Taylor Gushue Explained

Taylor Gushue
Position:Catcher / First baseman
Birth Date:19 December 1993
Birth Place:Boca Raton, Florida
Bats:Switch
Throws:Right
Debutleague:MLB
Debutdate:June 30
Debutyear:2021
Debutteam:Chicago Cubs
Finalleague:MLB
Finaldate:July 4
Finalyear:2021
Finalteam:Chicago Cubs
Statleague:MLB
Stat1label:Batting average
Stat1value:.000
Stat2label:Home runs
Stat2value:0
Stat3label:Runs batted in
Stat3value:0
Teams:

Taylor Stone Gushue (born December 19, 1993) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 4th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.

Career

Amateur career

A native of Boca Raton, Florida, Gushue attended Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,[1] and the University of Florida. In 2013, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[2]

Pittsburgh Pirates

A fourth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2014 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, Gushue signed for a $388,800 signing bonus. Though drafted as a catcher, Gushue had also played first base at Florida.[3] After signing, he was assigned to the Jamestown Jammers where he batted .241/.336/.402 with five home runs and 29 RBIs.[4]

In 2015, he played with the West Virginia Power, batting .231/.288/.342 with five home runs and 47 RBIs in 99 games.

In 2016, he played with the Bradenton Marauders, where batted .226/.282/.357 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs.

Washington Nationals

On September 26, 2016, he was traded to the Washington Nationals for infielder Christopher Bostick.[5]

While not considered a remarkable hitter in the Pirates organization, Gushue demonstrated an immediate power surge in the Nationals organization, where he started 2017 with the Potomac Nationals.[6] [7] He was named a Carolina League All-Star, alongside teammates Víctor Robles and Kelvin Gutiérrez.[8] Midseason prospect rankings produced by MLB Pipeline saw Gushue vault into the Nationals' top 30 prospects, ranking as their third-best catching prospect behind Raudy Read and Pedro Severino and coming in at 25th overall among Washington prospects.[9] Gushue led the Potomac Nationals in home runs with 18 on the season along with slashing .241/.327/.437 with 67 RBIs.[10] He finished the season with the Harrisburg Senators, playing four games with them.[11] He went on to play for 13 games for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League after the season.[12]

Gushue was invited to participate in 2018 and 2019 spring training with the Nationals.[13] [14] In 2018, playing for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs and the Double-A Harrisburg Senators, he batted .213/.292/.364 with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs.[4] In 2019, playing for the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies, Gushue batted .312/.358/.517 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs.[4] After the season, on October 10, he was selected for the United States national baseball team in the 2019 WBSC Premier 12 tournament in November 2019.[15] Gushue did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[16] On November 2, 2020, he elected free agency.

Chicago Cubs

On November 16, 2020, Gushue signed a minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs organization.[17] He was assigned to the Triple-A Iowa Cubs to begin the 2021 season, where he slashed .272/.328/.440 with 5 home runs and 27 RBI in 36 games. On June 30, 2021, Gushue was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time following an injury to José Lobatón.[18] He made his MLB debut that day as an injury replacement for Patrick Wisdom. Gushue went 0-4 in 2 games with Chicago before he was designated for assignment on July 5.[19] He was outrighted to Iowa on July 8.[20] Gushue became a free agent following the 2021 season.

Washington Nationals (second stint)

On February 10, 2022, Gushue signed a minor league contract to return to the Washington Nationals.[21] He elected free agency on November 10, 2022.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Soft-Spoken Gushue Speaks Loudly with his Bat. MiLB.com.
  2. Web site: #22 Taylor Gushue - Profile . pointstreak.com . May 6, 2020.
  3. News: Pirates agree to terms with fourth-rounder Taylor Gushue. Bucs Dugout. Charlie. Wilmoth. June 12, 2014. July 25, 2017.
  4. Web site: Taylor Gushue College, Minor, Fall & Winter Leagues Statistics & History . Baseball-Reference.com . 2019-11-09.
  5. News: Nats acquire Gushue from Bucs for Bostick. MLB.com. Jamal. Collier. September 26, 2016. July 25, 2017.
  6. News: TAKING A SECOND LOOK AT THE OTHER PIRATES TRADE. The Nats Blog. Zachary. Bohn. May 5, 2017. July 25, 2017.
  7. News: Washington Nationals prospect profile: Taylor Gushue. District on Deck. Ricky. Keeler. May 22, 2017. July 25, 2017.
  8. News: Robles, Gushue, & Gutierrez Named Carolina League Mid-Season All-Stars. Minor League Baseball. June 12, 2017. July 25, 2017.
  9. Web site: 2017 Prospect Watch. MLB.com. July 25, 2017.
  10. News: Minor League Wednesday: A look at how the Nationals' prospects performed in 2017. The Washington Post. September 6, 2017. September 7, 2017.
  11. Web site: Taylor Gushue Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball. MiLB.com. February 20, 2018.
  12. News: AFL Championship Game GameThread: Nationals' prospect Victor Robles in action in AZ.... November 18, 2017. December 3, 2017. Federal Baseball. Patrick. Reddington.
  13. News: Nationals announce 2018 non-roster invitees. Curly W Live. February 14, 2018. February 13, 2018.
  14. News: Setting the bar low: For baseball prospects, a lower jersey number is a positive sign for their career. The Washington Post. Jesse. Dougherty. February 28, 2019. March 24, 2019.
  15. Web site: USA Baseball Names Premier12 Roster . USA Baseball . October 10, 2019 . October 13, 2019.
  16. Web site: 2020 Minor League Season Canceled. MLB Trade Rumors.
  17. Web site: Cubs Sign Five Players To Minor-League Deals. MLB Trade Rumors.
  18. Web site: Cubs Place Jose Lobaton On 60-Day Injured List, Recall Taylor Gushue. MLB Trade Rumors.
  19. Web site: Cubs Sign Robinson Chirinos To Major League Deal. MLB Trade Rumors.
  20. Web site: Minor MLB Transactions: 7/8/21. MLB Trade Rumors. 8 July 2021 .
  21. Web site: Nationals, Taylor Gushue Agree To Minor League Deal. MLB Trade Rumors. 10 February 2022 .