By Steph Rogers
SPECIAL TO SPORTSNET.CA
FORT MYERS – It’s been hard not to notice the big-league calibre work Anthony Gose has been putting in the Grapefruit League.
Yet come April, the Toronto Blue Jays centre fielder seems destined to start his season in Buffalo with the triple-A Bisons.
Fact: Gose is enjoying a tremendous spring, batting .367 through 11 games. He leads the Blue Jays runs (nine); is tied with Adam Lind for team lead in hits (11), and only Jose Bautista has drawn as many walks (both with five). His OPS is 1.024.
But here’s another fact: Right now, Gose’s numbers don’t really matter in the big picture.
“He wants to be in the big leagues and he may deserve to be, but it’s probably not the way it’s going to start,” said Blue Jays manager John Gibbons on Tuesday, before the Blue Jays took on the Red Sox at jetBlue Park.
The 22-year-old’s highly-anticipated major league debut in 2012 was lukewarm, but the offensive product he’s bringing to the plate paired with his speed is exactly what makes him such a desirable big league lead-off man. It’s just not his turn.
“He shouldn’t put any pressure on himself,” Jose Bautista said. “He’s got established major leaguers in front of him and it doesn’t matter necessarily what he does right now, there’s no way he can crack this team this spring.
“He’s got to just go down (to Buffalo)…and be ready when the call comes.”
Back in January, Blue Jays officials told Gose he was likely to start 2013 at triple-A Buffalo. While Gose admits it was initially a tough pill to swallow, he insists it hasn’t changed his preparation for the upcoming season.
“I’m going to triple-A. That’s what it is,” Gose said. “I just go about my business and try to show the staff that I can play. Hopefully, some time in the near future I can play in the big leagues.”
His words alone read like he’s accepted his standing, but the tone in his voice he while delivered them suggested otherwise.
Gibbons is familiar with Gose’s mental torment. In 1980 he was selected in the first round of the draft by the New York Mets. Like Gose, his major league expectations were high, especially after he hit .298 with 18 home runs with the double-A Jackson Mets in 1983, earning league co-MVP honours.
In 1984 during a brief call up as a 21-year-old, Gibbons struggled. The following off-season, the Mets acquired Gary Carter. Suddenly Gibbons found his path to the majors blocked by an established big leaguer, not unlike where Gose finds himself today.
“I’ve managed that level, I’ve been that guy,” Gibbons said. “When you think you belong in the big leagues and your heart tells you you do, you really have to fight yourself mentally.”
Gose’s natural position is centre field and Toronto’s incumbent starter – the enigmatic Colby Rasmus – is off to a slow start this spring, in part due a strained shoulder that kept him out of the lineup for a few games earlier this month.
Following Tuesday’s loss to the Red Sox, Rasmus’ line stood at 143/.333/.143 in 14 at-bats.
Just don’t ask Jose Bautista if Rasmus’ and Gose’s early spring performances have created any questions as to how the Blue Jays outfield might shape up on Opening Day.
“Colby should be in centre, Melky should be in left, I should be in right and Rajai )Davis) should be our fourth outfielder,” Bautista said. “I don’t think there’s any debate in that.
“I think Anthony did an adequate job when he came up last year, but he does know and realize he’s got to work on certain things to come up here and enjoy that sustainable success.”
According to Bautista, one of those “things” Gose needs to work on is his patience, paired with improved mechanics and a new approach.
“He could be hitting .400 and not get the call up. He could be hitting .200 and get the call up,” explained Bautista. “It’s not only based on statistics for him, it’s working on his approach because he’s so refined in every other aspect of the game.”
Bautista uses the word ‘consistency’ a lot when referring to Gose.
In the Blue Jays loss to Boston on Tuesday, Gose went 1-for-4 with a strikeout. During a 56-game stint with the big club in 2012, he struggled against lefties and Tuesday up against Red Sox southpaw Andrew Miller was no exception.
“This division and this league is competitive and you have to produce consistently at the plate,” said Bautista.
Gose’s return to the big leagues is imminent. He’s a well-rounded player who keeps getting better, and it’s not going unnoticed by his manager this spring.
“(Gose) is going to be one of the better players in the game; he’s got that kind of ability,” Gibbons said. “A lot of times you get these young guys, the only thing they lack is patience.”
In the visiting clubhouse prior to Tuesday’s first pitch, Gose was philosophical when asked what he took away from his short stint with the big club last summer.
Surprisingly, it’s wasn’t a tip from a big league player, a lesson learned at the plate, or what his sunglass choice should be in the outfield.
“Anything can happen at any time, you’ve just got to be prepared,” Gose said. “At any given moment, be prepared for the opportunity that might lie ahead.”
Gose’s immediate future lies in Buffalo. Even though another big league opportunity shouldn’t be too far behind, it’s just not going to happen on his schedule.
