Parkland grad Gabe Mosser made no-brainer decision to sign with Phillies

READING Gabe Mosser spent the first six years of his professional baseball career catching up with friends and family after spending his springs and summers in places such as El Paso, San Antonio, Fort Wayne, Tri-City and Lake Elsinore.But one of the Parkland graduates first phone calls after the 2024 season was to the Philadelphia Phillies.The lifelong Phillies fan was a free agent for the first time.Right after the World Series, the 28-year-old pitcher said.

I reached out to the Phillies who said, Wed love to have you.Theres a lot of upside to coming home.

In San Diego, I had a great staff there, great people there.

It was awesome, but things change.The Padres 27th-round pick in 2018 out of Shippensburg University is three starts into his first season with the franchise he grew up cheering for.

He has a 6.75 ERA in 13 1/3 innings for Double-A Reading.Mosser came off his first season at Triple-A with a 5.40 ERA in 28 games (26 starts) in El Paso then made four appearances in the Arizona Fall League.It showed that I could compete at a higher level, Mosser said.

Early in the [2024] season, there were some adjustments.

I was just OK.

But then I started finding my groove, started understanding hitters, attacking hitters in certain ways.It was a definite learning experience.Mosser also made an adjustment to his arm slot, dropping down to three-quarters at the behest of El Paso pitching coach Scott Mitchell.It allowed Mosser to move the ball around more and throw more strikes.

He used his sinker, four-seam fastball, sweeper and cutter.

The sweeper was a transition from a slider he threw for much of his career to that point.I started getting more carry and getting that sweep, Mosser said.

The four-seamer is relatively new, too.

I was pretty dominant with the sinker.Like many pitchers today, Mosser turned to technology to help him find something with his pitches to gain an advantage over the hitters.

He said the recent changes have kept him healthier than hed been previously.The Allentown native made only five starts for Double-A San Antonio in 2022 before having Tommy John surgery.

But there was a silver lining to the scary thought that perhaps his arm would not bounce back, and he had thrown his last pitch as a professional.He spent time rehabbing with former Phillies standout Cole Hamels, who was attempting a final comeback from shoulder injuries with his hometown Padres.The sweat and tears of a lengthy rehab was made bearable by being able to talk pitching with someone he grew up admiring.As a Phillies fan, I appreciated how good they were, Mosser said.

[Ryan] Howard, [Shane] Victorino, [Scott] Rolen, [Jimmy] Rollins, [Chase] Utley, Hamels, [Roy] Halladay.

All Hall of Famers.I got to know [Hamels].

It was pretty cool to get to know a guy you watched on TV.Mosser was pretty good at baseball from a young age.

It was his first love.

It was his only love.

But he has one regret.

He played a lot of sports, including golf and football.

But he stopped playing football at Parkland in high school.Coaches and classmates pleaded with him to come back out, knowing hed be a good quarterback.I regret it every day, Mosser said.Mosser has no regrets about his life in baseball.

Hes enjoyed every season, every challenge.

Hes hoping to make it more than just one season with the Phillies.

He dreams of pitching in the major leagues for his favorite team.Reading pitching coach Brad Bergesen said there is a lot to like about the 28-year-old.Hes a great person, Bergesen said.

We love having him around.

Hes got good energy, a great personality.

He can go after guys in so many different ways, back-door cutter, front-door cutter.

Theres some Greg Maddux in there.

He has a lot of pitchability.Mosser works hard on his craft every day, always looking for an edge and a way to improve because he knows nothing is guaranteed.I could get released tomorrow, he said.

Its more about being consistent, being myself, being a good teammate.There definitely were times in my career when Im like, Its almost over.

Am I done? Especially after Tommy John in 2022.

But as long as I get paychecks and an opportunity ...Morning Call senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at [email protected].

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