Anthony Gose: Blue Jays Prospect's Speed Will Be a Premium in the Major Leagues

On Thursday, it was the Anthony Gose show in Toronto’s 3-2 win over the Red Sox.

Gose, who is ranked as the Blue Jays’ No. 4 prospect according to Prospect Pipeline, stole four bases to bring his spring total to seven.

However, the manner in which he stole three of those four should really count as more.

With the game tied 2-2 in the eighth inning, Gose led off the inning with a walk and proceeded to immediately swipe second base, putting himself (the go-ahead run) in scoring position.

And if he didn't make stealing second look easy enough, Gose then promptly stole third base.

Now on third base with two outs, the Blue Jays were in desperate need of a hit to plate the speedy Gose. 

However, the 21-year-old had a different idea and took the matter into his own hands.

Gose noticed that the Red Sox catcher, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, was dropping down to his knees and lobbing the ball back to the pitcher. So he waited, patiently, for the Red Sox backstop to do it once again and, the second the ball went airborne out of Salty’s hand, Gose broke for home.

Catching everyone in the stadium off-guard, especially the Red Sox battery, Gose went sliding across the plate to put the Blue Jays on top. 

“It’s a risky play,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell told MLB.com after the game, “but with two outs, it was a calculated gamble.”

Farrell is right—it’s an incredibly risky play. But at the same time, it’s the type of play worth trying during spring training. While Gose’s speed definitely made the quick trip around the bases possible, it was his instincts and attentiveness that made him successful on Thursday.

Anthony Gose is the definition of a toolsy player. His speed, defense and arm all grade out as at least a 70 on the 20-80 scale, with his speed clearly serving as his biggest asset.

Last season at Double-A New Hampshire, Gose stole 70 bases in 85 attempts while posting the second highest walk rate (10.6 percent) of his minor-league career.

However, while aspects of Gose’s game may be big-league-ready, his bat is not, which is why the Blue Jays optioned the left-handed hitter to Triple-A to being the 2012 season.

If Gose can continue to decrease his strikeouts and learn to consistently put the ball in play—something he’s been working on over the last year—he has the potential to be one of baseball’s premier top-of-the-order hitters. 

His speed is game-changing, as he proved in his base-stealing exhibition on Thursday. And once his hit tool develops, Gose could quickly find himself in Prospect Pipeline’s Top 50 as one of baseball’s most exciting prospects