Tuffy Gosewisch

Tuffy Gosewisch
250px Gosewisch with the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks – No. 8
Catcher
Born: (1983-08-17) August 17, 1983 Freeport, Illinois
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 1, 2013, for the Arizona Diamondbacks
MLB statistics (through May 9, 2015)
Batting average	.217
Home runs	1
Runs batted in	19
Teams
Arizona Diamondbacks (2013–present)

James Benjamin Gosewisch (born August 17, 1983), nicknamed "Tuffy", is an American professional baseball catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball. Prior to beginning his professional career, he played college baseball at Arizona State University. Gosewisch has also competed for the United States national baseball team.

Amateur career

Tuffy Gosewisch

Medal record
Men's baseball
Representing United States
Pan American Games
	2011 Guadalajara	National team

Gosewisch attended Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was named to the All-State team in his senior season. Undrafted out of high school, Gosewisch enrolled at Arizona State University, where he played college baseball for the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team in the Pacific-10 Conference of NCAA Division I. He was named the Tempe Regional Most Valuable Player in the 2005 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament, as the Sun Devils reached the 2005 College World Series. That season, he was named a semifinalist for the Johnny Bench Award, given to the best catcher in NCAA Division I.

Gosewisch played for the United States national baseball team in the 2011 Pan American Games, winning the silver medal. He also appeared in the 2011 Baseball World Cup.

Professional career

The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Gosewisch the 11th round (337th overall) of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut with the Batavia Muckdogs of the Class-A Short Season New York–Penn League in 2005. He played for the Clearwater Threshers of the Class-A Advanced Florida State League in 2006, the Threshers and Lakewood BlueClaws of the Class-A South Atlantic League in 2007. He played for the Threshers in 2008, and has served as the regular catcher for the Reading Phillies of the Double-A Eastern League since 2009, aside from a stint with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs of the Triple-A International League in 2009. The Phillies invited him to spring training in 2012.

On July 31, 2012, the Toronto Blue Jays acquired him from the Philadelphia Phillies, and assigned him to the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s. Gosewisch became a free agent after the season.

File:Holliday safe at home.jpg

Gosewisch and a sliding Matt Holliday in 2015

Gosewisch signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the 2013 season. He started the season with the Triple-A Reno Aces. His contract was selected on August 1, and he was promoted to the major leagues replacing Miguel Montero who was placed on the disabled list. On August 1, Gosewisch made his major league debut. He got his first hit, a single, in the same game. He was optioned back to Reno on August 26, and then recalled on September 3 after major league rosters expanded.

Gosewisch traveled with the Diamondbacks to Sydney, Australia for the 2014 Opening Series versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he pinch hit in the ninth slot in the eighth inning of the second game of the series and flied out to left field. Gosewisch made the Diamondbacks 2014 25-man roster. At 30 years old, it was Gosewisch's first time making an Opening Day roster.

Gosewisch began the 2015 season as the Diamondbacks starting catcher. On June 2, he was declared out for the season after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament.

Personal life

Gosewisch's father gave him the nickname "Tuffy" because he was an especially destructive baby. "I used to break my crib and fall out and just keep on going and it wouldn't faze me," recalls Gosewisch.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)