticked up to 4.37 in 2021, and Ryu struggled even more last year before going under the knife. The Jays have a solid front four in their rotation but uncertainty at the back. Ryu is targeting a July return, and his health at that time could impact how the Jays approach the trade deadline.

Andrew Kittredge, Rays — June 2022

Kittredge, 33 in March, dominated in 2021 by posting a 1.88 ERA over 71 2/3 innings. He struck out 27.3% of batters he faced while walking just 5.3% of them and also got grounders on 53.5% of balls in play. He took a step back last year but made multiple trips to the injured list and likely wasn’t 100%. He’ll surely miss the first several months of the season but could jump into Tampa’s bullpen down the stretch.

Walker Buehler, Dodgers — August 2022

Buehler, 28, has an excellent track record for the Dodgers, having posted a 3.02 ERA in 638 1/3 innings. He’s struck out 27% of opponents while giving out free passes to just 6.3% of them. The Dodgers will have to get by without him for the majority of 2023, though there’s a chance he could be a late addition to the roster if all goes well. His August surgery makes him roughly one year behind Glasnow, who was able to return late in 2022. However, Glasnow’s procedure was August 4th of 2021 while Buehler’s was on the 23rd of last year. Still, if the Dodgers make a deep postseason run, that could give Buehler the runway he needs to make a landing this year.

September 2022 Or Later: Shane Baz, Anthony Gose, Scott Effross, Tyler Matzek, Bryce Harper

These players face longer odds of making an impact since their surgeries were so late in the year. The major exception is Harper, since position players require less recovery time than pitchers. Harper is hoped to be able to return to the Phillies around the All-Star break as a designated hitter, with a chance of returning to the field later in the campaign.

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Atlanta Braves Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Chicago White Sox Cincinnati Reds Detroit Tigers Houston Astros Los Angeles Dodgers Minnesota Twins MLBTR Originals New York Mets Philadelphia Phillies San Diego Padres San Francisco Giants Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Adrian Morejon Andrew Kittredge Anthony Gose Bryce Harper Casey Mize Chad Green Chris Paddack Dustin May Forrest Whitley Garrett Crochet Hyun-Jin Ryu James Paxton Joey Lucchesi John Means Jonathan Hernandez Jose Leclerc Kirby Yates Luke Jackson Scott Effross Shane Baz Spencer Turnbull Tejay Antone Tyler Glasnow Tyler Matzek Walker Buehler

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Guardians, Anthony Gose In Agreement On Two-Year Minor League Deal

By Darragh McDonald | December 1, 2022 at 11:40am CDT

The Guardians and left-hander Anthony Gose have agreed on a two-year minor league deal, reports Robert Murray of FanSided. Gose will make $1MM per season if in the big leagues.

The reason for the two-year deal is that Gose is unlikely to pitch at all in 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September. At the end of the year, he was non-tendered by the club but will stick around without taking up a spot on the 40-man roster. He will presumably make a lesser salary while rehabbing this year and hope to get back onto a big league mound in 2024 with a salary a bit above the league minimum.

Prior to that surgery setback, Gose was on one of the more unique baseball journeys. He had spent much of his career as an outfielder, playing for the Blue Jays and Tigers from 2012 to 2016. However, he hit at a below-average rate, producing a career slash line of .240/.309/.348.

A two-way star in high school, Gose then tried a return to the mound. He often struggled with command, but still showed impressive stuff overall, including a triple-digit fastball. He made it back to the big leagues with Cleveland last year and has thrown 27 2/3 innings so far. The control is still not ideal, as his 13.8% walk rate is definitely on the high side. But he’s also struck out 31.9% of batters faced and posted a 3.90 ERA.

Gose got over three years service time this year and would have been arbitration eligible. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected a salary of $800K, just above next year’s minimum salary of $720K. Given that he’s likely to miss the entire season, the Guardians non-tendered him, but they clearly still like his chances of being useful for them in time. Gose is currently 32 years old, turning 33 in August. If he returns to health in 2024, the Guardians could retain him via arbitration for future seasons as well.

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Cleveland Guardians Transactions Anthony Gose

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American League Non-Tenders: 11/18/22

By Darragh McDonald | November 18, 2022 at 7:30pm CDT

The deadline to tender contract to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7:00pm Central. Here’s a rundown of the players on American League teams that have been non-tendered today. This post will be updated as more decisions are revealed.

MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projected salaries for all arb-eligible players last month. Onto the transactions…

Latest Transactions

  • The Mariners announced that they have non-tendered three players: catchers Brian O’Keefe and Luis Torrens, as well as righty Luke Weaver. Weaver was just claimed off waivers from the Royals a few weeks ago but will now become a free agent.
  • The White Sox announced three non-tenders: outfielders Adam Engel and Mark Payton, as well as infielder Danny Mendick. Engel is generally considered a strong defensive outfielder but he struggled at the plate in 2022. Mendick played all over the diamond while hitting .289/.343/.443 for a wRC+ of 125.
  • The Guardians announced they have non-tendered lefty Anthony Gose and catcher Luke Maile. Gose was designated for assignment earlier in the week. Maile got into 76 games hit at a below-average level with roughly average defensive marks.
  • The Angels announced four non-tenders: lefties Jhonathan Diaz and Rob Zastryzny, as well as righties Touki Toussaint and Nash Walters. The latter three names were designated for assignment a few days ago.
  • The Rays have non-tendered Ryan Yarbrough, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa designated him for assignment earlier in the week.
  • The Blue Jays announced that they have non-tendered outfielders Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer, as well as infielder Vinny Capra. The two former names were designated for assignment a few days ago.

Earlier Moves

  • The Athletics announced that they did not tender contracts to three players: right-hander Deolis Guerra, left-hander Jared Koenig and infielder David MacKinnon. Guerra is the most seasoned of the trio, having made his MLB debut back in 2015 and made 136 appearances. Unfortunately, he required Tommy John surgery in April, missing the entire 2022 campaign and possibly some of 2023 as well.
  • The Red Sox are non-tendering outfielder/first-baseman Franchy Cordero, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Cordero appeared in 84 games for the Red Sox this past season, but hit just .219/.300/.397 with eight home runs while grading out very poorly on defense.  The Sox have also non-tendered infielder Yu Chang, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. The versatile infielder began the year with the Guardians but subsequently went to the Pirates in a trade, then went to the Rays and Red Sox on waiver claims. Across those four teams, he hit .208/.289/.315 for a wRC+ of 78.
  • The Astros will part ways with reliever Josh James, as Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports they’re expected to non-tender him tonight. He spent the entire 2022 campaign in the minors, and underwent flexor tendon surgery in October and is without a timetable to return.
  • The Rangers announced that right-hander Nick Snyder has not been tendered a contract. He only has 4 2/3 innings of MLB experience over the past couple of seasons. He spent most of 2022 in Triple-A, posting a 4.97 ERA over 38 innings, though with a 30.9% strikeout rate.
  • The Royals opted to non-tender lefty Jake Brentz and right-hander Nate Webb, the team announced. That’s no surprise, as both players were designated for assignment earlier this week. They lost their 40-man roster spots as a result, but the non-tender means Kansas City won’t need to run them through waivers before sending them directly to free agency. Anne Rogers of MLB.com tweets that Kansas City is tendering contracts to the rest of their arbitration class, including Brad Keller and Amir Garrett — each of whom seemed to have a small chance of being cut loose after tough seasons.
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Boston Red Sox Chicago White Sox Cleveland Guardians Houston Astros Kansas City Royals Los Angeles Angels Oakland Athletics Seattle Mariners Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays Transactions Adam Engel Anthony Gose Bradley Zimmer Brian O'Keefe Danny Mendick David MacKinnon Deolis Guerra Franchy Cordero Jake Brentz Jared Koenig Jhonathan Diaz Josh James Luis Torrens Luke Maile Luke Weaver Mark Payton Nash Walters Nate Webb Nick Snyder Raimel Tapia Rob Zastryzny Ryan Yarbrough Touki Toussaint Vinny Capra Yu Chang

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Guardians Release Kirk McCarty

By Steve Adams | November 17, 2022 at 8:27pm CDT

NOVEMBER 17: McCarty has been released, according to the transactions log at MLB.com.

NOVEMBER 15: The Guardians announced a series of roster moves in setting their 40-man roster in advance of next month’s Rule 5 Draft. In addition to tonight’s pair of trades — Nolan Jones to the Rockies; Carlos Vargas to the D-backs — Cleveland has designated lefties Anthony Gose and Kirk McCarty for assignment. The series of subtractions from the 40-man paves the way for the Guardians to select the contracts of infielder Angel Martinez and lefties Joey Cantillo and Tim Herrin. Cleveland also selected infielder Juan Brito, whom they acquired from Colorado in exchange for Jones. The team’s 40-man roster is at capacity.

It’s been quite the year for McCarty, from a transactions standpoint. Originally called to the Majors as a Covid replacement in April, McCarty was returned to the minors shortly thereafter but formally selected to the 40-man roster the following month. Cleveland designated him for assignment on July 3, after which he was claimed by the Orioles, who designated him for assignment just nine days later and lost him on waivers… back to the Guardians. Beyond that series of moves, McCarty was optioned to the minors on four separate occasions over the course of his roller coaster season.

The 27-year-old McCarty generated decent but unspectacular results at the big league level in his his rookie effort this year, logging a 4.54 ERA in 37 2/3 frames. His 16.4% strikeout rate was well below average, but he turned in a respectable 8.2% walk rate. McCarty has well above-average spin on his fastball and curveball, but he doesn’t throw especially hard or miss many bats, and the 2.63 HR/9 he yielded this season is an obvious red flag. He was solid in Triple-A (3.52 ERA in 65 1/3 innings) and does have multiple minor league option years remaining, so another club in need of some left-handed depth could conceivably take a look.

Gose, 32, was one of baseball’s feel-good stories in recent years. Originally a second-round pick and top prospect as an outfielder, his career stalled out after he was unable to produce much at the plate in the Majors or in the upper minors. Gose, a two-way star in high school who some scouts preferred as a pitcher in the draft, got back on the mound in A-ball as a 26-year-old in 2017 and, after taking several years to refine his command and learn to control his blazing fastball, finally made it back to the big leagues in 2021.

Gose didn’t just return to the Majors last year, though. He tossed 6 2/3 innings out of the Cleveland bullpen and allowed just a run on two hits and two walks with nine strikeouts and a heater that averaged 99.2 mph. It was a small sample, of course, but Gose stormed out of the gates in 2022 with 20 1/3 innings of 3.10 ERA ball and a 31.4% strikeout rate. Walks looked like an issue (14%), but by that point Gose’s big league pitching career consisted of 27 innings of 3.00 ERA ball with 36 strikeouts.

The Yankees pounced on Gose for four runs in his next outing, however, after which he landed on the injured list. The Guardians initially characterized the move as one made out of necessity with a doubleheader looming, but Gose’s absence proved protracted, and more than two months after he was shelved, the team announced Gose had undergone Tommy John surgery. The Sept. 14 date of the procedure all but formally rules Gose out for the 2023 campaign, so it’s no surprise to see the Guardians open his roster spot in this fashion.

Joining the Guardians’ 40-man roster are two of their top 30 prospects — Martinez and Cantillo — as well as a lefty reliever (Herrin) who posted eye-popping numbers in Double-A. Baseball America ranks Martinez 12th in Cleveland’s system and Cantillo 15th. Martinez hit .278/.378/.471 as a 20-year-old between High-A and Double-A this season. Cantillo was limited to just 60 2/3 innings by a shoulder strain this season but made 14 appearances (13 starts) with a 1.93 ERA and 35.5% strikeout rate. Herrin, 26, turned in a 2.01 ERA and 41.6% strikeout rate in 22 1/3 Double-A innings before being bumped to Triple-A, where he recorded a 4.98 ERA and “just” a 30.9% strikeout rate in 47 frames.

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Cleveland Guardians Transactions Angel Martinez Anthony Gose Joey Cantillo Kirk McCarty Tim Herrin

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Guardians’ Anthony Gose Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

By Steve Adams | September 15, 2022 at 10:34am CDT

Guardians lefty Anthony Gose underwent Tommy John surgery yesterday, per the team. He’ll miss the remainder of the current season, of course, and quite likely all of the 2023 campaign as well, given the timing of the procedure.

Gose, 32, was a second-round pick, as an outfielder, by the Phillies back in 2008. Traded to Houston as one of the headline prospects in the deal that brought Roy Oswalt to Philadelphia, Gose eventually landed in Toronto after a one-for-one flip that sent fellow top prospect Brett Wallace to the Astros.

While Gose did indeed make it to the big leagues as an outfielder, he hit just .240/.309/.348 in parts of five seasons — three with the Jays and two with the Tigers. Touted for his blazing speed, Gose never managed to reach base enough or come up with enough power to keep his place in the Majors.

A former two-way star in high school, Gose began working off the mound again with the Tigers in 2017 and, by 2018, had become a full-time pitcher in the Rangers organization. He signed with Cleveland in 2019 and has spent the past several seasons remaking himself as a flamethrowing reliever, showing off the arm strength that helped make him such a promising outfield prospect in a new way: with a triple-digit heater.

Gose pitched in 28 games for the Indians/Guardians across the past two seasons, logging a combined 27 2/3 innings with a 3.90 ERA, a 31.9% strikeout rate and a 13.8% walk rate. While command has been an issue for him, he averaged just shy of 98 mph on his fastball and generated an impressive 15% swinging-strike rate in his limited big league work on the mound.  The potential for an impactful, high-leverage relief role was there, if Gose could scale back the free passes a bit.

Gose hit the injured list earlier this summer with what was initially announced as a left triceps strain. At the time, the injury wasn’t believed to be particularly serious, though certainly things have changed. It’s not clear whether Gose sustained a ligament tear while working back from that triceps issue or if there was simply more damage in the arm than initially discovered or divulged, but the end result is the same: another sizable roadblock in one of the more atypical baseball journeys we’ve seen in recent years. Gose is a feel-good story of perseverance whether he makes it back to the mound in what would be his age-34 season or not, but it’s hard not to root for another comeback after all the struggles he’s already endured.

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Cleveland Guardians Anthony Gose

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Guardians Select Will Benson

By Mark Polishuk | August 1, 2022 at 7:29pm CDT

The Guardians have selected Will Benson’s contract from Triple-A Columbus, putting the outfielder in line to make his Major League debut.  In corresponding moves, outfielder Alex Call was optioned to Triple-A, while Anthony Gose was moved from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list.

Benson was selected 14th overall by Cleveland in the 2016 draft, but after posting decent but unspectacular numbers in the minors, his prospect stock gradually fell to the point that neither MLB Pipelin or Baseball America list Benson as one of the Guards’ top 30 minor leaguers.  However, Benson seems to have turned a corner in his sixth pro season, and is hitting .279/.426/.522 with 17 home runs over 401 plate appearances in Columbus this year.

While this production comes with the caveat of a .340 BABIP, Benson’s 22.7% strikeout rate is far and away a career low, and is a good sign that the 24-year-old has corrected a longstanding issue in making consistent contact.  If this problem has really been solved, Benson can now better unlock his natural power and bat speed, and might even have some five-tool potential.  Benson also has a strong throwing arm that has mostly placed him in right field throughout his career (but he has seen time in left and center as well), and he has good speed that has allowed him to steal 86 bases in 108 opportunities.

The outfield has long been a weak link in Cleveland, yet the Guardians have now established Steven Kwan and Myles Straw as everyday options in left and center field.  Right field is still a question mark, but top prospect Nolan Jones and the unheralded Oscar Gonzalez have both played well at the position, with Franmil Reyes, Josh Naylor, and Kwan also getting a handful of games in right.  Gonzalez is on a minor league rehab assignment after missing a month due to an intercostal strain, so it is possible Benson might just be a short-term callup until Gonzalez is healthy.

In terms of other lineup openings, Naylor has been slowed by a balky ankle lately, though he is healthy enough to DH.  Reyes has seen the bulk of DH action but he also struggled for much of the 2022 season.  If the Guardians wanted more pop in the lineup, Reyes might lose playing time for other players getting rotated into the DH role, which could create more opportunity for a youngster like Benson to establish himself.

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Cleveland Guardians Transactions Alex Call Anthony Gose Will Benson

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Guardians Promote James Karinchak, Place Anthony Gose On 15-Day Injured List

By TC Zencka | July 3, 2022 at 9:14pm CDT

The Guardians have called up flamethrowing reliever James Karinchak from Triple-A, per Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal. Karinchak was activated from a rehab assignment and optioned to Triple-A only yesterday, but an injury in the bullpen prompted Cleveland to call on their one-time stopper. He will make his season debut for the big league club whenever he first gets into a game.

Karinchak was briefly the preeminent fireman in the game during a breakout 2020 campaign that saw him post a 2.67 ERA in 27 appearances over the final two months of the season. Karinchak picked up eight holds and a save while striking out an absurd 48.6 percent of opposing batters. There seemed little doubt that the former ninth-round draft pick would be a key part of the Guardians’ end-of-game formula moving forward.

It began that way in 2021 as Karinchak picked up 11 saves and didn’t even allow an earned run until his 14th outing of the season. Things took a turn for the worse, however, and Karinchak ended the year on the injured list. Not to draw a direct correlation, but it was certainly a point of interest that Karinchak began to struggle around the time of MLB’s crackdown on sticky stuff. From June 21 when MLB started checking for banned substances until the end of the season, Karinchak’s ERA bloated to 5.70 ERA/6.09 FIP. Of course, he also sustained an injury, and there could be any number of mitigating circumstances that led Karinchak’s effectiveness to wane down the stretch.

In the corresponding move, Anthony Gose was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained left triceps. The injury isn’t thought to be serious. Ridenour provides this quote from pitching coach Carl Willis, who said of the roster move, “Unfortunately we had to go the IL route just because with the doubleheaders and the schedule as it is, we can’t go short one day.”

Gose is perhaps the heartwarming, this-is-why-we-love-this-game story of the year. The 31-year-old former outfielder has successfully pulled off a reverse Rick Ankiel and made himself into a valued piece of Cleveland’s bullpen. The southpaw has appeared in 22 games, logged 21 innings of work, and posted an overall 4.71 ERA/5.07 FIP while striking out an impressive 30.4 percent of enemy combatants. He has struggled a bit with his command, however, walking 15.2% of batters, almost double the Major League average 8.2 percent walk rate. Based on Willis’ comments, the Guardians likely expect Gose to return once his 15 days are up.

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Cleveland Guardians Transactions Anthony Gose James Karinchak

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Guardians Select Alex Young, Designate Kirk McCarty For Assignment

By Darragh McDonald | July 3, 2022 at 11:16am CDT

The Guardians announced to reporters, including Zack Meisel of The Athletic, a series of roster moves. Right-hander James Karinchak has been recalled to the active roster, while left-hander Alex Young has had his contract selected. In corresponding moves, lefty Anthony Gose was placed on the injured list with a left triceps strain, Anthony Castro was optioned to Triple-A and lefty Kirk McCarty was designated for assignment. (The Guardians had an active roster of 27 for yesterday’s doubleheader but needed to get it back down to 26 today, which explains why they are adding two players to the roster but subtracting three.)

Young was a second-round draft pick of the Diamondbacks in 2015, making his MLB debut with them in 2019. In 83 1/3 innings, he put up an ERA of 3.56, along with a 20.3% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 48.1% ground ball rate. Things went the wrong direction in subsequent seasons, however, as Young’s ERA jumped up to 5.44 in 2020 and then 6.26 with the DBacks in 2021. He was designated for assignment and claimed by Cleveland last year, putting up a 7.84 ERA with them in 10 1/3 innings after the claim.

In November, the Guardians made a huge roster overhaul prior to the Rule 5 draft, selecting ten players and designating seven for assignment. Young was one of those in the latter group, eventually clearing waivers and staying in the organization. He’s made 27 relief appearances for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers this season and has fared quite well. He has an ERA of 3.14, along with a 37.1% strikeout rate, 5.2% walk rate and 46.9% ground ball rate. Based on that successful run, he’ll get another crack at the majors.

McCarty, 26, was selected to the big league club in April, making it to the MLB level for the first time. He’s thrown 12 innings in the show, but with an unfortunate ERA of 9.00 in that sample. He’s fared much better in Triple-A, with a 3.77 ERA in 43 innings, but the club has decided to risk losing him. The Guardians are in the midst of a particularly gruelling portion of their schedule, after Friday’s game was rained out, leading to a doubleheader yesterday. Since they also have a doubleheader to play against the Tigers tomorrow, that means they are playing five games in three days, with two more games before the next off-day. Due to the need for fresh arms, it seems the collateral damage is McCarty losing his roster spot. The team will have seven days to trade him or put him through waivers.

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Cleveland Guardians Transactions Alex Young Anthony Gose Kirk McCarty

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Indians Select Anthony Gose

By Steve Adams | September 20, 2021 at 10:59pm CDT

The Indians are selecting the contract of outfielder-turned-pitcher Anthony Gose, as first reported by Indians Prospective (on Twitter). The left-hander will be appearing in the Majors for the first time since 2016 — and for the first time ever as a pitcher.

Gose, now 31 years old, was a two-way star in high school and a second-round draft choice by the Phillies back in 2008. He focused solely on developing as an outfielder, and by the 2011-12 offseason, Gose ranked as a consensus top 100 prospect in all of baseball. He played the 2011 season as a 20-year-old in Double-A (about four years younger than the league-average age) and slashed .253/.349/.415 with 16 home runs, 20 doubles, seven triples and 70 stolen bases — the second 70-steal season of his young professional career.

In 2010, the Phillies traded Gose to the Astros alongside J.A. Happ and Jonathan Villar in the trade that brought Roy Oswalt to Philadelphia. Houston immediately flipped Gose to the Blue Jays for corner-infield prospect Brett Wallace, who’d been a first-round pick in 2008 and was a highly regarded prospect himself at the time.

Gose made his big league debut with the Jays as a 21-year-old in 2012 but never really found his footing in Toronto. He spent three seasons as an oft-optioned member of the Jays’ outfield but managed just a .234/.301/.332 output in that time. The Blue Jays and Tigers swapped Gose for second baseman Devon Travis in the 2014-15 offseason, and Gose only found marginally more success in Detroit. He batted .254/.321/.367 in his first season as a Tiger but played just 30 games in his second season (2016).

Those struggles at the plate carried over into Triple-A, and beginning in 2017, the Tigers gave Gose the opportunity to work off the mound all the way down in Class-A Advanced. The transition wasn’t particularly smooth, as one might expect. Gose appeared in 11 games, allowing nine runs in 10 2/3 innings. He fanned 14 of the 45 hitters he faced (31.1 percent), but the Tigers removed him from their 40-man roster and he opted for free agency at season’s end.

Gose signed a minor league pact with the Rangers in the 2017-18 offseason and was selected by the Astros in the Rule 5 Draft just days later. He didn’t make it out of Spring Training with the ’Stros before being returned to the Rangers. Gose made it to Double-A as a pitcher in the Rangers’ system and clearly intrigued the Indians’ baseball ops department enough to sign him as a minor league free agent the following offseason.

Gose has hung on with Cleveland ever since, but he hasn’t gotten a call to the big leagues until today. The lefty pitched for Team USA in the Olympics earlier this summer, and he’s had a generally solid season on the mound. Walks have been an issue since he made the move to the mound, and that’s true to an extent this season as well. Gose has worked to a 3.55 ERA with a hefty 34 percent strikeout rate but a bloated 19.4 percent walk rate.

However, most of those command issues came early in the season. Since returning from the Olympic team, Gose has yielded just one run in 14 frames. He’s walked six of the 52 batters he’s faced in that time (11.5 percent) and fanned a whopping 22 of them (42.3 percent). Given that recent run of dominance, it’s hardly a surprise that Cleveland is both rewarding Gose’s tenacity and also taking the opportunity to get a late look at him in the big leagues.

While Gose has appeared in parts of five big league seasons in the past, he has yet to even amass three years of Major League service time. As such, Cleveland would be able to control him all the way through the 2025 season — if he is indeed able to stick as a pitcher. Gose, by all accounts, has built his heater up to sit in the upper-90s and at times reach triple digits. Opponents are hitting just .172/.333/.328 against him so far in 2021 — including a .086/.192/.154 batting line since he returned from the Olympics.

It’s a frankly remarkable journey for Gose, who has been with four organizations in five years since attempting to reinvent himself as a pitcher. He’s pitched for clubs in the Puerto Rican Winter League and Dominican Winter League along the way after restarting his career as a 26-year-old in Class-A Advanced. He’ll now reap the benefits of that half-decade odyssey as he returns to the Major Leagues for what, in many ways, will be a second big league debut.

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USA Baseball Announces Olympic Qualifying Roster

By Mark Polishuk | May 23, 2021 at 11:10am CDT

11:10AM: The full roster has been announced by USA Baseball (Twitter link).  Beyond the names already mentioned, the roster also includes Clayton Andrews, Jonathan Bowlan, Brandon Dickson, DJ Johnson, Trevor Lane, Matthew Liberatore, Drew Parrish, Marc Rzepczynski, James Sherfy, Simeon Woods Richardson, Tim Federowicz, Mark Kolozsvary, Nick Allen, Eddy Alvarez, Logan Forsythe, Luke Williams, Eric Filia, and Jon Jay.

9:54AM: The United States Olympic baseball team will have its full roster announced later today, though MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link) reports that several well-known big league names will be part of Team USA.

Right-handers Homer Bailey, Edwin Jackson, and David Robertson will be part of the pitching mix, as will left-hander Anthony Gose.  Matt Kemp, Matt Wieters, and Todd Frazier are some of the veteran position players.  Bailey, Kemp, and Wieters all played in the majors as recently as 2020 and didn’t sign with a new team this past offseason, while Frazier appeared in 13 games for the Pirates just this season.  It was only back on May 13 that Frazier chose to become a free agent, after Pittsburgh designated him for assignment.

Beyond these experienced names, some notable youngsters will also be on the team, as Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe noted yesterday that Red Sox prospects Triston Casas and Jarren Duran are participating.  Rays right-handed pitching prospect Joe Ryan is also expected to be part of the team, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.  Any player not on a current 40-man Major League roster was eligible for Team USA, though naturally a team would have to agree to allow its minor leaguers to play.

Mike Scioscia will manage Team USA, and the team will take to the field on May 31-June 5 during a qualifying tournament in Florida.  The Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Canada, Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela are the other seven teams involved, and the winner of the tournament will automatically qualify for the Olympics.  The second- and third-place finishers will advance to a final qualifying tournament against Australia, Chinese Taipei, and the Netherlands on June 16-20 in Mexico, and the winner of that event will claim the sixth and final Olympic berth.

Japan, Mexico, Israel, and South Korea have already qualified for the baseball event at Olympic Games, which are scheduled to be held July 23-August 6 in Tokyo.  Originally set to take place in 2020, the Olympics were naturally postponed for a year due to the pandemic, and the Games are still slated to get underway in July despite a worsening COVID-19 situation in Japan.

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Uncategorized Anthony Gose Clayton Andrews David Robertson DJ Johnson Eddy Alvarez Edwin Jackson Eric Filia Homer Bailey Jarren Duran Jon Jay Logan Forsythe Marc Rzepczynski Mark Kolozsvary Matt Kemp Matt Wieters Matthew Liberatore Mike Scioscia Tim Federowicz Todd Frazier Triston Casas

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