Terdoslavich, Gosselin look to return to the majors

Terdoslavich Eliminates Worry Over Braves Future

Durham, NC – The Gwinnett Braves of the International League opened their season on the road against the Durham Bulls, splitting the four-game series.

Notably present was outfielder Joey Terdoslavich, who spent Spring Training in big league camp, and was assigned to Triple-A to begin 2014. The spring was an interesting one for Terdoslavich, who the Braves tried out behind the plate.

"I haven’t done it since," Terdoslavich said on Opening Day at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. "They just didn’t continue with it. "

Terdoslavich had already been focusing on learning to play the outfield, so eliminating another position just allows him to focus on what he’s still trying to polish.

"I’m still getting my reads right. It’s only been a year, you know. Just doing extra work at BP to get those right has helped."

The experience of being at big league camp, then starting the season at the Triple-A level didn’t affect his sense of purpose.

"I wasn’t expecting anything either way. I don’t worry. It works itself out. I worry about what I can do here. The ultimate goal is to be at the highest level. I can control my game here, and I can control my attitude."

Terdoslavich has started the season with four hits through four games, with a double, two RBI and two walks.

"You’re only a step away here," said Gwinnett second baseman Phil Gosselin before Game Two of the Four-Game series against Durham.

And with Gwinnett just 28 miles from the big league club Braves, that’s more than accurate. It’s all right there. And Gosselin has steadily developed through the levels with consistency. After splitting time almost equally between Double-A and Triple-A (59 games with Mississippi, 58 with Gwinnett, and add to that 4 with the Braves), Gosselin is getting the full experience. He pointed out the differences: pitchers have better command, they adjust quickly to beat you, so you have to adjust just as quickly. The jump, he said, wasn’t without bumps.

"I struggled the first few weeks [with Gwinnett last year]. But I started to get the feel of how they were throwing me."

Gosselin was born and raised in West Chester, PA, a graduate of Malvern Prep. He’s also the product of a well-known Pennsylvania learning facility called The All-Star Baseball Academy. It’s a place Bulls first baseman Vince Belnome, a native of nearby Coatesville, PA, also got a lot of practice at. Gosselin gives the academy a ton of credit not just for what he learned, but for actually steering him to go pro.

"I didn’t know if I was going to play professionally, I just knew I wanted to play college baseball. Not a lot of schools were interested, so I really believe that ASB helped me in getting into a good school like the [University of ]Virginia. They’re very connected, also. I was a late bloomer, and I think they really gave me a better chance."

Gosselin was drafted in 2010 in the 5th round by the Braves. Hitting .364 through three games, with four hits and three runs scored, the righthanded hitter is keeping his eye on the highest level of the minor league game.

"You have to be ready to go, ready for the big club, at any time," he said.

Now more than ever, it’s always just one step away.