Chat with Carlos Gomez - Twins Of

[Cleef]

Catching the speedy Gomez

Over the next few years, you're going to be compared a lot to Jacoby Ellsbury. What do you think of him?

CG: "Who's that? I don't know him. What's his name?" (Gomez pauses, and a teammate says, "Ellsbury, plays center field for Boston.") "Oh yeah. He's a very, very exciting player. His game is a lot like mine. He runs, can play defense, can hit, and has some power. Yeah, I like watching him a lot. I think I played against him in Double A."

Do you think you're the fastest player in baseball?


CG: "No. We had a guy at Double A named Juan Capusano. Oh, my God, he was the fastest player I've ever seen. In the big leagues? I don't know. Well, I probably am. I've always been fast because my dad was very fast. He played baseball in the Dominican and he's 46 years old right now and he's still very fast."

Can he beat you?


CG: 'Well, I let him win once in a while to keep him happy. He doesn't play anymore, but he can still beat a lot of people in a race."
What did it feel like to hit for the cycle so early in your career?


CG: "I was so excited because Kirby Puckett [the last Twin to hit for the cycle, in 1986] was one of my favorite players. It's amazing. I saw the video of Kirby Puckett doing it. That was unbelievable. I knew I had a chance because there was a lefty pitching."

What do you envision yourself as down the road? Will you be a leadoff hitter?


CG: "Now I'm a leadoff hitter, but I'm 22. When I get to be 25, my body will be bigger and I'll be hitting home runs. I can be like an Andruw Jones or a Torii Hunter and hit third in a lineup. I don't think I'll be a leadoff hitter forever, no way."

David Ortiz spent a lot of time talking to you before Friday's game. What did he say?


CG: "Papi is my homeboy. He played on the same team I did in the Dominican, so we're very close. He just told me not to let anything distract me. He told me to forget about money because the money will come if I'm a great player. He told me to just keep staying focused on baseball and nothing else. He told me to go 100 miles an hour and never let up. I don't think I'll ever change that."

From the Boston Glob.

[Hillbilly]

Spoken like a well coached, but very uneducated Dominican baseball player....

The kid could be really good, so lets hope he keeps his head on straight.

HB

[jruane44]

Notice what he called his country. "The Dominican" Just imagine if the guy posted on this board. People would be outraged and asking him where that country is located blah,blah, blah.

[toneloc24]

Originally Posted by jruane44

Notice what he called his country. "The Dominican" Just imagine if the guy posted on this board. People would be outraged and asking him where that country is located blah,blah, blah.

Give it up, already. You know the "holier-than-thou" contingent on this board will look down on him as an uneducated cholo. Nevermind the fact that he is 100% Dominican, from the RD, and can call his country what he chooses. Has NOTHING to do with education. The nerve of these folks....LOL!!!

Anyway, this kid is having some year. He's a bit aloof in the outfield still, but Gardenhire is aware that he will make mistakes and has said that he can live with it if the kid keeps playing hard. He's still a raw talent who was seen as still being a year away from the MLB. He's taking the ball and run with it so far. He's feeling his way through MLB. Give him time.

At this stage, he's all steals and defense, but they project him to improve in pitch selection and his average will be even better, along with his power. He will be a #3 hitter in the lineup once he understands pitch selection. He's got a gun in CF, so the Twins did right by insisting on him in that trade for Santana. I just hope he take's Ortiz' words seriously and just focus on baseball for now. The money will come.

And, oh well, I drafted this kid in all 4 of my fantasy teams and he hasn't let me down yet. He's got a bright future. He does make the game exciting again.

[Cleef]

Originally Posted by jruane44

Notice what he called his country. "The Dominican" Just imagine if the guy posted on this board. People would be outraged and asking him where that country is located blah,blah, blah.

I wonder if the writer, transcribing the conversation from tape, didn't drop the "Republic" out of the story, not Gomez.

[Mr. Lu]

Originally Posted by Cleef

I wonder if the writer, transcribing the conversation from tape, didn't drop the "Republic" out of the story, not Gomez.

I figured that whole "The Dominican" thing was either a transcription thing or that the player was speaking in Spanish and the translation is off.

On a side note, most baseball players are dumb as rocks. They get trained on what to say to the media. I just hate the fact that athletes are treated as role models. But that's for a different conversation.

[toneloc24]

Originally Posted by Cleef

I wonder if the writer, transcribing the conversation from tape, didn't drop the "Republic" out of the story, not Gomez.

If you listen to many interviews, many Dominican players, including Ortiz, Manny, Pedro, etc, they clearly state "the Dominican." This kid is no different.

But seriously, you take some kid ballplayer who might or might not have even completed high school in the Dominican and expect him to be Shakespeare with words??? Let's give them a break already and stop calling them dumb. They are baseball players, that's it. And English isn't their first language.

What can be said of many adult gringos completely butchering the Spanish language to Spanish speakers years after moving to the RD, trying to get their point across? Could they be considered "dumb", using the same logic?

[Steve Pindar]

I know the GM of his Double A minor league team here in the States. Whereas Fernando Martinez (who is currently on the same team) is very humble and simply goes out and does his job, Carlos Gomez was very full of himself when he played there.

Originally Posted by Hillbilly

Spoken like a well coached, but very uneducated Dominican baseball player....

The kid could be really good, so lets hope he keeps his head on straight.

HB

[Mr. Lu]

Originally Posted by toneloc24

But seriously, you take some kid ballplayer who might or might not have even completed high school in the Dominican and expect him to be Shakespeare with words???

Need I say more?

[toneloc24]

Originally Posted by Mr. Lu

Need I say more?

Lost in facetiousness.