It’s one of the most asked questions from fans of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

“Whatever happened to…?”

It seems like in minor league baseball a player is here and then he’s not. Some are traded or become minor league free agents, some graduate to the majors never to return to a minor league ballpark again, and others simply fade into the woodwork only to become a memory or possibly an answer to a trivia question.

It happened last week when someone asked, “whatever happened to Tuffy Gosewisch?” James Benjamin Gosewisch is now 40 years old and was originally drafted by the Phillies in the 11th round of the 2005 Draft. He never did make the majors with the Phillies and was traded to Toronto in 2012. He played out the rest of the season in the minors with the Blue Jays before he became a minor league free agent and signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, with whom he made his MLB debut on August 1, 2013. Over four seasons, Gosewisch would play 126 games with the D-Backs. He was Arizona’s starting catcher to open the 2015 season but tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in June and missed the rest of the season. He played in 11 games for Seattle in 2017 and overall hit five home runs with a .190 average over five major league seasons. After Philadelphia and Toronto, Gosewisch played in the minors for Atlanta, Washington, and Milwaukee in addition to his time in the majors. When Gosewisch retired following the 2020 season, he became the Director of Athlete Relations with X10 Capital.

Another popular IronPigs catcher is Rob Brantly, who at age 34 is still playing with the Durham Bulls. In 27 games with Durham this season, Brantly has played in 15 games behind the plate and four at first base with his other outings coming as a designated hitter. Brantly is still productive with a line of 3-10-.264/.327/.396 as a Bull. This is Brantly’s 15th season as a player and since making his MLB debut in 2012 with the Marlins, he has played in the big leagues with the White Sox, Giants, Yankees, and yes, the Phillies where he played in one game in 2019. He hit .225 in 135 major league games and in the minors has played in six different leagues for 15 different minor league teams where he has amassed a total of 960 games and a slash line of 75-431-.272/.329/.396.

In 2016 the big debate among Phillies minor league aficionados was who would be a better major leaguer, Rhys Hoskins or Dylan Cozens. Cozens hit a franchise record 40 home runs with Reading that season and Hoskins hit 38. It was a fun summer in Baseball Town watching those two go back and forth. The next season, Cozens average dropped to just .210 although he still hit 27 home runs with Lehigh Valley. Hoskins though was the International League MVP and hit .284 with 28 home runs and made a splash when he debuted with the Phillies late that season. That’s where the debate ended and eventually, Cozens retired to try out for the New England Patriots, chasing his dream of playing in the NFL. While Cozens never officially became a two-sport star, he did play in the majors with the Phillies in 2018 and 2019, hitting one home run and batting .154. In 2021, Cozens signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee – which is ironically where Hoskins is playing now – and finished his career that season with a .177 average in 31 games.

Some former IronPigs players are now in the coaching ranks. Brock Stassi (2016-2017) came back to the Phillies organization after his playing days and is now the batting coach for the Reading Fightins. Pitcher Barry Enright (2014) retired following the 2018 season and worked his way through the coaching ranks to become the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels under manager Ron Washington.

Among former Lehigh Valley managers, Dusty Wathan is currently the Phillies third base coach, Gary Jones is on the Detroit Tigers coaching staff, and Dave Brundage is in his eighth season as the coach of the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. “Brundy,” as he was known, got the Sacramento job after leaving the Phillies organization following the 2017 season and this year marks his 28th season as a minor league manager. In Columbus, Andy Tracy, who is perhaps the all-time fan favorite among players is in his fourth season as the manager of the Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

ON THE FIELD… Lehigh Valley went 2-4 on their trip to Syracuse and are now 29-38, 12 ½ games behind Syracuse (42-26) in the IL East. This week, the Norfolk Tides (35-34) are in town for six games.

I KNOW YOU… With the Tides rolling in, look for former IronPigs infielder Nick Maton to return to town. Maton played with Lehigh Valley in 2021 and also played with the Phillies in 52 games that season before being traded to Detroit. The 27-year-old is batting .286 in 40 games with Norfolk and has played second, third, short and left field this season. Norfolk also has former MLB pitcher Julio Tehran, who had his major league career sidetracked by injuries and continues to look for a way back to the majors.