After a five-year hiatus, former Blue Jays and Tigers outfielder Anthony Gose is reportedly headed back to the big leagues, this time as a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. Gose, who owns a career .240/.309/.348 slash line with 12 homers, 69 RBI and 57 steals at the major-league level (372 games), began his transition to pitcher in 2017, working his way up from High-A to Triple-A Columbus, where he has pitched to a 3.55 ERA across 33 innings of relief work this year. He’s been especially dominant of late, not allowing a run in his last 11 outings (13 innings) with 21 strikeouts against just six walks during that span.
Selected by the Phillies with 51st pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, Gose earned a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics this summer, permitting just one hit over 5 1/3 scoreless innings for Team USA. According to Indians Prospective, the 31-year-old’s fastball reached 101 mph in his most recent appearance Friday against Toledo. With the season winding down (the Tribe have 15 games remaining on their 2021 slate) and little hope of reaching the playoffs, Cleveland will give Gose a whirl, rewarding the left-hander’s years of hard work and dedication by affording him a well-deserved opportunity pitching out of the Indians’ bullpen.
Gose’s return to the show after 1,954 grueling days spent in minor-league purgatory is a testament to both his incredible athleticism (not many outfielders could turn around and become successful pitchers) and remarkable resiliency, reinventing himself on the mound after coming to a dead end as a position player.
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