Jonny Gomes

After coming to the A's at the trade deadline in the Jon Lester-Yoenis Cespedes trade, Gomes was nothing short of terrible. After a solid campaign with the team on and off the field in 2012, it was thought that he would give them a boost in the clubhouse and on the field, especially against lefties. Gomes responded with just one extra-base hit (it was not even a homer) in 64 at-bats and a putrid .250 SLG. He provided no value to the A's offense and did the opposite of filling the gap in the lineup left by the departure of Cespedes. Gomes didn't even rake against lefties, which had been his calling card prior to 2014. After signing with Atlanta, Gomes figures to reprise his role as a part-time player tasked with handling southpaws on the small side of a platoon in left field.

Gomes became a Boston legend in 2013: the beard, the hustle, the glue in the clubhouse. He didn't do much as a hitter, but seemed to be in the middle of rallies and picked up a few clutch hits along the way. While not a strict platoon, Gomes and Daniel Nava shared left field for much of the season. A similar role awaits Gomes in 2014 as he'll likely get 300-350 plate appearances and generate a modest amount of power.

Gomes served as the right side of a platoon with Seth Smith for most of 2012. He played a bit more often when injuries popped up and hit a number of big home runs for the A's while becoming a fan favorite. Gomes is a perfect platoon bat and mashed lefties in 2012 to the tune of a .974 OPS, but his struggles against righties (.715 OPS) keep him from being a full-time option. Now 32, the Red Sox signed Gomes to a two-year, $10 million deal in November to work as platoon player in their outfield, where his per at-bat production should continue to generate interest in deeper leagues and formats that allow daily lineup adjustments.

Gomes spent most of 2011 with the Reds, but the Nationals acquired him in July before the trading deadline. A terrible outfielder, Gomes is best served for a DH role, especially in a platoon situation. He posted a weighted OBA of .292 against right-handed pitching compared to .380 against left-handers. Gomes' batting average dropped in 2011 because of a career-low .256 BABIP, but his batted ball rates were in line with his career numbers. Expect the batting average to get back to a .240-.250 range, but his 12.9 percent walk rate was the second best of his career.

Gomes had to wait until the start of spring training to re-sign with the Reds, but once he came back onboard he took over a majority of the left field starts. The Reds really should find a platoon partner for him, however - he hit just .257/.301/.408 in 346 at-bats against righties, an unacceptable rate for a corner outfielder in a hitter's park. He's also a mediocre defensive outfielder. Don't be surprised if Gomes gets far fewer than the 511 at-bats he got in 2010.

Gomes was brought on to pound left-handers, and he did (.307/.369/.545), but he also didn't hit too badly against righties either, hitting .244/.320/.539 with 15 homers and 32 RBI in 180 at-bats. Nonetheless, the Reds non-tendered him in December after failing to come to terms with him, and he's a free agent at press time. Gomes' big drawback is his defense, which is why teams aren't willing to pay him market rate for his power.

Those were by far the worst numbers of Gomes' career, and he wasn't even particularly effective against lefties, hitting .182 on either side of the plate last year. The Rays wound up sending Gomes to Triple-A in August, and although he was back up in September, he was left off the postseason roster. However, Gomes also had an absurdly low BABIP versus lefties (.172 in 114 PA), so one could realistically expect an upturn in 2009. It doesn't appear as though he'll get that chance in Tampa Bay, as the Rays non-tendered him in December. He could still be useful against left-handed pitching in a part-time role, however.

Gomes has always been able to display his power in the majors (58 homers over the past three seasons), but his relative inability to get on base is becoming a real concern (check that declining OBP trend). Still, Gomes does mash lefties (.313 average, .918 OPS off left-handers last season; .218 average against righties), so he may best fit in a platoon. With Delmon Young gone, Gomes, Cliff Floyd and Rocco Baldelli will be used in right field and DH to start the season. If both Baldelli and Floyd are available, that arrangement would limit Gomes to platoon duty against left-handers, lowering his counting stats but improving his average and rate stats considerably. However, he could play nearly every day if Baldelli gets hurt yet again.

Gomes' numbers took a nosedive in 2006, and as the year went on, his sore shoulder became so troublesome that the Rays shut him down in August for surgery. But if you look at his numbers more closely, you'll see that Gomes' walk and double rates increased from 2005, while his homer and strikeout rates were basically flat. The only offensive category where Gomes really went south last year was singles (58 in 2005, 41 in 2006 in roughly ten percent more plate appearances). That looks fluky. If Gomes looks healthy in the spring, he could be very undervalued. With Delmon Young on the scene, expect Gomes to play nearly everyday as a first baseman or DH.

Pete Rose with more power, and hopefully, a greater regard for the law. That was everyone's first impression of Gomes last year, a guy who kept coming up with big hits after his long-overdue callup last summer, and enough of a pest to merit the honor of being the first Devil Ray player to be cursed out of fear by the Yankee and Red Sox fans that come to Tropicana Field nine times a year. Gomes was third among AL DHs in OPS last year, trailing just David Ortiz and Travis Hafner. The big question is where the Rays will play him this year, since Delmon Young is on the way. Gomes could see playing time at DH, right field or even first base this season.

Gomes showed at Triple-A in 2004 that his bat is ready to face big-league pitching. With the Rocco Baldelli injury, he may get the chance to grab at least a platoon role at either DH or a corner outfield spot. If the Rays give him playing time, he's well worth a late-round pick in AL-only leagues.

Gomes hit 41 home runs in the last two years in the minors, and had a great Arizona Fall League campaign, as well, (.295/.441/.705, 8 HR, 19-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 26 games). He'll compete for a fourth outfielder role with Tampa Bay in the spring, and if makes the club, his bat will make some noise.

Hit .276 in 133 games, with 24 homers, at Single-A Bakersfield in 2002. Ticketed for Double-A in 2003, probably won't see the bigs until 2004 at the earliest. Can flat-out hit. Think of him as the Devil Rays' insurance policy if Josh Hamilton's back never heals.