Due to injury to Nyjer Morgan, Gomez has had to play more often and his name in the lineup every day is something many Brewer fans don't want to see. He is currently batting .228 with a .288 on base percentage. This would be a problem if he was buried deep in the batting order but it makes it worst that he bats second in the lineup. A guy who only has a .288 on base percentage is batting before Braun, Fielder, and McGehee. For those three to drive in runs they need guys on base and Gomez isn't doing that. Gomez should be bumped down in the lineup, thats for sure but where do you put him? The answer I think is 8th. If Gomez does get on base in the 8th spot he could steal and then have the pitcher bunt him over. That gives the top of the order a chance to score and easy run with Gomez on either second or third. It would be perfect for Gomez as he should get some decent pitches to hit, especially if he leads off an inning and it can also help with his patience because usually pitchers will try to go around the 8th place hitter to get the pitcher, but that might change if a guy with speed like Gomez is batting the 8th spot. Overall I think batting 8th would be perfect for Gomez.
Gomez offense is clearly something that needs to work on but there are two reasons why he plays every day. His speed and his defense. Gomez can seemingly cover every inch of the outfield when he is out there. There are only a couple of plays where he wasn't able to race down a fly ball in the outfield. I have become so use to seeing Gomez make every play out in center field I actually become shocked when he doesn't make a play. Something that goes hand in hand with Gomez's defense is his speed. Gomez is one of the fastest players I have every seen. I recall one instance in a game where he hit a bloop single and he sprinted out of the box and somehow managed to turn it into a double. He can stretch any hit into extra bases and can score from first on a hit to the wall. The times he does get on base he becomes a constant worry for the other team because he can steal anytime and even if he doesn't he can score from any base on a hit to the wall.
So the argument here is wether or not to keep Gomez in the lineup. On a team that prides itself on offense Gomez is a black hole of sorts that doesn't get on base enough. His defense has helped the team on numerous occasions and his speed gives other teams headaches on the base paths, but he doesn't get on base enough to make use of that speed. I think what the Brewers need to do is move Gomez down in the lineup where he won't have as much pressure to get on base as he doesn't currently batting second. Although many Brewer fans don't want to see Gomez playing everyday I think we need to keep him out there. His defense is too much to just throw away. There was a play the other day with Kotsay in centerfield and at first I didn't realize it wasn't Gomez out there. As soon as the ball was heading his way I thought, "this is an out" but then I realized it wasn't Gomez and Kotsay didn't get the out, something that Gomez would have done with ease. I don't think Gomez will improve his offense drastically but I think it will improve if he gets bumped down in the lineup but his defense is something this team needs out in centerfield. As painful as Gomez at bats are to watch we will have to continue to watch them and I won't be as mad as long as he continues to make plays great plays in centerfield.
UPDATE: I originally wrote this blog post Monday afternoon but didn't get a chance to finish it up and by the time I did Ron Roenicke had already made a move. On Tuesday Roenicke moved Hart into the second spot in the lineup and bumped down Gomez to the 8th spot. Instead of just trashing the whole post I decided to just add this part in. Hopefully this move pays off for the Brewers and Gomez can do better on offense. If not, Nyjer Morgan should be back soon enough...
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