The call came around 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 16. Gwinnett Braves second baseman Phil Gosselin was needed at Turner Field that afternoon.
The next few hours were a whirlwind. Gosselin bolted out of his Norcross home, made his way over to Coolray Stadium to gather his stuff, squeezed in a call to his family and headed to Turner Field to make his major-league debut against the Washington Nationals. By the time the night was over, Gosselin’s phone had died from a barrage of text messages and voice mails congratulating him.
Gosselin sat nervously through nine innings on the Braves’ bench, reminding himself to keep things simple. With the game tied at 2, Gosselin was inserted at second base to start the 10th inning. The nervousness didn’t end until after he cleanly fielded a ground ball and delivered a good throw to first base for a routine out.
“I took a nice deep breath,” Gosselin recalled.
A Justin Upton home run lifted the Braves to a 3-2 victory that night, capping a successful big-league debut for Gosselin.
His stint with Atlanta lasted only four games. He had two hits and scored two runs in six at-bats with Atlanta. It was enough to give him the boost of confidence that he credits for his hot start at Gwinnett this season. As of May 1, Gosselin was hitting .331 with the G-Braves, eight in the league.
“It was a small sample size,” Gosselin said about last season’s call-up, “but I felt I held my own, and it gave me a lot of confidence to know that I could play with those guys. To get that little taste, it made me want to get back up there as soon as I can.”
Gosselin, 25, knows his versatility in the field will help his cause to return to Atlanta. He already has seen playing time at second base, shortstop and third base this season. He also saw time in the outfield during spring training.
“At this point, I think (being a utility player) is going to be my best bet of getting back up there,” Gosselin said. “When I got sent back down, they told me to get stronger and keep working on other positions like I’m doing. I’ve played a lot of second base in pro ball and some outfield. I don’t have as much experience at shortstop and third, but I’ve played shortstop my whole life. I just want to keep being aggressive both in the field and at the plate.”
Highlights
- Eighth in hitting (.331) in the International League through May 1.
- Went 2-for-6 with two runs scored during four-game stint with Atlanta Braves in August.
- Fifth-round draft choice by Atlanta in 2010 from the University of Virginia.
- Has played second base, shortstop and third base this season; played some in the outfield during spring training.
- Promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett from Mississippi on June 21, 2013.
