Anthony Gose Should Give Detroit Tigers Clear Defensive Upgrade In CF
By Brad Faber
@Brad_Faber
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Last July, the Detroit Tigers sent center fielder Austin Jackson to the Seattle Mariners as part of a three-way trade that brought former Tampa Bay Rays‘ ace David Price to the Motor City. The move would leave the Tigers with a gaping hole in center field.
In an attempt to patch the void, the Tigers called upon Rajai Davis to be their primary center fielder. De facto quadruple-A player Ezequiel Carrera and utility man Don Kelly would also receive a few reps out there as well. To make a long story short, it would suffice to say that the Tigers missed Jackson’s defense.
Although he often drew criticism from Tigers fans due to his inconsistencies at the plate and his apparent aversion to diving for balls in the outfield, Jackson’s departure ultimately left a few uttering the old cliche, “You don’t know what you have until it is gone.”
Heading into the offseason, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski reportedly made clear that one of the organization’s primary goals would be solidifying the center field position. At the very least, Dombrowski expressed an interest in obtaining a left-handed hitting center fielder who could platoon with Davis in center field.
On Nov. 12, the Tigers got their man. Detroit elected to send second baseman and top prospect Devon Travis to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for speedy, left-handed center fielder Anthony Gose.
Admittedly, Gose’s bat hasn’t been overly-impressive thus far, hitting just .234 with five home runs and a .633 OPS in parts of three MLB seasons. He did, however, flash 16-homer pop in Double-A New Hampshire back in 2011.
Defense, on the other hand, appears to be Gose’s forte. According to Fangraphs, Gose had a 9.2 UZR with two defensive runs saved while playing in Toronto’s outfield in 2014. The 24-year-old Gose also has plenty of speed, which should be another nice weapon for the Tigers, stealing a grand total of 271 bags in the minors and 34 thus far in the big leagues.
It is no secret that there is a lot of real estate in the spacious outfield of Comerica Park, particularly in center field, and it takes a talented outfielder to cover it. Gose should fit the bill.
Brad Faber is a Detroit Tigers writer and Sabermetrics columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.
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