Brewers mulling Gomez options -- Latest: Activated from DL

[MJLiverock]

I agree that Gomez could use some time in AAA. He only has about 650 PAs on the minors. But to rebut some the comments that he can never improve or has no value I ask if the feeling is the same about Lucroy? His offensive stats aren't all that different from Gomez this year , they are only a year apart in age and Lucroy has 2 x the number of minor league PA's. Gomez has the ceiling of an elite defender while Lucroy's upside is probably average defensively.

[Rhett16]

Lucroy is a year younger, plays a far more physically demanding position, and in less than 200 major league at bats has offensive numbers a little bit better than Gomez. Gomez has been in the majors for 4 years. He stunk in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. He has almost 1300 at bats in the majors to improve and adjust, and he never has. What exactly are people expecting from this guy? If we ever count on him as anything more than a defensive sub, we have issues.

[kramnoj]

What exactly are people expecting from this guy? If we ever count on him as anything more than a defensive sub, we have issues.

 

I'm expecting him to be motivated by money. If he understands that any career for him is going to be tied to learning to be a better hitter, he would have reason to put in the work to do so.

[Team Canada]

I swear, he had almost exactly the same quote earlier this year. .260 and everything.

I can't verify it offhand, but I think you are right.  I wonder who gave him that idea.

You're right, I quoted the first one in the Cain thread:  LINK

[hawing]

Thanks, TC. Perhaps some former, early-career coach or manager told him that .260 is his goal and that has become his mantra. At least, I hope it wasn't someone from the Brewers' organization.

[kramnoj]

Gomez hit .258 in 2008 and he kept his job. He's hit less than .258 since then, and hasn't been a full-time starter. There's an expression that we have at work, it's probably management 101: that which we accept becomes standard. Gomez knows from his experience that .260 is acceptable, and less than that is not. He doesn't need to raise the bar above that, based on his experience.

[monty57]

What exactly are people expecting from this guy? If we ever count on him as anything more than a defensive sub, we have issues.

 

I'm expecting him to be motivated by money. If he understands that any career for him is going to be tied to learning to be a better hitter, he would have reason to put in the work to do so.

Exactly. The Brewers can keep him in the minor leagues for 2011 and 2012 making minor league money when he could be making millions and pushing off his potential for free agency for another two years. That would seriously limit the amount of money he would make over his career. The Brewers need to tell him the only way he'll get back to the majors is to change his approach at the plate. If he refuses to change, he stays in the minors until he's out of options and the Brewers let him go after the 2012 season. If he puts some effort into doing what the team is asking of him and starts to build a respectable OBP, he will either be brought up to the Brewers or he would become tradeable.

 

 

[endaround]

He won't be making minor league money. He's making $1.15m this year and will make similar no matter what level he plays next year.

[monty57]

He won't be making minor league money. He's making $1.15m this year and will make similar no matter what level he plays next year.

I asked that question earlier in this thread, and the answer I got from X was:

 

"Gomez would have a split contract, and wouldn't earn his major league salary if he wasn't on the major league team."

 

I know pre-arby guys get sent up & down often and make less in the minors. I know MLB free agent contracts are guaranteed even if you release the player or send them to the minors.

 

I was/am unsure about contracts agreed to during the arbitration years. I hope we can pay him minor league pay and start him in Nashville next year. If we have to pay him around $1.5MM, I don't know what to do with him.

[endaround]

He would have to agree to the split contract. If he thinks he can get a 25 man spot if he gets non-tendered, I'm not sure that he would.

[danzig6767]

Lucroy is a year younger, plays a far more physically demanding position, and in less than 200 major league at bats has offensive numbers a little bit better than Gomez. Gomez has been in the majors for 4 years. He stunk in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. He has almost 1300 at bats in the majors to improve and adjust, and he never has. What exactly are people expecting from this guy? If we ever count on him as anything more than a defensive sub, we have issues.

That's why i have little to no faith that Gomez will ever figure things out at the plate. His numbers the last three seasons are amazingly near identical. Hell, last year and this year his BA/OBP are 2009 .229/.287 this year .228/.286, hows that for a guy showing zero improvement.

 

When i watch Gomez at the plate, he's such a mess that it's hard for me to ever envision him turning things around. How do you make a guy with no clue whatsoever at how to approach at bats to being able to know what he's doing up there? Guys like him rarely ever are able to figure it out because the bad habits are just to far ingrained.

[battlekow]

As expected, Gomez was activated from the DL today.

[djoctagone]

i'm looking for a positive in all of this, and the only thing i can think of is that we're back to a twelve-man pitching staff.

[PrinceEatMeat]

Gomez was terrible tonight as usual. Hopefully that makes Macha keep him out of the lineup once Hart is back.

[wibadgers23]

Interesting comments from Gomez before the game today.

“They know and I know that I can do the job every day,” Gomez said. “I’m the best centerfielder on the team. But Lorenzo is doing a really good job for the last two weeks and it’s not fair for me to come off the DL and take his chance. I understand.

“He is a really good player, but I think I’m still the man on this team.”

Those comments were relayed to manager Ken Macha before the game and he took a long pause as he decided how to respond.

“I’ll just say that’s interesting,” Macha said. “You can take that any way you’d like. I’m just saying it’s interesting.”

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/101442689.html

[GB12]

And that's when you send him down to AAA.

[TooLiveBrew]

"I think I’m still the man on this team"

 

Wow. Delusion, or delusion+entitlement? I'd been rooting for Gomez up to this point.

[Gobias Industries]

I see nothing wrong with those comments. He obviously means he's the CF for this team, not "the man" as in the best player.

 

My opinion is you might as well keep him up for the rest of the year now that we're so close to 9/1, and start him in AAA next year. I was against the trade since it went down, but you still gotta try to turn him into an asset next year.

[ELCABALLO45]

I don't really have a problem with those comments either.

 

And Ken, if your going to play both Cain and Gomez. Gomez should be in center and Cain in right.

[Fatter than Joey]

"I think I’m still the man on this team"

 

Wow. Delusion, or delusion+entitlement? I'd been rooting for Gomez up to this point.

I don't think he is delusional or anything like that.

 

1.) He uses the term "I think" -- As a top athlete, I would expect anyone fighting for a job needs to have the attitude that they are the greatest thing since Cool Whip. Gomez has struggled, and any sort of defeatist or perhaps even negative realist attitude isn't going to help him break through.

 

2.) He recognizes Cain has played well, and has given him props.

 

3.) He claims to be the best CF (not hitting necessarily), and I think that may very well be true.

[igor67]

The complete lack of recognition that he is actually fighting for a starting job is pretty delusional. If we finely parse best CFer into best defensive CFer only then he may have a case for parts of his statement being true. But while I expect confidence from athletes this strikes me as way up the Sanchez scale of denial.

[Never Outhustled]

I think Gomez is too dumb to ever have the light go on.

 

Kind of harsh, X.

 

In light of the recent comments by Gomez, I will stand by my original statement. Now he's not just a terrible player, but also a team cancer.

 

Doug, just admit your mistake and cut this guy already.

[Funketown]

“I’m the best centerfielder on the team."

 

Oh Carlos. You're quickly replacing Johnny Estrada as the Brewer who annoys me most. There's a reason you got booed after a pop out last night.

[wibadgers23]

He's basically saying, "Cain is good, but I'm better than him." Just something that he should probably have kept to himself.

[Invader3K]

In light of the recent comments by Gomez, I will stand by my original statement. Now he's not just a terrible player, but also a team cancer.

We get it, you hate him.