TBNL: Converting to pitching; Mookie to miss Tokyo Series

Converting full-time to pitching is not the newest trend in baseball, but it’s a scenario happening more often.

Anthony Gose is a prime example to point to in recent years. Once viewed as a speedy centerfield prospect, Gose spent parts of five seasons in the majors with the Blue Jays and Tigers between 2012-16. He batted .240/.309/.348 (82 OPS+) in just over 1,200 plate appearances.

After a rough spring training in 2017 that resulted in his option to Triple-A, Gose approached the Tigers about converting to pitching. As Chris McCocky of the Detroit News wrote at the time, Gose pitched in high school and was pressured by collegiate coaches to give pitching a try at the next level. Gose told them he wanted to play the outfield first and would treat pitching as a fallback.

Four years and three organizations later, Gose made his pitching debut for Cleveland in 2021. Over three of the next four seasons (he’d miss 2023 due to Tommy John surgery) Gose would make 31 appearances out of the bullpen, posting a 4.78 ERA (85 ERA+) over 32.0 IP with 41 strikeouts and 17 walks. The Guardians non-tendered him this offseason and Gose signed a minor league deal with the Mets.

Multiple players elected to make such a change heading into this season.

Cleveland jumped into the conversion pool once again in early March, signing Tyler Naquin to a minor league deal as he moves to the mound.

Cleveland’s first-round pick in 2012 (15th overall out of Texas A&M), Naquin spent the first five years of his career in the team’s outfield before leaving in free agency. He spent a season and a half in Cincinnati, some time with the Mets, and finally got into a few games with the White Sox in 2023 before sitting out last season. Naquin slashed .263/.316/.445 (100 OPS+, exactly league-average) in just over 1,800 plate appearances.

The Guardians have yet to assign him to an affiliate and could easily keep him in extended spring training for a few weeks to begin the year.

The latest to join the conversion club is Joey Gallo, who announced the decision on social media Sunday afternoon after being released by the White Sox. Chicago had signed Gallo to a minor league deal in early February, but according to MLB.com’s Jason Foster, Gallo seems to have come into camp with a backup plan in mind. He went 2-for-20 with 11 strikeouts before asking the team for his release.

Gallo spent ten years in the majors as an outfielder/first baseman/designated hitter, batting .194/.319/.456 (106 OPS+) with 208 homers in just over 3,400 plate appearances. He won a pair of Gold Gloves in right field, in part from a superior arm.

Like many players, Gallo also pitched some in high school — where he reportedly touched speeds in the 90s and hurled a no-hitter (he also famously took Greg Maddux’s daughter to the senior prom) — so he does have some experience on the mound to fall back on.

Mookie to miss Tokyo Series

Mookie Betts will miss the Dodgers’ season-opening series in Japan after coming down with an unspecified illness that caused him to “lose close to 15 pounds.” Los Angeles actually sent Betts home from Japan early due to illness, but he’s expected to be ready for their domestic home opener on March 27.

ECU’s Parker Byrd collects first hit

Parker Byrd made history last year when he became the first Division I baseball player to compete with a prosthetic leg. Byrd lost the leg in a boating accident before the start of his freshman year at East Carolina University, but the Pirates elected to keep his scholarship intact.

Byrd added to his story on Friday, collecting the first hit of his career.

Byrd entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the 6th inning of the Pirates’ 12-0 win over William & Mary before singling to left field on the first pitch he’d see. He’d promptly leave the game for a pinch-runner but not before receiving a standing ovation from the home crowd.