James Benjamin "Tuffy" Gosewisch (born August 17, 1983), is an American former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the ( home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the ca ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The ...

and

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

. Prior to beginning his professional career, he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...

at Arizona State University. Gosewisch has also competed for the

United States national baseball team The United States national baseball team represents the United States in international-level baseball competitions. The team is currently ranked 5th in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Team USA won the Olympic baseball t ...

Amateur career

Gosewisch attended Horizon High School in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

. 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

for the

Arizona State Sun Devils baseball The Arizona State Sun Devils baseball program at the Arizona State University (ASU) is part of the Pac-12 Conference. Since it became a member of the Pac-12, it had the highest winning percentage, at .681, of all schools that participate in Di ...

team in the Pacific-10 Conference of

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

. 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 The 2005 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was held from May 30 through June 26, . Sixty-four NCAA Division I college baseball teams met after having played their way through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament, to play in t ...

. That season, he was named a semifinalist for the

Johnny Bench Award The Buster Posey Award, formerly known as the Johnny Bench Award, was created in 2000 to honor college baseball's top catcher in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The award is administered by the Greater Wichita Area Sp ...

, given to the best catcher in NCAA Division I. Gosewisch played for the

in the

2011 Pan American Games The 2011 Pan American Games, officially the XVI Pan American Games, was an international multi-sport event that was held from October 14–30, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Some events were held in the nearby cities of Ciudad Guzmán, ...

, winning the silver medal. He also appeared in the

2011 Baseball World Cup The 2011 Baseball World Cup (BWC) was the 39th international Men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, which titled it the Amateur World Series from the 1938 tournament through the ...

Professional career

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Gosewisch in the 11th round (337th overall) of the

2005 MLB draft The 2005 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 7 and 8. It was conducted via conference call with representatives from each of the league's 30 teams. It is widely considered to be one of the bes ...

. He made his professional debut with the

Batavia Muckdogs The Batavia Muckdogs are a collegiate summer baseball team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL). They are located in Batavia, a city in Genesee County, New York, United States. Their home field is Dwyer Stadium in the city of ...

of the Class-A Short Season

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

in 2005. He played for the Clearwater Threshers of the Class A Advanced Florida State League in 2006, and for the Threshers and the

Lakewood BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locat ...

of the Class A

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

in 2007. He played for the Threshers in 2008, then served as the regular catcher for the

Reading Phillies Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...

of the Class AA Eastern League from 2009 to 2012 aside from a stint with the Class AAA

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

of the International League in 2009. The Phillies invited him to spring training in 2012, but assigned him to Lehigh Valley that season.milb.com Tuffy Gosewisch
/ref>

Toronto Blue Jays

On July 31, 2012, the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

acquired Gosewisch from the Phillies and assigned him to the Class AAA Las Vegas 51s of the Pacific Coast League. He played for Las Vegas for he rest of the season and became a free agent after the season.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Gosewisch signed a minor-league contract with the

for the 2013 season. He started the season with the Class AAA

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...

of the Pacific Coast League. He hit .284 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs for Reno, and the Diamondbacks selected his contract on August 1 and promoted him to the major leagues, where he replaced Arizona catcher

Miguel Montero Miguel Angel Montero Fernandez (born July 9, 1983) is a Venezuelan-American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, and Washington Nationals ...

, whom the Diamondbacks placed on the disabled list. Gosewisch made his major league debut the same day. He got his first major-league hit, a single, in the same game. Arizona

optioned In the film industry, an option is a contractual agreement pertaining to film rights between a potential film producer (such as a movie studio, a production company, or an individual) and the author of source material, such as a book, play, or s ...

him back to Reno on August 26, and later recalled him on September 3 after major league rosters expanded to 40 players. Overall, Gosewisch played in 45 games for Arizona in 2013, batting .178 with three RBIs. Gosewisch made the Diamondbacks' 2014 25-man roster; at 30 years of age, it was Gosewisch's first time on an Opening Day roster. He traveled with the Diamondbacks to Sydney, Australia, for the 2014 opening series against the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

, 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. He spent the entire season with the Diamondbacks, appearing in 41 games and batting .225, with one home run and seven RBIs. Gosewisch began the 2015 season as the Diamondbacks' starting catcher. On June 2, however, he was declared out for the season after tearing his left

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligament Cruciate ligaments (also cruciform ligaments) are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee joint and th ...

. He played in 38 games before his injury, batting .211 with one home run and 13 RBIs. During spring training in 2016, Gosewisch batted only .132, while catcher Chris Herrmann, who the Diamondbacks had acquired in a trade in November 2015, hit .229.Anonymous, "D-backs option C Gosewisch to Triple-A Reno," Associated Press, March 31, 2016, 8:41 p.m. EDT.
/ref> To make room for Hermann to serve as their Opening Day back-up catcher, Arizona optioned Gosewisch to Reno on March 31, two days before the start of the season. Gosewisch hit .342 for Reno, with nine home runs and 26 RBIs. The Diamondbacks called him up, and on July 3 he made his major-league season debut, singling in his first at bat. In 33 games with Arizona, he hit .156, with three home runs and seven RBIs.

Atlanta Braves

Gosewisch was claimed off waivers by the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The Braves were founded in Bos ...

on November 18, 2016. Twelve days later, he signed a one-year contract with the team worth $635,000. The Braves designated him for assignment in January 2017.

Seattle Mariners

On January 26, 2017, the

claimed Gosewisch off waivers. He began the season with the Class AAA

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

of the Pacific Coast League. The Mariners called him up on May 5.Mariners 2017 Team Transactions: Trades, DL, Free Agents and Callups – ESPN
/ref> He went 2-for-28 (.075) in 11 games for Seattle, and the Mariners optioned him back to Tacoma on May 22. The Mariners designated him for assignment on August 6 and assigned him outright to Tacoma on August 10. During the 2017 season, he hit .229 with four home runs and RBIs in 85 games for Tacoma. Gosewisch re-signed with Seattle on a minor-league deal on November 6, 2017. He failed to make the major-league roster out of spring training in 2018,Rotowire Staff, "Nationals' Tuffy Gosewisch: Signed by Washington," ssports.com, April 14, 2018, 4:34 p.m.
/ref> and the Mariners released him, on April 5, 2018.

Washington Nationals

On April 13, 2018, Gosewisch signed a minor league contract with the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. The Nationals assigned him to the Class AAA

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in the International League. He elected free agency on November 2, 2018.

Milwaukee Brewers

On December 7, 2018, Gosewisch signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers that included an invitation to spring training. He elected free agency following the 2019 season. On January 9, 2020, Gosewisch re-signed with the Brewers on a minor league deal. He became a free agent on November 2, 2020. In the offseason, Gosewisch retired and joined X10 Capital as the director of baseball relations.

Personal life

Gosewisch's father gave him the nickname “fluffy", when he was six months old, 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. He met his wife, Kyleyn, at Arizona State.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gosewisch, Tuffy 1983 births Living people Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona State Sun Devils baseball players Baseball players from Illinois Baseball players at the 2011 Pan American Games Batavia Muckdogs players Clearwater Threshers players Lakewood BlueClaws players Las Vegas 51s players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players Major League Baseball catchers Mesa Solar Sox players Pan American Games medalists in baseball Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States People from Freeport, Illinois Peoria Saguaros players Reading Phillies players Reno Aces players San Antonio Missions players Scottsdale Scorpions players Seattle Mariners players Syracuse Chiefs players Tacoma Rainiers players Tigres del Licey players American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic United States national baseball team players Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games Anchorage Bucs players