Carlos Gomez: Should he stay or should he go (to the minors)?
Posted on April 24th, 2008 – 9:47 AMBy Howard
When Michael Cuddyer is ready to come off the disabled list, which could be as soon as Friday, the Twins will have to send someone to the minors. Until this week, it looked certain that Denard Span would be the guy, getting a two-week look at life in the majors before being returned to Rochester.
However, the struggles of Gogomez are likely causing the front office to think this one over.
A quick argument for keeping Gomez here is that he has had some electric moments, has played very well on defense (including two extraordinary catches) and should only get better by being around the majors. Is it really any different than having today’s starter, Francisco Liriano, on the roster after his Tommy John surgery?
A quick argument for sending Gomez down is that he has been totally painful to watch at the plate, with only 6 hits in his last 45 at-bats and no walks. His attempts at bunting are horrible, both in execution and sometimes when he decides to try one. In addition, he appeared to take his batting struggles into the field on Tuesday with a careless error.
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67 Responses to "Carlos Gomez: Should he stay or should he go (to the minors)?"
He got the day off yesterday. I would be fine with him getting the day off today. Denard Span can start the game this afternoon… and then be sent back to AAA. I really believe the day or two off for Gomez could be beneficial, and it is worth giving him another shot. If after another week to 10 days, he hasn’t made any adjustments, then send him down.
I agree with Seth. The Twins knew what they were getting into bringing him up. Give him some time to get his mind off his slump and then put him in for the Texas series. If he doesn’t turn it around, maybe shuffle the lineup a bit (Gomez 9th?) for a series and send him down if he’s still not improving.
I dunno who they have leadoff at that point (Harris…Tolbert…?)
Send Span down when Cuddy gets here. Then if Span goes down, give Pridie a try. They’re rebuilding, so why not try different pieces to see what works.
a big question is there the coaching at aaa to help if he is sent down? they haven’t exactly been seding up a stream of major league ready hitters the last few years. sending him down doesn’t do any good if there isn’t anyone there to help him improve.
I agree with gobble. What AAA coaches can help him? He could benefit from one-on-one instruction from Carew or Molitor, hitters w/ quick compact swings.
Can someone please explain why the Twins didn’t leave Gomez down in AAA for the first 2 months of the season? It would have lowered the pressure on him and added a year to his arbitration elgibility. The Rays did it with Longoria. It was absolutely ridiculous that they basically wasted a year of Gomez.
What coaches with the MLB team is going to help Gomez? We know that Vavra is pretty worthless. I wouldn’t think the coaches down in AAA are any worse. Maybe Mauer could help him but other than that the Twins aren’t going to be much different than Rochester.
Send him down. He is exciting to watch when he is on, and I think he will eventually be a very valuable member of this team, but right now it is clear he isn’t ready.
it seems everyone is ready to kick punto off the wagon and now pile on gomez. he is not the “problem” the entire lineup is. monroe has so 36% his ab’s, gomez 27% and kubal 24%.
team rankings: out of 14 al teams
10th hits,
13th runs,
last bb,
8th ave.
5th so, 1 being worst,
13th slg, and
last 14th obp.
this not just gomez it is a team effort!
We knew that by having someone who is mentally a rookie even though he doesn’t count anymore as a starter meant that he would have some growing pains to deal with. When he was hitting like crazy, I and many others said that the true test of whether he was truly ready for the majors was how he would handle his first slump. EVERY major leaguer has periods where they can’t hit to save their lives. We have to let him play this out and TREAT him like a big leaguer if we want him to act like one. Give him a chance to work his own head and do what we would do for anyone else. He needed a day or two on the bench to restart and then we’ll see where he goes when he comes back to position.
The most important to helping Gomez right now is Gomez. Let’s see what he does with this opportunity. We have a bit longer to wait before we say “ship him back down to get his confidence back”.
Anyone that thought Gomez was actually ready to start the season in the bigs in the first place was deluding themselves.
We thought of the promise he showed, and all the tools, and such–but in reality we all knew he wasn’t up to it.
He’s clearly not ready to face major league pitching yet. He should be at Rochester right now learning to control the strike zone, make contact, and find a consistent swing.
I’d be surprised if he is truly ready this season. I’d keep Span up and perhaps see what Pridie can do off the bench.
Right now he is the best offensive and defensive centerfielder the Twins have on the roster (look at the numbers) and he will continue to improve if he receives proper instruction and if his coaches and manager make an effort to communicate with him.
So far his production, albeit subpar, has exceed that of Cuddyer before he got hurt, has exceeded that of Span, that of Everett, that of Redmond, that of Lamb. So he should be a bit higher than them in the pecking order.
Last night’s performance indicated that, even with Gomez siting, this team has a hard time scoring runs. Gomez is an exciting player to watch, and leads the league in stolen bases. He is part of the solution. The Twins manager & coaching staff are the problem, not Gomez.
Sent Vavra/Ulger/Stelly packing and get some real coaches up here…
Agreed, it is a team effort. However, Gomez never should have been up with the big club in the first place. Everyone said that when they traded for him, and then let the excitement of one ST get to them.
Just another in a long series of bad decisions when it comes to hitters for this organization.
If they don’t think their minor league coaches help players get better, then they better fire them. If they have confidence in their minor league coaches, they should send Gomez down.
And, I fee the same way about Liriano. If you can’t throw your fastball over the plate, you should be re-habbing in the minors, not the majors.
There should be no surprise that he is raw - that was apparent even back during the trade talks. The Twins are rebuilding and this is getting him ML experience. As Jerry Doucette sang: “Mama, Let Him Play”
Is there any kind of teacher at AAA? He won’t learn at this level. Vavra seems to be the second coming of Dick Such. I will never forget Radke saying that Such came out to the mound one day and said “throw strikes. you’re pi$$ing off the manager”. Kelly wouldn’t allow management to replace him (pinochle partner). Now, that’s coaching! Maybe Mauer needs to learn spanish.
Was digging to find an interview of Gardy and Vavra discussing Gomez on April 4th.
Here are some quotes about Gomez:
Vavra: He’s got a good eye
Vavra: He’s good at bunting both ways.
Is the point made about who really is the problem here?
Start Monroe in center for the pop, pinch run later in the game with Gomez so he can score and he can play center then.
Send him down. He looks over matched at this point. A trip to AAA might help get things together for him.
He should be sent down for a month or so. He needs it, it’s glaringly obvious. Span’s numbers might not be great, but he at least looks like he has a plan at the plate. Gomez goes up there hacking, which is fine if you can put the bat on the ball, but he hasn’t been. Send him down, build his confidence and bring him up in May or June. He’s far and away the most exciting player on this team, but he could be so much more exciting when he learns how to get on base regularly. We cannot have a leadoff hitter with a 10-1 strikeout to walk ratio.
having a little pet project on the team is fine as long as the other “leaders” on the team can absorb the mistakes he’s making. Right now the only thing they’re absorbing is called strikes. At least GoGo’s swinging-albeit badly.
Gotta send him down. It’s not his numbers, it’s the quality of his at bats. Truth is he doesn’t know how to hit, grossly so. Whatever he’s done he’s done on raw talent alone.
If he was 24 or 25, I’d say bring him up and let him learn here. As a 22 year-old, who is overmatched by major league pitching, why rush him. About the coaching, he’ll get it here or there it’s not the issue. It’s the quality of the pitching he’ll see.
If you are going to send Gomez down, you might as well send Lamb with him. Oh, and you should’ve sent Punto down a long, LONG time ago.
Dude has had over 1,000 minor league atbats and still swings like a girl.
1,000 minor league at bats is not even 3 years worth.
I’m with the move him down in the order crowd. Take some of the pressure off him and see what happens. When Cuddy comes back i’m asuming he will be in the 3 spot and Mauer back in the 2 spot where he belongs. I think Harris could fill the role of leadoff hitter.
can’t we just send punto down? seems it would be better for both span and gomez to stick around for a bit…
yeah, punto is great for defense… but he could use the confidence at the plate
this club isn’t gonna win a championship this year so keep the kid up here and let him take his lumps. He doesn’t appear to be so fragile that it will set him back in his confidence for years to come. Varva needs to put a moratorium on the bunts for awhile except in sacrafice situations.
Give him time to develop in AAA. Its better for his development to be a big fish in a small pond for the time being. We don’t want to shatter his confidence.
send him down, Span is a more polished hitter at this point and can work the count and only a slight drop off in the field
I agree with Brock. Enough with the bunting already. It is predictable and annoying all at the same time. As for keeping him up or sending him down? I say send him down and go with Span.
Depth Chart:
LF: Young/Kubel
CF: Pridie/Monroe (or vice versa)
RF: Cuddyer/ Barry Bonds
DH: Barry Bonds/Kubel
that should increase on-base percentage and slugging percentage of this line-up, right? Should help Morneau and Cuddyer with getting good pitches, too.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/04/24/thomas.oakland.ap/index.html
at least people can stop whining that they want the big hurt
the question remains what makes anyone think a time in aaa will make him a better hitter. they have not produced a major league ready hitter in 4 years? kubal would be the last?
imo the organization needs to address the way they are producing or the lack of producing hitters. it also looks like guys come over here and regress rather than progress.
Keep him up. The Twins are several pieces away from seriously contending for a playoff spot. Hopefully being around big league hitters can eventually rub off and he can be a major piece of a playoff run over the next several seasons. Sending him down at this point is going to mess with his head, and the last thing the Twins need is someone who is constantly worrying about being sent down everytime he gets called up. Remember how much Cuddyer improved once he became a consistent everyday player? Same principle.
I’d play Gomez this afternoon to see if he learned anything from his day off before making my decision. And most importantly I’d let him know this and watch if/how the pressure affects him.
Gomez is 22 years old. There is no rush with this kid. Send him down to AAA and see what he can do there. Span is obviously a more patient hitter and can help the bug club more at this point. If Gomez is going to stay in the majors he definetly should not be leading off. He needs to learn to be more selective with the pitches he swings at. Hitting him near the bottom of the order may take some pressure off and may put him in a better situation.
I don’t feel strongly either way, to be honest. I was totally in agreement with sitting him last night.
I’d be fine with keeping him around a couple more weeks to see if his plate discipline can be improved. But there’s a legitimate argument to be made that the competition between he and Span coming out of Spring Training was so close that sending Gomez down and giving Span three weeks or so of regular playing time would be fair.
If Gomez does stay with the Twins, I do believe he needs to be dropped to the bottom of the order until he finds his stroke. He’s clearly not performing as a lead off hitter at this point and maybe removing the added pressure of hitting lead off would help him relax.
1,000 minor league at bats is not even 3 years worth.
They barely get 400 at-bats a season in the minors.
Whether the Twins should have started the season with Gomez in Center over Span is irrelevant at this point. They chose Gomez; rather than looking back and second guessing the decision, the focus should be going forward and what’s going to be best for Gomez & the Twins in the long-term future.
I think they should keep him up here because Gomez’s mental state (baseball is such a mental game) and confidence have taken such a huge blow (watch him after he strikes out, he looks devastated). Sending a young kid down after 3 1/2 weeks, after you’ve already told him that he’s ready by starting the season with him up here, would kill any confidence he has left. At that point he either turns it around, recognizes what he needs to work on and fixes it OR starts acting like Matt Garza (i.e. the Twins are looking for a new center fielder .
Gomez is here for the long term future, let him stay up here and work on things in small doses and in turn, I think his confidence and mature grow together, as opposed to breaking him down completely by sending him down.
GoGo and Morneau are the ONLY reasons to watch the twins!
I watch every game I can and I will continue to due so, but this is a boring team.
I expected this team to hit more!!
I know that the season is still young but when are Lamb, Young, Mauer going to start to hit! The only exciting pitcher left now is Nathan…..I hope that I can be excited about Liriano in the future because he’s duller than a butter knife right now! He should go to the minors not GoGo at least he’s fun to watch!
I thought from the first comments published in spring training that this guys ego overshadowed his talent–although I do believe that his potential is considerable.
The best thing that could happen to this kid is go back to the minors and eat a little humble pie. When he comes back he might be a bit more adaptable to coaching and mentoring from his teamates–respecting them rather than assuming he’s “one of the boys”.
The second best thing he might learn is that it’s OK to just get a hit to get on base and not attempt to bunt anywhere in the count. This tells me he really doesn’t believe he can hit his way on base.
Span doesn’t have near the potential that this kid has, but he won’t kill us in the interim either.
Our starter, other than Liriano, have shown that we don’t need a twelve man pitching staff!
Span is the worst player on the team even worse that Punto!
It’s real easy to say Gomez should be sent down given the last week or so but I guarantee no one was thinking that 10 days ago.I would be in favor of letting him go into mid May before making a decision.I agree with T as far as Pridie goes,but a roster move would need to be made.Do the Twins still need 13 pitchers? I still don’t like the idea of Everett,Punto and Tolbert taking up roster space either.All three are going to end up giving you about the same thing and two of the three would be plenty IMO.
What about a platoon for now between Gomez and either Span or Pridie(assuming a roster move)? Just tossing it out for some talk.
He should be in the minors. He never should’ve started with the big league club. The idea is that he’ll be going against weaker pitching in AAA and might actually have some success, which will build his confidence. He might also learn a few things about taking pitches and not swinging at sliders down and away (although Hunter has never learned that).
Yes, he can be a game-changer. But he can change a game in two ways. So far, most of his game-changing has come by being an automatic out. At the very least, if he stays up, he should hit 9th and Harris should lead off.
And to clarify, I’m not “piling on” Gomez. He has crazy talent–why not learn how to harness it and mix it with some confidence? I’d rather let him grow at AAA than put up a sub-mendoza batting average through an entire year in the majors.
Wherever the kid is, the staff should put his feet in buckets of cement, stand him in the box and TEACH HIM TO BUNT!!
JimCrikket says a lot of what I was going to say, so I’ll just focus on one other point:
Right now I think Gomez is caught between the dichotomy of big-league baseball: to impress somebody and move up, you’ve got to show you can go at 100% and make things happen. Once you’re in the big leagues, though, you can’t be going 100% all the time — sometimes going all out all the time is the worst thing for you (best example: Gomez’s throws to the infield while running at top speed, tailing off in random directions). As a big-leaguer, you need to be able to play under control, knowing when to go full-out and when to hold back (hitting the cut-off man instead of throwing home, going the other way for a single instead of swinging for the fences, etc.)
If it’s true that Gomez’s biggest need is learning to play under control, it’d probably be best for him to learn that in the bigs, around other players who’ve already figured that out, even if this means that he’s not going to be a regular at age 22 anymore. There’s plenty of time for him to become a regular by age 24 and still have a long, productive Twins career.
If, on the other hand, the Twins think Gomez is still missing some fundamental skills, then sending him down to play every day would be a better idea; he can learn those skills in a lower-pressure (but still pressured — ask Denard Span) environment and work his way back into being regarded as a starting-caliber big leaguer.
Remember Gary Pettis? Angels CF during the 80’s….career .230 hitter roughly. Man, he could track down any ball hit to the outfield. Fly like the wind. Steal bases. Great defense, won some gold gloves. But couldnt hit a lick. Gomez reminds me of Pettis. Wonder what ever happened to Pettis? Seems to me like we have a guy very similar to Pettis. I dont know that the Twins lineup, over the long run, can afford .230 from the CF position.
can we not do better than carlos gomez? so much for the element of surprise when you try and bunt your way on every at bat. he strikes out more than adam dunn. adam dunn hits ding dongs though. a heavy can strike out a lot and you live with it. your lead off hitter cannot. he looks so lost up there. adios vato
If we send Gomez down who plays center…Span is terrible!!
Pridie is OK but seems to get no consideration because this organization didn’t blow a first round pick on him.
Give it up Twins Org. SPAN IS A BUST YOU BLEW YOUR FIRST ROUND PICK ON A GUY WHO JUST DIDN’T SPAN I MEAN PAN OUT!
kENNY lOFTON STILL AVAILABLE?
I think what they should do before sending him to the minors, is upon Cuddyer’s return, use Harris/Tolbert, etc in the leadoff spot, Mauer back to 2, Cuddy at 3, etc and put Gomez lower in the order and see how he responds. Still struggles, send him down to fight through things and get confidence down there, otherwise, you need to go through these things to figure out if you can rely on him being a player for the future
Wonder whatever happened to Pettis?
he is the 1B coach for the Rangers since last year. Before that he was a coach with the WhiteSox and Mets
shameless- You may be right regarding Span.Spans credentials in the minors don’t add up to Pridies, yet Gardenhire said almost from the get go in ST that the only way Pridie would make the team would be as a spare OF.Yet when Cuddyear got hurt Span, who had never played RF before, gets the call up.It does look as if the Twins are trying to save face with Span.
Kenny Lofton- no thanks.
And how is it whining when some people thought it would nice to have Frank Thomas DH for the Twins? He’s certainly been better historically then anyone the Twins have penciled into the DH spot.
There are alot of players who “historically” are better than the Twins have penciled into the DH spot.That doesn’t mean it is the right move for the Twins at this time.The time for Thomas was in ‘06 when the Twins had a core group of players worthy of a run at the title.That doesn’t exist with the current team.Thomas, IF and I say IF, he produces at last years level may propel the Twins from 75 wins to 81 wins.But they are better off giving the ABs to a still young hitter like Kubel, who stands a much greater chance of producing beyond this throw away year.
Go Go HR!!!!!
Gomo just jacket a home run. Lets send him back to the Minors … quick
NO, Gomez is learning. The twins should sent liriano to the minors or put him in the bullpen because he was horrible today.
Gomez and Liriano can car pool to Rochester!
There seems to be (mostly) agreement that Gomez needs to develop. But in the majors or at AAA?
IMHO, I would prefer he experiences greater success while developing (he is likely to hit much better in AAA). I think he will be a better player in 2009 if that is the case. Even if it is just 1-2 more months of AAA. IMHO.
Gomez and Monroe have now this week bought more time.
In a different sense, Punto too.
Can’t imagine Liriano will see any more MLB for some weeks. Twins don’t need a 5th pitcher again until May 10th, when Slowey should be ready.
The bottom line is the Twins should have never let Torii Hunter get away. How do you NOT resign the FACE of your franchise?
A buddy of mine and I were talking about this very same issue this afternoon on the phone and we both agreed that this is a LARGE part of the Twins problem. Ownership will not dish out the money it takes, and they have the money, to put a successful, competative, winning team on the field. It’s sad, I feel bad for guys like Justin Morneau, and Joe Maur because they grew up in the Twins system and the way things are going now they will NEVER win a Championship with the organization.
The worst part is if the trend continues both of them will be gone in a few years.
It’s very frustrating being a Twins fan who has seen the glory days of Pucket, Molitor and Winfield, granted I was a boy, but still.
Here Ends my rant.
Resigning Hunter was NOT the right move. If the Angels want to send $90MM his way, God bless them. But the Twins DO need to get a big-league bat. I said it in December, I said it in March, I’ll be saying it again in August. As gobbledygookguy pointed out, the Twins offense is terrible and 70 wins is going to be a stretch for them this year.
Gomez should be whereever gives him the most opportunity to improve.
the glory days of Pucket, Molitor and Winfield
The days of Molitor and Winfield were all but glorious for the Twins…
God. That was a horrible game.
Anyone who thinks that Gomez should be in AAA doesnt know what they are talking about. Why would you send him down? Just because he has a .250 BA? Look around baseball and see how many players are sitting at .250 or below right now…are they going to get sent down? What about Mauer when he was 0-12? No talk of sending him down. Let the kid have his mistakes up here this year, putting him down in AAA is not going to benefit him at all. He plays great D in CF and when he is on base he can make things happen, something this team needs. Twins would need a miracle season to make the postseason this year, sorry if i burst anyones bubble. Let him work it out in MN.
He hit for the cycle, but then a again he is overmatched, or so says joe…
