Gomes is not starting in Monday's opener, as the Rays go with Eric Hinske in RF and Cliff Floyd at DH It's not a good sign at all for Gomes that he's being benched, but it's also hardly a surprise given the way Joe Maddon has always looked at him.
For example, Gomes, who smacked 11 homers in April 2006 before a shoulder injury ruined his season, had to fight to make the Rays last spring (2007), but responded by leading the team in homers during the spring schedule. Still, he just barely won a a place on the roster and he was mostly on the bench at the beginning of the season. He was sent down in late May after hitting .184 in only 49 at-bats. The Rays gave him more of an opportunity when they brought him back the next month, and he hit .254 with 16 homers in 299 at-bats the rest of the way. He was still striking out a lot more than anyone would like, but he was also the club鈥檚 second- or third-best power hitter.
Gomes has the same tendency to run hot and cold, but there鈥檚 no reason he couldn鈥檛 hit 30 homers if he got 500-550 at-bats. With Rocco Baldelli sidelined, it It looked like the Gomes and Cliff Floyd would share playing time at RF and DH. However, if the Rays start to play Hinske against all righties, Gomes would only start versus lefties as long as Floyd is healthy. He could prove to be quite a bargain in AL-only leagues, but he may not be so valuable at the beginning of the season.
I'd estimate him for around 400 at bats and 20 homers along with 60 rbis and runs scored. His batting average shouldn't be much higher than .260, though.
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