Offseason Changes Pay Off Early For Taylor Gushue

Catcher Taylor Gushue made a powerful first impression on his new employer.

He entered the season with a career high of eight home runs, but the switch-hitter had his way with pitchers in the high Class A Carolina League in the early going.

Gushue, a fourth-round pick of the Pirates out of Florida in 2014, hit .286/.369/.594 with a league-best 12 home runs through 38 games for Potomac.

“I made some changes in the offseason,” said Gushue, 23. “I learned how to use my lower half and hands better. I also made a lot of strides on becoming a better catcher. It has been great working with Brian Esposito with the Pirates and with (Nationals catching) coordinator Michael Barrett.”

The Nationals acquired Gushue last Sept. 26 for second baseman Chris Bostick. Gushue was able to attend instructional league, but he played sparingly in spring training because of a pectoral injury.

“He didn’t know me, the coaching staff or any of us,” Potomac manager Tripp Keister said. “To try to incorporate that with him learning a pitching staff and also learning about himself offensively, that really tells you that his start is a testament to the work he has put in.”

Keister also has been impressed with Gushue’s communication skills. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound catcher knows enough Spanish to converse with a pitching staff that started the season with five Dominican starters.

Gushue graduated from high school a semester early so he could enroll at Florida in January 2012.

“It just seemed like a good fit at the time (with) how the draft was working in 2012,” Gushue said. “I wasn’t slotted where I wanted to be, and school is important to me. So I decided to go the college route, and I wanted to play at a high level after going to a smaller high school.”

— Lacy Lusk is a writer based in Virginia