Detroit Tigers: Anthony Gose’s Performance Will be Key Down the Stretch
When the Detroit Tigers picked up Anthony Gose in November of 2014, it did not garner too much attention. Gose was not an everyday player for the Blue Jays, and had not yet made a huge splash in the big leagues, but after losing Austin Jackson the Tigers needed speed in center field.
Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reported that Dave Dombrowski wanted a left-handed hitter and a center fielder. Gose was both.
"“We think he’s a guy that has a chance to be our everyday center fielder, or close to it,” Dombrowski said shortly after the trade. “That’s why we brought him on board.”"
Besides being able to cover a lot of ground in the outfield, Gose has been getting on base. In his first three seasons in the majors, he was hitting a less-than-impressive .236. This season he’s upped that average to .325 through 31 games.
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One thing Gose needs to work on in order to stay in the lineup is his number of strikeouts. He already has 38, more than one per game. That being said, he also has 39 hits, including three triples. On top of that, his slugging percentage is .458 this season, which was unexpected, and his OPS is a whopping .821.
Gose also has stolen seven bases so far. In recent years, the Tigers, as a team, have not been known for speed. With players like Cespedes, Gose, Davis and Iglesias in the lineup, the team entered the weekend second in the majors (first in the American League) in stolen bases this season with 39. The team was seventh in 2014.
At only 24 years old, Gose could provide some speed and defense for years to come, but the Tigers will be counting on his performance down the stretch this year.
It’s unlikely that he can maintain that .821 OPS for the entire season, but if he can maintain even reasonable hitting levels — getting on base enough to leverage his speed — he’ll continue to be a valuable piece to the puzzle.
Next: Tigers: Top 10 Longest Home Runs of 2015