Tuffy Gosewisch Demotion Sends Shockwaves Through Fantasy Baseball

Devastating news pierced through the fantasy baseball world on Thursday afternoon when we learned that Tuffy Gosewisch would be sent to Triple-A to start the season.

#Dbacks option catcher Tuffy Gosewisch to the Triple-A Reno @Aces.

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) March 31, 2016

Losing an early round pick like this can be crushing to a team before we even throw a single pitch in the regular season, but you’re not doomed to last place because of it. That said, you have to hold Gosewisch in all formats at this point. He’s too valuable a commodity to just cut willy-nilly. If fools in your league played themselves and cut him, you need to be ready to pounce. Here are the catchers I’d cut to get Gosewisch:

Kyle Schwarber, Brian McCann, Travis d’Arnaud, Salvador Perez, Russell Martin, Yasmani Grandal, Derek Norris, Stephen Vogt, Matt Wieters, Yan Gomes, Devin Mesoraco, Francisco Cervelli, Welington Castillo, J.T. Realmuto, Blake Swihart, Nick Hundley, Miguel Montero, and Wilson Ramos

However, you should keep these guys over Gosewisch, even if he was foolishly cut in your league:

Max Stassi, Carlos Ruiz, Austin Hedges, Steve Clevenger, and Tony Wolters

These are the only backstops capable of out-producing Gosewisch right now so they are the must-keeps. I would maybe add Dustin Garneau to that as well just because of Coors, but let your heart guide you on that one.

I did get one tweet asking me if I’d take Buster Posey in a deal for the Tuffster. He didn’t say what league format so I really have a hard time answering it, but like maybe in a 10-team NL-West only, but I think in every other format you can afford to hang onto ol’ Swischy over a decent guy like Posey. And please don’t comment about the “production” that Posey has put up over Gosewisch. Those are just numbers and guess what won’t help you in 2016? Um, 2015 stats!!! Or 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009. But those are the only seasons where Posey’s “numbers” have been better than Tuffalicious.

And I did hear that one scout said Schwarber’s power is better than Gosey’s, but if you listened to the whole quote, he mentioned that he was talking about raw power aka batting practice power aka 5 o’clock hitter. Plus that doesn’t even discuss Tuffy-Tuff-Tuff’s speed advantage over Schwarber. Sure, Schwarber beat him 3 to 2 in steals, but he needed 31 more games to acquire just 1 extra stolen base and Schwarber was 3-for-6 (50%) while Gosewisch Killa was 2-for-3 (67%). This is why they saw you have to mix scouting and stats. Can’t just be one or the other.

Anyway, bottom line is sit tight with Built Ford Tuffy in most league formats. If you get a once-in-a-lifetime offer like Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg for Gosewisch, you have to consider it, but even then you’d have to give back an SP so it’s not a slam dunk.

Good luck and also…

You got prahnk’t! This is entirely too much Tuffy.