SB Nation - Chris Gomez

The Battle for 25th Man

SC — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:32:13 -0000

One of the first things I ever did on this site was give way too much of a crap about the Chris Gomez v. Enrique Wilson utility infielder battle of Spring Training 2005. Gomez won. All was right with the world. Gomez then hit .279/.359/.342 in 2005 and poked even more singles around in spot duty the next two seasons, and now he's back in camp, but he's really too old now and his numbers in '08 with the Pirates (.273/.322/.333) show his usefulness fading.

Still, Enrique Wilson got 22 ABs with the Cubs in 2005 and never played again.

This spring it's not really a battle. There's a super sub role open with the team, and though the O's traded for Ryan Freel who fills the role nicely, there's also Jolbert Cabrera -- who was once shot in the buttocks -- and I think he deserves a long look.

Numbers this spring:

Player	AB	AVG	OBP	SLG	BB/K	SB/CS
Ryan Freel	35	.257	.366	.314	2/11	6/0
Jolbert Cabrera	24	.417	.400	.542	0/3	1/0

Freel's going to play a lot if they can help it. He adds plenty to the team in theory. He's got plate discipline, which makes him a viable pinch-hitter even if his contact abilities have slipped and his power has become basically negligible. He runs really well. He can handle center if he has to, plus the corner OF spots and second base. He's probably a lesser shortstop than Cabrera, who's probably not as good a CF as Freel, although we also have Pie if Jones goes down or whatever, and Pie might be the best center fielder on the team. Freel is also injury-prone and has played in 77 and 48 games the last two years.

Cabrera isn't as good a base-stealer as Freel, but he's not a slow runner and can be used just for extra wheels in a tight situation, same as Freel likely will be at several times this year should he stay healthy.

I know Freel came over in trade for Fat Ramon Hernandez and Cabrera is just a spring training scrub for all intents and purposes. If Freel is healthy, he's the guy. But here's what I'm actually more intrigued by: Does Jolbert Cabrera have a place on this team sometime in 2009?

Assume the Birds go north with 13 pitchers and 12 position players. We know we'll have:

C: ZAUN + one, probably Robby Hammock, who can play other positions

1B: Huff

2B: Roberts

3B: Mora

SS: Izturis

OF: Markakis, Jones, Pie, Scott

1B/3B/2B/DH: Wigginton

That would leave one open spot. It'll be Freel. But should he come up lame, Cabrera seems like a guy that would fit in. He can play a lot of positions, including a better short than Freel, and Izturis is going to have days he has to sit, or he's going to have times where he'll need to be hit for late in a tight game.

I'd rather have Freel, with Wigginton also offering some level of positional flexibility (as well as Hammock) than see Cabrera over Freel right off, and with the way Gomez is hitting (.095/.269/.143) he's well out, too. Donnie Murphy isn't doing anything, either.

It's simply food for thought with little going on. The battle isn't much since Freel is all but guaranteed, but if (when?) Freel goes down, who comes up?

Rosenthal: O's considering 39-year old Jim Edmonds at 1B

SC — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:27:09 -0000

From Ken Rosenthal via Roch:

Ken Rosenthal reports that the Orioles have shown interest in Jim Edmonds as a first baseman. I haven't heard this, but anything's possible. It would be a curious move, however, given that they'd prefer a right-handed bat.

Edmonds was a spark for the Cubs last season, hitting .256/.369/.568 with 19 homers in 250 at-bats after looking completely, 100% finished with the Padres. His decline began in 2006, and he's going to be 39 in June.

If he could hit like he did with the Cubs, he's a great help. Preferring a right-handed bat is ... well, whatever. Ryan Garko is a right-handed bat, but he's really not very good, and Peter Schmuck says he's told the Orioles and Indians have had no discussions about Garko anyway.

A few brief thoughts:

Edmonds > Millar, period.
If they think it's a good idea to run Chris Gomez out there in a platoon role at first base, they're bonkers. He's a nice guy to have around, but as much as I don't mind having Gomey back, he hit .273/.322/.333 last season with the Pirates. He's 38. It's about time his extended career collapses.
Can't we just play Huff at first base, Scott at DH, and figure out Montanez or Reimold in left field during spring training? Adding a player for addition's sake seems silly, and with names like Richie Sexson and Jim Edmonds floating around, it's really all we're talking about.
At least no one's mentioned Darin Erstad.

Poll

Jim Edmonds: Yea or Nay?

Yea!

113 votes

Nay!

161 votes

274 votes | Poll has closed

JR Towles and Chris Johnson: Comparing their rise to the majors

HighLeveragePerformer — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:53:41 -0000

When Ty Wigginton wasn't tendered a contract last week, the team began to weigh their options for 2009. Geoff Blum is under contract, and figures to get a significant number of ABs at the position. After that, it's really anyone's guess. DQ mentioned that the team has their eyes on Chris Gomez, and that there are other veteran options that will be weighed this off season.

Chris Johnson is the more youthful choice, and one that the team seems to be taking seriously. After collecting a 15 XBH in 98 ABs in the AFL and posting an .870 OPS for AA Corpus Christi, Ed Wade is prepared to give the 25 year old a chance to win the starting job this spring training.

How optimistic should the team really be about Mr. Johnson? He would offer a breath of fresh air. Chris Gomez, Geoff Blum and other older players would serve as place-keepers until Johnson is ready. It would be nice to have him play well in the spring, and actually make the major league roster. Hunter Pence was denied the chance in 2007, but Ed Wade seems more willing to promote youth. We saw this willingness in his September promotion of JR Towles in September 2007. In 100 minor league games in 2007, Towles posted this line:

	AB	H	HR	OPS (Corpus Christi)	OPS (Round Rock)
JR Towles	349	100	11	.976	.633

After posting a plus 1.000 OPS in 40 major league ABs in September, he barely managed to achieve half (.503) that number in 2008.

The minor league line of Chris Johnson is as follows:

	AB	H	HR	OPS (Corpus Christi)	OPS (Round Rock)
Chris Johnson	431	129	13	.870	.539

Note the similar decline in OPS, once each player reached AAA. Johnson had 101 ABs in Round Rock this past year, whereas Towles had only 43 before he was called up in September. With Johnson struggling as badly as he did in his September stint for the Express, I wouldn't hold my breath as far as him coming into Spring Training and winning the job. As we saw from Towles' .304/.370/.500 line for Round Rock this past season, it probably will take Johnson some more time on the farm before he's ready to man the hot corner for the big league club.

Astros aiming for Chris Gomez?

DyingQuail — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:11:54 -0000

Apparently tight economic times are leading to terse negotiating tactics for a third baseman to platoon with Blum:

"There are a couple of guys that are at least worth talking about or talking to," Wade said. "[Assistant general manager] David [Gottfried] had a conversation with one of them today, and the price tag ran away from us. There are three or four guys we could send signals to: 'This is what we have available. Say yes or we're moving on to the next guy.' "

The article, per Astros.com, discusses each of the remaining free agent third base man, but devotes a significant amount of ink for Chris Gomez, and just small snippets for the rest. Gomez apparently can play both 3B and SS and posted this line last year:

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2008 - Chris Gomez	90	183	26	50	8	0	1	20	13	30	0	0	.273	.322	.333

Crede is apparently way out of our price range and we won't contact Morgan Ensberg (which, I don't understand...he's worth a minor league deal just to see). Pablo Ozuna also gets a nod in the article.

This is just depressing.

Monday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:43:11 -0000

Some things to read while acknowledging that these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies may be the greatest ever.

Today's collection of links is actually the largest since the end of the season, so let's get right to it.

If you've been reading the site over the weekend you likely know all of this news, but in case you've been away all weekend, here's what you missed:

Dale Sveum will be back for 2009 after all, as hitting coach. (as noted in this FanShot)
Craig Counsell's option for 2009 was declined. He could still return as a free agent, of course.
Mike Maddux won't be back either, after being "overwhelmed by a huge deal" to take over as pitching coach in Texas. The Brewers reportedly offered him a multi-year deal. (Noted in this FanShot) The Newberg Report has a story from the Rangers' side.
Joe Dillon also won't be back. The A's claimed him off waivers after the Brewers DFA'd him last week.
Ken Rosenthal is reporting the Brewers' offer to CC Sabathia was in fact for $100 million, but the contract was for five years, not four. For me, this removes any possibility Sabathia will return. (noted in this FanShot)
The Brewers have until tomorrow to decide if Mike Cameron will return in 2009.

Now, other stuff. The Fall GM meetings begin today, giving Doug Melvin the first chance to sit across the table from new Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik. Murray Chass seems to think hiring Zduriencik was the wrong decision, mainly because he had a profile of Kim Ng all ready to go. Of course, everyone expects most of the conversation at the meetings to be about Jake Peavy, but it sounds like Hank Blalock's name will come up as well.

One would assume Doug Melvin is at least listening to offers for J.J. Hardy. The Junkball Blues, meanwhile, crunched the numbers to figure out what kind of production would be needed from Hardy and Alcides Escobar to justify moving Hardy to third and Bill Hall out of the lineup.

Planning on making a trip to Vegas? Current odds have the Brewers at 15-to-1 to win the 2009 World Series. The odds would have to get a lot better before I'd be interested. Right now, 15-to-1 is a better shot than 19 other teams have, and tied with the Dodgers and Twins. (h/t Redleg Nation)

Tim Kurkijian says the Sabathia Sweepstakes is the third most interesting story of the offseason. With Sabathia the Brewers had the sixth best starting rotation in all of baseball, according to Beyond the Box Score.

Sabathia, Ray Durham and Russell Branyan all filed for free agency over the weekend, joining these players:

Angels Darren Oliver, Juan Rivera
Athletic Alan Embree
Cub Kerry Wood and also Henry Blanco,
Mariners Raul Ibanez, Willie Bloomquist, Miguel Cairo
Marlins Mark Hendrickson, Arthur Rhodes
Mets Pedro Martinez, Luis Ayala, Tony Armas, Moises Alou, Ricardo Rincon, Ramon Martinez and also Orlando Hernandez
Phillies So Taguchi, Tom Gordon
Pirates Doug Mientkiewicz, Chris Gomez, Jason Michaels, Luis Rivas
Rockies Brian Fuentes, Matt Herges, Livan Hernandez, Adam Melhuse, Scott Podsednik

At this point I feel obligated to remind you that Orlando Hernandez is free to throw the banana for other teams.

FanGraphs has built the All Free Agent Bargain Team. There are some decent players on there, but that team would lose most of the time.

As we look into the future, few things are abolutely certain, but we can say this: despite boatloads of other teams making the exodus from spring training sites in Florida to Arizona, the Red Sox are committed to training in Florida through 2038.

It's a good thing we'll probably have some time to learn to say his name: The Pirates have signed an 18-year-old shortstop from South Africa named Mpho Ngoepe. There has never been a South African player in the major leagues. Have there been any from anywhere in Africa? I do not know.

Indians minor leaguer Randy Newsom's blogs from Venezuela are really making me want to go see a game there.

Finally, let's say you're the Washington Nationals. You lost 102 games in 2008, the franchise's first 100 loss season since 1976. You set a modern era single season record for lowest attendance in a new ballpark. You could count the number of fans listening to your games on the radio or watching them on TV on your fingers and toes. Do you honestly believe people are going to come out in hordes to buy your new jerseys? You're invited to join them at the unveiling Thursday. Bring a friend, otherwise you might be there all alone.

Drink up.