The Phenoms of Minnesota Twins Past: Part IV-Carlos Gomez

HE hope I dreamed of was a dream,   Was but a dream; 

and now I wake

Exceeding comfortless, and worn, and old,

For a dream's sake.

- Christina Rossetti, "Mirage," 1879

This past Friday night, Minnesota Twins centerfielder Joe Benson made a miraculous catch off the bat of David Ortiz at the Red Sox new spring training home, Jet Blue Park in Ft. Meyers, FL. The sprinting, over-the-shoulder grab was mindful of the famous play Willie Mays made in the 1954 World series. 

For this fan, it was notable in two other ways:

it was made in the deep, centerfield "triangle" area (see photo), which is a near duplicate of Boston's Fenway Park-famous for Twins fans as it was there that Torii Hunter broke his ankle in the same region (A. Gleeman photo) in a regular season game in 2005, thus ending the Twins post-season hopes.

Also, Benson's grab is similar to those made by another Twin player of recent vintage, possessing a comparable skillset: Carlos Gomez. Benson at times makes you believe he could cover the entire outfield by himself with his speed and arm strength. Like Gomez. The flip side: Benson is magnetically drawn to striking out like the murderous Jason was to girls in college sorority houses. Over his minor league career to date, he's whiffed an average of once every four trips to the plate (565 k's in 2,373 plate appearances (24%). Again, very like Gomez....and we hope against hope that his fate, at age 24, doesn't become another mirage, a la Mr. Carlos "Go-Go" Gomez.

2008 Upper Deck card: behold,
bunting technique perfection

The Twins famous trade of Johan Santana on Feb. 2, 2008 netted them Gomez, Kevin Mulvey, Deolis Guerra, and Phillip Humber. The Twins had been put in the unenviable position of paying a huge hunk of their payroll to Santana, who was destined for free agency after 2008-unless Minnesota unloaded him for the best possible offer. After multiple rumors of trade packages, smokescreens and bald-faced lies (probably) involving the Red Sox and Yankees, the only team left standing was the Mets. Brand, spankin' new Twins GM Billy Smith lost the staring match with the Mets. Now, five years on, it seems fair to judge that trade objectively.

Blogger Parker Hageman put it well recently when he compared it to Jack trading the cash cow for the proverbial handful of beans. Put another way, the Twins traded their precious ace without getting the best prospect in the Mets system (at that time, OF Fernando Martinez) or a player from their 40-man roster (Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes or David Wright, though none from that group were included in the public discussion). The best that could be said of this collection of sprouts was that "they had potential," But in March of 2008, it appeared the Twins had acquired a budding stud in center fielder Gomez. His arrival in Minnesota couldn't have been more opportune, as he was viewed as an obvious replacement for the popular Hunter*, who had departed for Anaheim. His spring training that year showed flashes of brilliance, along with eccentric inconsistency.

*Along with Denard Span, who lost the centerfield battle in spring training...

Everything's relative. Since Leo Cardenas 

was known to lock his bats in a closet 

for not performing well, this isn't all

that odd to me... 

Spring Training-2008
Jim Souhan  (Minneapolis Star-Trib.) recorded this take on Carlos in a March 30, 2008 column.

"Ask a Twin about Gomez this spring, and the response would be a head shake and a giggle. When Justin Morneau stopped laughing, he said: "He is one of a kind. In so many ways. He can absolutely fly. He's the kind of athlete who comes along very rarely, with that speed and also having power.

"I don't think he quite knows how to use his power yet. He thinks he has to swing harder to hit it farther. Hopefully, he'll figure it out. His arm from the outfield is as good as I've ever seen, although he needs to be more accurate.

"He's a little out of control. He's 1,000 miles an hour. But when he comes to the plate, or gets on base, everybody watches."

Perhaps this passage from that same Souhan piece tells you everything you need to know about Carlos, both then and now:

"The other day in spring camp, Gomez was standing by the batting cage, waiting to hit, when someone lined a shot off the pitching screen. The ball shot back over the cage toward the backstop. Gomez took off on a dead sprint, executed a Willie Mays basket catch and held up the ball like a trophy. It was stunning and rather silly. No other player would think of doing that, and few could pull it off."

In 2008, at age 22, this is what the St. Bernard-like Gomez did in center field for the Twins:

Year	G	Inn	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	Fld%	Rtot	Rdrs	RF/9	RF/G	lgFld%	lgRF9	lgRFG
2008	151	1271.2	453	436	9	8	4	.982	8	17	3.15	2.95	.989	2.71	2.69

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original TableGenerated 3/18/2012.

In summary, here's how he stacked up to the other CF's in the American League:

• First in putouts  (54 more than Grady Sizemore, in same number of games)
• First in range factor (RF/9) 3.15, with next closest: Rajai Davis, 2.92 
• First in games played as a center fielder, 151 (tied with Sizemore) 
• AND...first in errors as a center fielder, 8, tying with Delmon Young among outfielders

We're it not for his strong, yet inaccurate arm, Gomez could have been a hands-down Gold Glove winner, an obvious star-in-the-making. He certainly didn't lack charm for the role:

A fine, 4 for 5 night at the plate made this a memorable evening during the 2008 season. So, you see, it wasn't just his eccentricities, and fear of ghosts (see June, '08 Patrick Reusse column) that drew people to him. In small doses, he made you believe. Sorry to dredge up Telly Hughes, the King of the Cliches, for you Twins fans! 

July 26, 2009: just another day at the office for Carlos!

WARNING: for some reason, MLB videos seem to run in a loop - will need to pause the two here!

July 27, 2009 outfield injury - watch Gomez' pinwheeling, dazed, fall at the :57 mark. Carlos had mishaps, i.e, running into the centerfield wall, which gave the impression he'd been shot by a sniper. To wit: there's a vaguely Michael Richards "Kramer" aspect about this...

It has long been expressed that Gomez, if he were to concentrate on better plate coverage, he could emerge as a middle of the order hitter ("Lay off those outside pitches, ya big dummy!"). Again, it has never been a question of physical talent with him, blessed by The Baseball Gods with insane gobs of natural ability. The tantalizing thought of what he could be if he were to reign in his undisciplined nature, and make the necessary physical adjustments has vexed 3 organizations by now. Like the aforementioned Mr. Benson, he's a wind turbine, striking out 377 times in 1,678 lifetime Major League PA's - or, 22% of the time. The Twins, exasperated by Gomez' flailing, traded him to Milwaukee on Nov. 6, 2009 for shortstop J.J. Hardy (a subject I will tackle once I can gain the courage to do so).

Carlos Gomez scores winning run, Game 163, Oct. 6, 2009.
The win propelled the Twins to the ALDS against New York.
(AP Photo)

Jack Moore in his article "Should Carlos Gomez Stand Closer To The Plate?" at the Disciples of Uecker" blog addresses a fine tuning for 2012 that could be of help. Jack's opinion as a Brewers fan and baseball mind should be given credence.  At this point in his career, however, I would be hard pressed to see Carlos changing his approach with any kind of diligence.

He has the same problem Bobby Bonds (Sr.) had, and far worse: loads of offensive potential that is offset by poor pitch selection, and striking out way too much - thus negating his otherwise stellar contributions. He is a liability, therefore, to his team. Jonathan Ede piece in Media Milwaukee on March 18, 2012, concludes it is time for the Brewers to cut the cord with Carlos. I must say, he's persuasive, especially in light of the fact his comments mirror precisely the things said about the same player four springs ago. Like a lot of fans, I was a fan of his then, and I still am, with my ardent wish being he will one day turn the corner. How could you not root for a guy who left winter ball to be at the bedside of his son, afflicted with meningitis?

But then, most of us know what Burgess Meredith had to say about wishing...but I can still dream.

As our old broadcasting friend Herb Carneal closed his postgame shows:
"So long, everybody!" - TT

The Gipper, TK, & Lefty in The Rosegarden: Sept. 29, 1987

The Twins had made it to the pinnacle. The 1987 World Series champs had basked in the warm glow of Twin Cities victory parades, and the interviews on national and local television. The hurricane now concluded with their congratulatory meeting with President Ronald Reagan in the White House Rose Garden (the transcript of the entire proceedings can be found at this link). You can view some video of the scenes edited for rebroadcast here: TC Media Coverage of Rosegarden Ceremony. It is a super document of how the event looked, complete with player reactions to the Ceremony - my thanks to TC Media for posting it! 

From L-R: Carl Pohlad, Roy Smalley Jr., Tom Kelly, Frank Viola, Howard Fox,
Steve Carlton, (in back) Kent Hrbek, Sal Butera, & The Leader Of The Free World.
Ronnie couldn't resist a trip down his own memory lane, back to his days as an announcer.

Kent Hrbek ( here, tucked in the back row, behind Reagan and Sal Butera), in particular, had been a modern-day Ulysses in the aftermath. His odyssey had him shuttling between Minneapolis-St. Paul, to New York to film his appearance on the David Letterman show, and now to stand near the Commander In Chief for the crowning finale in D.C.

Little wonder he went from the return jet to Minneapolis straight to a waiting camper to escape the hurricane, and relax with friends on a hunting trip. This episode also marked the final hurrah for "Lefty" Steve Carlton. The Hall of Fame pitcher made himself oddly conspicuous in his choice of eye wear, peeking over longtime Twins employee and then-president Howard Fox to catch the festivities. Though a marginal member of the staff that season (see gamelogs), he merited a spot on the plane ride to the capitol if only to salute his veteran, star status.

Patrick Reusse chronicled the event for "The Sporting News."

Fox (holding jersey), was the only visible holdover from the old Twins regime of Cal Griffith. It had to be a sweet payback after all the years of no success on the field (1971-86), and being Billy Martin's punching bag (1966 incident). That it was Pohlad, and not Griffith holding court along with the core group of players he drafted as Twins owner, made for an ironic twist. It was Carl's third full year as Twins owner.

Again, the transcript of the entire proceedings can be found at this Google docs link. You might find it interesting!

As our old friend and broadcaster Herb Carneal so quaintly put it:

"So long everybody!" - Herb Carneal

Game Of The Week: Second-Guessing Harmon Killebrew, Aug. 6,1961

This is the latest in a series honoring the late, great Harmon Killebrew, who died on May 17, 2011.

NOTE: eventually, all killers
end up with their mug shot
on the post office wall, or
in the newspaper sports section .

I recently came upon this 51 year-old clipping, found in the subterranean archives at Classic Twins. Though incomplete, it was found on the back of an AP photo and news story of Warren Spahn, celebrating his 300th win. Its central figure is the dominant icon in Minnesota Twins history, and it's scant detail allows a glimpse at one of the few instances in which he was the receiver of something besides glowing endorsement. That it occured as it did could be attributed to the fact that he had only two full seasons under his belt, and was earning his stripes as a 25 year-old star for the fledgling '61Twins. Of course, it's happening in the media capital of the world helped make it water cooler fodder around the country. That criticism alone made it absorbing for me - a lifelong citizen of Twins Territory.

It was the last time the Twins would play in New York during the 1961 season. In a deflating series, the Twins lost four games that weekend to the eventual World Champs; the last three were by one run. The game in focus was the first of a Sunday doubleheader, which the Twins lost in extra innings on a fielding decision by Harmon Killebrew.

The Game

The Aug. 6, 1961 box at BBRef is a fine stop to catch the sequence of events. In short: right hander Ray “Old Blue” Moore was pitching for the Twins in the bottom of the 15th inning, the game tied at 6 each. The Yankees had loaded the bases for Yogi Berra with one out, following a walk to Mickey Mantle. The eventual Hall of Fame catcher slapped a grounder at fellow future Hall inductee Killebrew at first. The conventional play would have had him throwing home to cut off the winning run (Bobby Richardson).

The game record at BBRef says Killebrew, instead, chose to go for the inning-ending double play. It is likely he factored the old-timer Berra into the split-second decision;  the left fielder that day was playing his 1,927th game since 1946, the majority of which he played as a catcher. But The Baseball Gods made Killebrew pay for that...his throw to shortstop Zoilo Versalles forced out Mickey Mantle, but the gamer Berra wrested every bit of energy he could from his 36 year-old legs to beat the return throw. Richardson scored the winning run. The Bombers basked in their accustomed glow while the upstarts from Minnesota limped down the coast to begin a weekday series in Boston.

Killebrew with The Mick, Jim Lemon and Roger Maris at Yankee Stadium,
in August of 1961. I'm getting a Mount Rushmore effect!

In the process, it unleashed the Monday morning quarterbacks of the press, questioning Killebrew’s “wrong play.” The game and series helped propel New York to its winningest month that season, and dropped Minnesota to 25 games back of the Evil Empire. It was the “TC” boys sixth straight loss. Yes, for Twins fans accustomed to the Yankees seemingly endless domination in the 2000s, nothing much has changed under the sun in 50 years (1987 and 1991 notwithstanding...). The discussion lasted into the next weekend, at least, when the Spahn photo was published in the Minneapolis Star.

In Case You Were Wondering...

Killebrew's 1961 Fielding / Lifetime Statistics As First Baseman

Year	Tm	Lg	Age	Pos	G	GS	CG	Inn	Ch	PO	A	E	DP	Fld%	Rtot	Rtot/yr	RF/9	RF/G	lgFld%	lgRF9	lgRFG	Awards
1961	MIN	AL	25	1B	119	115	102	997.1	1053	972	67	14	91	.987	1	1	9.38	8.73	.990	9.45	9.34	AS,MVP-11
	14 Seasons			1B	969	929	626	7810.2	8145	7521	555	69	678	.992	-6	-1	9.31	8.33	.991	9.71	9.57

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 2/18/2012. Rtot: total zone fielding above average; RF/9: range factor per 9 innings RF/G: range factor per game. You are encouraged to match like-colored columns for comparison. Big chart! Try clicking on "original table" if partially obscured.

The "lg" prefixes  denote league averages for the same sets of criterion. These stats seem to suggest the idea that while Killebrew had average to poor range; on the other hand, he also made relatively few errors, was sure handed with the balls he could reach, and probably compensated for his deficits with good positioning the longer he was in the league.

The statistics show what we already knew by the eyeball test: Killebrew’s record as a fielder in 1961 and for his career confirms he was sub par in range (as compared to the league’s other first basemen) and foot speed. BBref and Fangraph's are in accord in assigning him a TZ (total zone) of 1 in 1961, which places him in the "extremely average/low average" in that oh-so-convoluted-yet-encompassing fielding construct. And I while I wasn’t around in ’61 (only being familiar with the Harmon of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s), it’s hard to imagine he’d been Juan Pierre-like in foot speed ten years earlier. Quite the opposite; think of a latter-day  Benjie Molina (whom, it has been said, runs “like he’s got a bear on his back”). I recall seeing Harmon with binoculars, during a game in the early '70s; the image of him sitting on the dugout steps, eating potato chips is etched upon my mind. That and that vicious swing of his.

Suffice it to say, while he was an exceptional athlete with superior throwing arm strength, he was sub par in those other, essential attributes.

Doing what comes naturally: Harmon being harmful on the Senators and catcher Gene Green, 1961 (Sports Illustrated Archive Photo). I can watch video of him regularly from the '60s and still feel awe at how hard he swung. Paul Bunyan indeed.

OK, I'm A Homer, But...

While there was no mistaking Harmon’s role as Minnesota's slugger extraordinaire, there is that other issue which has been part of the Killebrew story – his defensive position in the field. Killebrew played 119 games at first and 65 at third in 1961. Then, he was shuttled, more or less continuously during the 1960’s, between third, first, and left field. The only exception to this was 1967, when he played160 games at first.  After ’61, Harmon didn’t play first at all (save for 4 games in ’62) until 1965, when Manager Sam Mele penciled him in for 72 at first, and 44 at third. The presence of slick fielding Vic Power on those early Twins teams, Don Mincher in mid-decade, and Rich Reese at the end of the 1960’s made it incumbent on Killebrew to move over to help other teammates find a defensive position, a stronger glove, or to add another strong bat to the lineup. 

The point of this filibuster, you ask? The constant jockeying between positions had to affect his fielding instincts for the worse. Whether it’s licking envelopes, yelling at office subordinates, or driving a fork truck, it’s hard to gain the rhythm and instincts to be effective at what you do without the constant reps, the daily security of routine. Little things aren't so automatic, like positioning for certain game situations, or, say, choosing the best percentage play to get a putout.

Athletes are notorious creatures of habit. The Nick Puntos of the world, who can thrive defensively without positional security, are rare animals. Here was Harmon Killebrew, the dominant power hitter of his team and of the entire decade of the 1960’s moving around the diamond for the betterment of his team – It would be unthinkable to ask Albert Pujols to find another slot out of respect for Kendrys Morales and his glovework now in 2012. Not that Pujols has ever been compared to a Dick "Dr. Strangeglove" Stuart as a fielder.

No debate here. Harmon gets a posthumous pardon for his error in judgment.

If it was good enough for Herb Carneal, so it goes for me:
"So long, everybody." - TT

Spring Training Photos From Twins History

#Twins spring training 1975, Larry Hisle and Bobby Darwin yucking it up. Must have been watching Bob Gorinski lumber down to first base. twitpic.com/8lm6z5
— Michael Busch (@ClassicMNTwins) February 18, 2012

One of several photos I've downloaded this morning to the social watering hole...be sure to check back, I'll try to post daily from my vault of vintage spring training archives.


As Herb ended his broadcasts, I repeat: "So long everybody!" - TT 

Twins History In Motion: The Famous '65 Bob Allison World Series Catch

 [POST EDITED, WITH EXTRA CONTENT, 2/21/12]

The gif below is my latest entry in  the photo series, honoring the great Bob Allison. The Sporting News excerpts to follow capture the quotes of that day, from principals such as Jim Kaat, Sam Mele, Billy Martin, and, of course, Allison himself. The full game box of Oct. 7, 1965 can be found here at BBRef. 

Max Nichols was an excellent baseball writer for the Minneapolis Star. He achieved notoriety for casting the lone vote that prevented Carl Yastrzemski from winning the MVP Award unanimously in 1967. His vote went to Twin Cesar Tovar (see Joe Posnanski's story at "Nichols" link).

Please be patient! It can be a slow download, depending on your system!

I've always loved the emphatic out call given by umpire Ed Vargo on 
Allison's catch! That, and the clapping spectators.  For the life of me, it 
gives me a kind of JFK Zapruder film vibe.Go to MLB.COM for the 
black and white NBC video version.

Twins manager Sam Mele called it probably...

(excerpt just above, and following: by eventual 

Baseball Hall of Fame inductee (Writers Wing)

 Milt Richmon (UPI) for TSN)

These three things, besides his attempted peace-making role in the 1969 Dave Boswell - Billy Martin fight, should be remembered about Bob Allison by all Twins fans :

• He was the ultimate, humble team player, so it would follow that... 
• He was a much loved, respected teammate - Michael Cuddyer is a modern clone 
• He played with an all-out football player's mentality, laying himself out on the basepaths as well as in the outfield - in fact, he may have been the most feared baserunner in MLB

All three of the above are obvious in the photos and newspaper accounts above.

Allison's catch was selected by Twins

fans as the "Favorite Moment" in team 

history.( Source: Aug./Sept., 2000 Twins Magazine)

 

As our own Hall of Fame Twins Announcer Herb Carneal ended his broadcasts:

"So long, everybody!" - TT

Met Stadium Pictorial Part III: Construction Phases

There are some really fine shots of primitive Metropolitan Stadium in the 1956 Metropolitan Sports Area Stadium Souvenir booklet. It was sold at the ballpark that first season, when it was home to the AAA Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. The Millers were the top minor league team for the San Francisco Giants.

This is a continuation of the previous "pictorial" posts that brings readers back to the first Twins ballpark. Reminder: the Met was payed for by contributing bondholders to the tune of $8.5 Million in the mid-'50's.

Additional info on The Met can be found at SABR Biographies. Stew Thornley's article is a fine place to go for details.


As Herb Carneal ended every Twins game broadcast: "So long everybody!" - TT