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Rays Beat: Rays Hoping To Get More Out Of Baldelli, Gomes

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Marc Lancaster/The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 9, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - For Rocco Baldelli, it has been a question of health. For Jonny Gomes, it had more to do with opportunity. Neither Rays outfielder made a tremendous impact on the team in 2007, but both are poised to reassume more prominent roles next season.

Dealing away Delmon Young opened up an outfield spot and the two lifelong Rays are expected to step into it along with a left-handed hitter to be named later. As it stands right now - and, yes, Opening Day is quite a ways off - those three players would hold down right field and the designated hitter slot in some combination more often than not.

Of course, there's still one big "if" involved: Baldelli's health. The 26-year-old was essentially a non-factor in 2007 as hamstring injuries limited him to 35 games, ending his season on May 15.

"Rocco's the issue; we're still not exactly sure what he's going to be able to do yet," Rays manager Joe Maddon said last week. "Once we're able to answer that question, we can be a little bit more specific, I think. Jon Gomes, I still have a lot of faith in him - I think, specifically, Jon against left-handed pitching does a nice job."

Last season, Gomes hit .313 and posted a .918 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) in 109 plate appearances against lefties. He hit .218 with a .731 OPS in 285 plate appearances against right-handers. The 27-year-old slugger would be a natural fit in a right-field platoon with a left-handed power hitter.

And that's probably how it would work out most days - either Gomes or the new left-handed hitter starting in right and a healthy Baldelli at DH.

Though Gomes was second only to Greg Norton in starts as the Rays' DH last year with 45, he was much more productive at the plate while playing the outfield. Gomes hit .279 (50-for-179) with 12 homers and 30 RBIs as an outfielder and .216 (35-for-162) with five homers and 19 RBIs as a DH.

On the flip side, Baldelli had drawn praise from Maddon in the weeks before his season-ending injury for his ability to excel in the DH spot - a skill that isn't as easy as it may seem. Because of that and the desire to protect Baldelli's legs at least in the early stages of his return, Baldelli likely will spend the majority of his time awaiting those four or five trips to the plate each game.

"We've thought from last year, if Rocco could at least come back as almost an everyday DH, that would be great, because he does handle it well," said Maddon. "He keeps himself prepared between at-bats and he kind of likes it. A lot of young guys don't like it, but he's OK with it. He's got the mentality that plays in that role, which definitely matters."

Maddon also sounded last week like he hoped Gomes would be more of a factor in 2008. The outfielder was often lost in the shuffle last year with the starting outfield spots locked up and the switch-hitting Norton available to DH. Roster machinations even got him sent to the minors for a couple of weeks during the summer, but Gomes bit his lip for the most part and maintained his reputation as a strong presence in the Rays' clubhouse.

"He plays with the kind of enthusiasm that we're looking for every day, and I think he cares," said Maddon. "All that stuff matters. I think sometimes that stuff goes overlooked and you don't really talk about it enough, but when you get in meetings you talk about make-up and camaraderie and accountability and all these things are very important beyond arm strength and whatever."

EYE ON NAVI: As of the moment, Dioner Navarro is the unquestioned starter behind the plate. That could change if the Rays acquire a seasoned catcher like Michael Barrett, but either way the Rays want to make sure Navarro comes into camp raring to go.

"We spent a lot of time with him in the second half last year and we've already begun the tutorial this winter," Maddon said. "He knows he's got to come into spring training ready to perform, ready to play. Also I've challenged him this off-season to get involved with the workouts and have these pitchers see that he wants to catch them and he wants to be with them and he wants to talk to them - that is vital in our development."

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