2/27/09

Who is Mike Gosling?

So who was that guy who closed the third Twins' Spring Training game today against the Yankees and earned a heart-attack save, courtesy Danny Valencia?

Mike Gosling is a 28 year old leftie, from Salt Lake City, UT who was originally drafted by the Twins in the 14th round of the 1998 draft; did not sign and decided to attend Stanford University, where he got a degree in Biology (Breslow anyone?) and drafted in the second round of 2001 by the Diamondbacks. In 2002 and 2003 he was ranked by Baseball America as the second highest prospect in the Dbacks system and in 2004 as the 10th. In 2003 he was ranked as the number 59 prospect in the nation by Baseball America. In his last season in Stanford he started 14 games and relieved in 3 additional, acquiring a 7-3 record to go along with a 3.95 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. His best professional season was his first in El Paso of the Texas League (AA), when he started 27 games pitched 166.7 innings winning 14 and losing 5, while assembling a 3.13 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. The rest of his professional career went down hill. He was rushed to AAA in 2003 (which happened to be with Tuscon in the pitcher unfriendly Pacific Coast League) and bombed. He earned a couple of cups of coffee with Arizona and was placed on waivers in 2006 because he was out of options. Picked up by the Reds, spending time between Louisville (International League) and Cincinnati the next 2 seasons did not prove career rejuvenating for him. His best season in AAA was in 2006 with Louisville where he started 13 games for 78 innings assembling a 5-3 record with a 3.00 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. This earned him a promotion to the Reds' pen where he appeared in 23 games as a LOOGY, posting a 4.91 ERA and 2.12 WHIP. Not too good. Last year he was picked up by Toronto and spent the whole season as a set up man in Syracuse (International League) finishing 26 games and earning 7 saves to go with a 3.67 ERA and an unremarkable 1.46 WHIP. Control is not his thing. He walked as many people as he struck out in parts of 4 major league seasons. He has a 86-87 mph 2-seamer, a 80 mph slider and a change.

His career major league pitching line is: 4 seasons, 43 games, 9 GS, 3 wins, 4 loses, 92 IP, 61 BB, 61 K, 4.79 ERA, 1.85 WHIP

His career minor league pitching line is: 7 seasons, 189 games, 126 GS, 46 wins, 37 loses, 7 saves, 788 IP, 299 BB, 576 K, 4.58 ERA, 1.52 WHIP

At this point, given the presence of Julianel in Rochester, I am not sure what Gosling's role could be with the Twins' organization, other than an occasional lefty in Rochester's pen, at best.

BTW, Mike Gosling has not relationship to this guy, as far as I know.


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