Washington Nationals prospect profile: Taylor Gushue

Last year, the Washington Nationals made a trade for catcher prospect Taylor Gushue and he’s been crushing home runs in Potomac

A few weeks after the minor league season ended last year, the Washington Nationals sent infielder Chris Bostick to the Pittsburgh Pirates for catcher Taylor Gushue. Bostick made his Major League debut earlier this year. Meanwhile, Gushue is having a great season for the high-A Potomac Nationals.

In his first 32 games, the 23-year-old has a slash line of .300/..386/.673 with 12 home runs (best in Carolina League) and 38 RBI’s (second in the league). Over his last six games, he has ten RBI’s. When I talked to Gushue about his season so far, he told me what has been the key to his power surge:

"“I’m learning how to use my lower half and stay through the ball. Swinging at the right pitches. It’s been great. It’s been really fun.”"

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It’s rare when you see a trade happen between two organizations in late September. In fact, during our interview (full audio below), Gushue tells a story about having to rush to international league and having part of his offseason change:

"“I just started my offseason job and I got the call from Pittsburgh telling me I had been traded,” replied Gushue. “So, I had to quit my job as soon as I got it and go to instructs for a couple of weeks. Preparation in the offseason every year is the same. It was a new experience and cool to be a part of.”"

One of the things that a catcher has to do when joining a new organization is learn about all the pitchers. When I asked Gushue how long it takes to learn about the staff, he told me “as long as I’m catching them in the ‘pen, it takes three times to be inside their head about what they want to do. The hardest thing about a new organization is to learn everyone’s name. The rest is easy.”

Gushue was drafted by the Pirates in the fourth round back in 2014 out of the University of Florida. In his first three professional seasons, he had a total of 18 home runs combined.

Last year, he played in high-A for the Bradenton Marauders in the Florida State League, who eventually won their league championship. Here is what Gushue told me about the differences between the FSL and the Carolina League:

"“Well, the FSL is like the twilight zone of minor league baseball, the worst place to hit, that’s for sure. Carolina League is more forgiving. The parks are a little bit smaller. It was a grind down there.”"

After hitting .293 in the first half of the season, Gushue has actually had a better May compared to April. In 16 games, he is hitting .308 with seven home runs, 20 RBI’s, and an .OPS of 1.165

In addition to his strong offensive stats, Gushue has a good arm behind the plate. So far, he has thrown out 28% of baserunners trying to steal (according to Baseball Reference). That is a five percent increase from his first year in professional baseball.

When you listen to the rest of this interview, you will find more on how Gushue used college baseball to prepare for the pros, the difference between the Pirates and Nats organizations, his goals for the remainder of the season, and much more.

Next: Glover gets his chance

Sure, the Washington Nationals have depth in their farm system at catcher with Pedro Severino at triple-A and Raudy Read at double-A. But, with the way Gushue has been swinging the bat this season, he has definitely opened some eyes to the fans and maybe others in the organization.

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