Round
11 (337) - James (Tuffy) Gosewisch
|
Hometown
|
Scottsdale,
AZ |
|
School
|
Arizona State
University
|
|
School
Type/Year
|
Four Year
College / Senior
|
|
Position
|
C |
|
Bats-Throws
|
R-R |
|
Height
|
5-11 |
|
Weight
|
190 |
|
Birth
Date
|
8-17-1983 |
|
Age
When Drafted
|
21 |
|
Signing
Status
|
Signed |
|
Signing
Date
|
7-5-2005 |
|
First
Pro Team
|
Batavia
(NYP League) |
|
2005
School
|
Had
no remaining college eligibility |
Draft History
• Has never
been drafted.
View All
Phillies 11th Round Picks
Amateur Stats
Arizona State University
| Year |
G |
AVG |
AB |
H |
R |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
BB |
SO |
SB |
OBP |
SLG |
| 2005 |
67 |
.321 |
252 |
81 |
43 |
17 |
2 |
6 |
74 |
28 |
35 |
5-8 |
.411 |
.476 |
| 2004 |
59 |
.342 |
199 |
68 |
36 |
14 |
1 |
2 |
49 |
31 |
37 |
0-2 |
.439 |
.452 |
| 2003 |
59 |
.340 |
144 |
49 |
41 |
9 |
0 |
2 |
41 |
22 |
19 |
2-2 |
.442 |
.444 |
| 2002 |
30 |
.128 |
39 |
5 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
12 |
0-0 |
.209 |
.128 |
Summer League - hitting
| Year |
Team |
G |
AVG |
AB |
H |
R |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
BB |
SO |
| 2004 |
Anchorage
(Alaska)
|
33 |
.269 |
119 |
32 |
15 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
19 |
2-2 |
20 |
19 |
Horizon High School
| Year |
G |
AVG |
AB |
H |
R |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
OBP |
SLG |
| 2001 |
- |
.430 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
5 |
30 |
- |
- |
- |
| 2000 |
- |
.410 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
18 |
- |
- |
- |
| 1999 |
- |
.400 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
3 |
20 |
- |
- |
- |
| 1998 |
- |
.375 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Professional Stats
| Year |
Team |
G |
AVG |
AB |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
OBP |
SLG |
| 2006 |
Clearwater
(A) |
95 |
.252 |
305 |
77 |
32 |
14 |
0 |
9 |
39 |
.318 |
.387 |
| 2005 |
Batavia
(S-A) |
9 |
.241 |
29 |
7 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
0-0 |
.290 |
.241 |
Amateur Honors
• 2005 Johnny Bench
Catcher of the Year semifinalist
• 2005 Arizona State Team MVP and co-Defensive MVP
• 2004 Johnny Bench Catcher of the Year semifinalist
• 2004 Second Team Pac-10 Academic selection
• 2004 Honorable Mention All-Pac-10
• 2004 Arizona State Unviersity Defensive MVP
• 2003 Pac-10 Honorable Mention Academic selection
• 2003 Pac-10 Honorable Mention Baseball selection
• 2003 ASU Bobby Winkles Award
• 2001 Arizona Republic Second Team All-State
(utility)
• 2001 All-State
• 2001 All-Region
Interesting Tidbits
• Goes by the nickname
'Tuffy', given to him by his parents because they were expecting a girl named
Tiffany.
• Living up to his nickname, Tuffy was hit in the back of the head by a
pitch in a February 2005 game against Baylor. He suffered a mild concussion
and several stitches but was back behind the plate the next day.
Quotes (from player)
I
don't really have a reaction. It'll be nice to look back on it. I'll feel good
tonight but when I wake up tomorrow I'll be ready for another game. I'm not
going to dwell on it too much.
- Speaking after he had a good game at the plate (from The East Valley Tribune)
When I go up there I'm not trying to get a
hit. I'm just trying to get a pitch that is up and put a pretty good swing on
it. I try not to worry about what the outcome is. Whether I hit a line drive
at somebody or get a hit, I'm just trying to get a good swing on it.
With two strikes I was swinging at a lot of
borderline pitches just to stay alive. I was just trying to get him to throw
anther pitch and another pitch until I could get one I could handle.
- On his hitting approach
(from Arizona State University)
I feel like I'm kind of a coach on the field.
You have to be kind of a Renaissance man out there.
- On his role as a leader (from The Arizona
Republic)
They look for different things in the draft.
They look for size and tools -- things I might not have...
The scouts that have seen me a lot have noticed. I know
that it's working, and I know that once they see me day in and day out, they'll
appreciate it a little more and be happy.
- Acknowledging his limitations and noting his intangibles (from Arizona
State University)
It would be nice if I were bigger and faster,
but I can't really control that. I try to control the things I can.
- More on acknowleding his limitations (from The Arizona Republic)
I'm not worried too much about it. If you get
drafted, then it's whoever plays best. It's not like whoever has the biggest
signing bonus gets to play. As long as I get my shot, I'll be happy with it.
-
On getting his chance in pro ball (from Arizona State University)
Quotes (from others)
Medium frame, evenly proportioned.
Balanced hitting approach. Avg bat speed, level plane. Simple stroke, line drives
to all fields. Solid backstop w/ plus defensive instincts. Soft, sure handed
receiver. Quick to drop, works well in dirt.
- from
MLB.com
He's done so much for our team all year that
doesn't show up in the box score.
- ASU head coach Pat Murphy (from The East Valley Tribune)
This kid is a real underrated ballplayer. Tuffy
doesn't get any accolades. The position he plays is kind of unsung. We realize
how important that guy is behind the dish. It's so crucial, like the quarterback
of your team, and Tuffy handles it really well.
-
ASU head coach Pat Murphy (from The East Valley Tribune)
[Professional teams] are trying to be secretive about how much they like him,
but the cat's out of the bag. He's a good senior pick.
- ASU
head coach Pat Murphy (from The East Valley Tribune)
They are two different kids, but they have the same core.
They just come to play every day and they are underrated players. Tuffy has
been the quarterback of this team for three years and to see him do well in
a crucial ballgame like this, I'm happy for him.
- ASU head coach Pat Murphy on Tuffy and his older brother Chip (from The
East Valley Tribune)
It's huge not having to look over there [first
base] and watch the runner. If he goes, Tuffy is probably going to throw him
out, so you don't have to worry about it.
- ASU
junior left-hander Brett Bordes (from Arizona State
University)
Him coming to the [2005] College World Series,
now people around the country are going to see how great he is.
- ASU
junior left-hander Brett Bordes (from Arizona State
University)
He's the most underrated catcher I've ever
seen. To me, he's just indispensable. You know that if you throw a ball in the
dirt, he's going to block it. He's always going to pick you up.
- ASU
pitcher Jason Urquidez (from The Arizona Republic)
Links
Official
Arizona State Profile
Gosewisch
provides punch
Tuffy the
end of a proud line at ASU
Gosewisch
leads Sun Devils past Coastal Carolina
Baseball:
Unheralded Gosewisch's stock on rise
Unsung
catcher comes up big at Tempe Regional
Mask
can't hide value of ASU's Gosewisch
Summary
Philadelphia
loves an underdog and you'd be hard pressed to find a bigger underdog in the
2005 draft than the Phillies eleventh round pick, Tuffy Gosewisch. Going unnoticed
and being under appreciated is something Gosewisch has had to deal with his
whole career, but that could change in a few years. Armed with a great work
ethic and baseball intelligence, Gosewisch finally got a chance to show the
nation how good a baseball player he is when he led his Arizona State team into
the 2005 College World Series. They didn't win the championship, but Gosewisch
received great reviews for his inspired play and leadership.
He's listed generously at 5-foot-11, 190-pounds and doesn't have strong muscular
build of the prototypical catcher, but Gosewisch makes up for the lack of physical
presence by simply playing the game the way it was meant to be played. In a
word (or two), he's "old school". Back in 1981, the Phillies signed a non-athletic,
no-power catcher as an undrafted free agent out of UMass-Lowell. They had other
catchers in their farm system who were more projectable so they shipped him
off to St. Louis in 1984 and he eventually made his way to Pittsburgh. It was
there that he played the role of unsung hero, providing leadership, Gold Glove
defense, and timely hitting, on some very good Pirate teams in the late 1980s
and early 1990s. That player's name is, of course, Mike Lavalliere, someone
to whom Gosewisch may most closely compare. The Phillies gave up on Lavalliere
but, hopefully, twenty-some years later, when his time has arrived, they won't
make the same mistake with Gosewisch.
Defense, game calling, and leadership are Gosewisch' calling cards, tools that
don't translate well to the baseball highlight shows of today. But, it's those
tools that will endear him to every manager, pitching coach, and pitcher he
will work with during his career. Since offense rules the headlines, Gosewisch
will probably still be overlooked because he likely won't hit for the high average
or provide the power that most teams look for in their catching prospects. What
he'll give you offensively are good at-bats and timely hitting, the same things
he's been doing for years.
Gosewisch has started his career in Batavia, where he's teaming up with Orlando
Guevara and Louis Marson, arguably the Phillies top catching prospect, but he
could have easily started off in Lakewood to team with Jason Jaramillo, the
Phillies other top catching prospect. This situation, being stuck behind Jaramillo
and Marson, may not leave Gosewisch with much of an opportunity to show his
wars, at least not in the short term. There is a good chance that he won't become
a full-time catcher in the Phillies system until he reaches the upper levels
of the farm system. He and Marson probably will continue to share catching duties
with Guevara in Lakewood in 2006.
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