Brandon Gomes[1] (born July 15, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current baseball executive. He played for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2011 to 2015. After his playing career ended, Gomes joined the Los Angeles Dodgers as a pitching coordinator. He was successively promoted to director of player development in 2017, an assistant general manager in 2019, and general manager in 2022.
| Brandon Gomes | |
|---|---|
 Gomes with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011 | |
| Los Angeles Dodgers | |
| Pitcher / General manager | |
| Born: July 15, 1984 Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 3, 2011, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| October 3, 2015, for the Tampa Bay Rays | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 11–12 |
| Earned run average | 4.20 |
| Strikeouts | 144 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| As player
As general manager
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Amateur career
editBorn and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts, Gomes attended Durfee High School. At Durfee, Gomes pitched and also played shortstop, hitting .425 with 14 home runs and 83 RBIs while also compiling a record of 19–5 with a 1.66 ERA and 287 strikeouts. Gomes, who was also a member of the National Honor Society, was Massachusetts High School Gatorade Player of the Year and also won All-State honors twice. After high school, Gomes attended Tulane University. After having a successful freshman season, Gomes had Tommy John surgery during his sophomore year, receiving a medical redshirt. As a redshirt sophomore, Gomes continued to work out of both the bullpen and starting rotation, but later became a full-time starter as a junior. As a senior, Gomes improved, going 7–6 with a 3.92 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 96.1 innings. In 2003 and 2006, Gomes played for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League, going 2–2 with a 3.62 ERA for the team in 2006.[2][3][4]
Professional playing career
editSan Diego Padres
editGomes was selected by the San Diego Padres in the seventeenth round (537th overall) of the 2007 MLB draft out of Tulane University.[5] Gomes is of Portuguese and Italian heritage.
Tampa Bay Rays
editIn December 2010 Gomes was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays along with Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos and Cole Figueroa in exchange for Jason Bartlett and a player to be named later.[6]
Gomes made his major league debut on May 3, 2011.[7]
Chicago Cubs
editOn December 23, 2015, Gomes signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. He was released on June 4, 2016.
Pitching style
editGomes threw three pitches: a four-seam fastball (90-92 mph), a curveball (78-82), and a splitter (81-86). The curveball was primarily used against right-handed hitters, while left-handed hitters saw more of the splitter.[8]
Baseball coach and executive
editLos Angeles Dodgers organization
editAfter his release from the Cubs, he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers organization as pitching coordinator of performance, part of the player development department.[9] On December 1, 2017, he was promoted to director of player development.[10]
Gomes was promoted to vice president and assistant general manager on March 17, 2019.[11] On January 18, 2022, the Dodgers promoted Gomes to the position of general manager.[12][13] Gomes cited his experience as an average player subject to several transactions throughout his career as instrumental to increasing his interest about the work of baseball executives.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Brandon Gomes Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ "2003 Falmouth Commodores". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ "2006 Falmouth Commodores". thebaseballcube.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ "Brandon Gomes Bio - Tulane University Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
- ^ Sullivan, Greg (June 21, 2007). "A pitch for the 'Bigs'". The Herald News. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
- ^ "MLB: Padres acquire Bartlett".
- ^ SPARKLING DEBUT: Gomes throws two hitless, shutout innings for Tampa
- ^ "PITCHf/x Player Card: Brandon Gomes". BrooksBaseball.net. Retrieved April 26, 2012.
- ^ Sullivan, Greg (November 2, 2016). "DODGER BLUE: Brandon Gomes, his playing days over, is part of the Los Angeles Dodgers player development team". The Herald News. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ Plunkett, Bill (December 1, 2017). "Dodgers fill farm director, coaching vacancies". Orange County Register. Retrieved January 21, 2022. Republished by the Los Angeles Daily News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Press Enterprise
- ^ "Dodgers promote Brandon Gomes to VP and assistant GM". USA Today. Associated Press. March 17, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2022. Republished by The Vancouver Sun
- ^ Toribio, Juan (January 18, 2022). "Dodgers name former pitcher Gomes GM". mlb.com. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
- ^ Gonzalez, Alden (January 20, 2022). "Los Angeles Dodgers promote Brandon Gomes to general manager". Retrieved January 21, 2022.
- ^ Harris, Jack (January 20, 2022). "Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes found his calling during his many stints in the minors". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
External links
edit
- Career statistics from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)