Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Over the first two months of the Detroit Tigers‘ 2015 season, one of the hottest topics among fans was the torrid start of Anthony Gose. Through his first 41 games, the speedy center fielder batted a rock-solid .314/.355/.436 with a homer and 11 RBIs.
Ever since the calendar turned to June, however, Gose has cooled off considerably. Over his last 18 games, he is hitting only .159/.197/.175 with just one extra-base hit. Considering the fact that the 24-year-old was hitting .432 on balls in play from April through May, the drop in his production was rather predictable. After all, no one was expecting him to be that lucky forever.
In June, Gose’s BABIP is only .213, which has now dropped him to a mark of .367 on the season. His K rate sits at a mark of 24.2 percent for the month, but the strikeouts were an issue even back when he was going well, so that shouldn’t necessarily cause too much concern. Although Gose’s recent struggles can probably be explained in part by a simple reversal of fortune, it may still be worth taking a deeper look.
It may be far too early to rush to judgement, but perhaps it may be time to consider the possibility that Gose could be reverting to his former self. Prior to joining the Tigers in the Devon Travis deal over the offseason, Gose was only a .234/.301/.332 hitter over parts of three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays. He hit a little bit better in the minor leagues, but still only managed a .259/.334/.381 slash line over seven seasons.
The good news, though, is that Gose can still provide plenty of value in the field and on the basepaths. Plus, he is very young, and he still ranks 14th in the AL with a 24.8 percent line drive rate at the moment. There is certainly still the possibility that Gose has turned a corner in his career and will start hitting again.
In reality, however, there may also be a chance that he is closer to the player that he was over his tenure with the Blue Jays.
Brad Faber is a Senior 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.
