Philadelphia Phillies Organization
The Philadelphia Phillies selected Gradoville in the 37th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball draft with the 1,109th overall pick. Following the draft, he signed with the organization and began his professional career in the Phillies' farm system.
Over the next several seasons, Gradoville played for the Gulf Coast League Phillies, Lakewood BlueClaws, Clearwater Threshers, Reading Phillies, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, Ottawa Lynx, and Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He reached the Triple-A level in 2005 and spent portions of multiple seasons between Double-A and Triple-A. He became widely known as a strong defensive backup catcher, stating, "That's one of my strengths... It's a challenge to me when a guy goes. I always want to make a good throw." Over eight minor league seasons, Gradoville appeared in 398 games and compiled a .210 batting average with 247 hits, 9 home runs, 92 runs batted in, and 37 stolen bases. He reached the Triple-A level with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Ottawa, and Lehigh Valley. After the 2006 season, he was ranked the best defensive catcher in the Phillies system by Baseball America.
One of the most productive years of his career came in 2006 with the Reading Phillies. Despite missing time after suffering a broken jaw when struck by a pitch, Gradoville batted .261 and led Eastern League catchers by throwing out 52.9 percent of attempted base stealers. During the 2006 season he received the Eugene L. Shirk Community Service Award, an annual honor presented by the Reading Phillies. He was also the team's Gold Glove award honoree in 2007.
Major League Call-Up
Gradoville's season with Double-A Reading had ended when he received word that the Phillies were promoting him to the major league roster. He had been discussed as a possible Triple-A postseason addition, but instead was told he was going to the major leagues.
The promotion came as Philadelphia sought additional catching depth during a playoff race while Mike Lieberthal was dealing with back spasms. Gradoville joined the Phillies for a 10-game road trip through Miami, Atlanta, and Houston, while Chris Coste and Carlos Ruiz split playing time behind the plate and Lieberthal recovered. Gradoville did not appear in a game during his time with Philadelphia. As the National League Wild Card race intensified and Lieberthal returned to action, the Phillies determined that they no longer needed to carry four catchers. On September 23, 2006, Gradoville was sent outright to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and removed from the roster.
Gradoville later said that he understood the circumstances that kept him out of the lineup, noting that the Phillies were in a close playoff race and that he was unlikely to receive “a token start or a token at-bat.” Although he never appeared in a Major League game, he described the experience positively. “I was there. I was really close. And those were the best two weeks of my playing career,” he said.
