Anthony Gose

Detroit Tigers' Anthony Gose bats during a spring game against the Baltimore Orioles in Lakeland, Fla. on March 3.

(AP Photo)

LAKELAND, Fla. -- It was a gutsy call. Some may call it a dumb call. But Detroit Tigers center fielder Anthony Gose went for it anyway against his former team Monday.

And it worked.

Toronto was well aware what Gose brought to the table. Speed. A lot of it. But even a detailed scouting report couldn't bail out the Blue Jays, who only made matters worse by trying to slow down the 24-year-old speedster in the third inning of a spring training game.

On the heels of his RBI double that tied the game at 2-2, Gose made a gutsy call to break for third base after Blue Jays catcher Dioner Navarro haphazardly threw the ball back to pitcher Preston Guilmet.

With no outs and Yoenis Cespedes at the plate, Gose's decision was risky and could probably be characterized as reckless. Gose wouldn't disagree.

"It probably wasn't the smart thing to do," Gose said after the Tigers' 6-4 win. "I just blanked out and took off running."

And it worked.

Guilmet was caught off-guard by the movement and made an erratic throw to third base that sailed wide, allowing Gose to trot home uncontested and break a 2-2 tie.

Asked about the play after the game, Tigers manager Brad Ausmus agreed with Gose. It wasn't the best decision. But there was no sense of disappointment in Ausmus. Actually, Ausmus appeared impressed. Like most observers this spring, he's been surprised by Gose's offense and blazing speed on the basepaths.

"I don't want him to not think he can steal a base," Ausmus said. "But I don't know if that's the way to do it."

With no outs and heart of the order due up, it didn't make sense for Gose to take off. It made even less sense to do it when Navarro threw back to Guilmet, largely because Guilmet is notoriously slow to the plate. Pitchers ideally take 1.3 or 1.4 seconds to deliver the ball to the plate. Guilmet had been clocked at 1.5.

"Gose probably could've stolen that base regularly," Ausmus said.

But this is spring training. This is the time to take gambles. Jobs are on the line. Players are fighting for playing time. A new addition to the Tigers organization, Gose is one of them.

Ausmus hasn't exactly defined Gose's role heading into the 2015 season, but given the presence of Rajai Davis, it's not difficult to see that Gose and Davis are essentially competing for playing time in center field this spring.

"The way I look at it, and I think the way Rajai looks at it, we don't make out the lineup," Gose said. "We have no control. Brad Ausmus and the coaching staff make out the lineup. That's their job."

But Gose might be making their job easier.

Through five games this spring, Gose is hitting a team-high .571 with a .625 on-base percentage. He also leads the team with three stolen bases and a triple.

When the Tigers acquired Gose this past November from the Blue Jays, it was well known he could play stellar defense. The big question facing Gose was whether he could consistently hit in the majors -- particularly left-handed pitchers.

A career .234 hitter, Gose hit .180 off lefties last season and seemed like a perfect fit to platoon in center with Davis, who hits left-handers much better than righties. But Gose is quickly making a strong case this spring that he should play every day.

Gose has two hits off left-handed pitchers this spring and is now 8 for 13 overall with four RBIs and a 1.411 OPS. He has a team-high 11 total bases, and may get more opportunities against southpaws this spring to see if he can hit them consistently.

Recognized as one of the top defensive center fielders in the league, the Tigers know Gose can play defense every day. Now they want to know if he can hit.

And Gose is up to the challenge.

"I feel like I'm one of the better guys out there," he said. "I want to prove that I'm the best."

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