What's in Store for Minnesota Twin Carlos Gomez?

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Twins' Carlos Gomez displayed last year some of the raw natural ability that he possesses.

Blazing speed, for instance. Gomez stole 33 bases in 2008, his first full season of Major League baseball. This ranked him seventh in that category in the American League.

The bad news is that he was caught 11 times, ranking him third. As he gains experience and knowledge of pitchers, one can expect his efficiency in stealing bases will dramatically improve.

Gomez led all regular center fielders with a range factor of 3.15. He also had nine putouts, only one more than the number of errors that he committed. That, too, should improve as he gains maturity.

Gomez sported a .258/.295/.351 batting line in 2008. He showed some decent pop with seven home runs, and he drove in 59 runs, a respectable amount considering the fact that he batted atop the Twins' lineup for most of the season.

Gomez, at times, showed flashes of brilliance at the plate. He made an auspicious debut for the Twins by going 2-for-3. About a month later, he hit for the cycle. Gomez was hitting .282 entering June, before he eventually slumped.

Everybody agrees that Gomez must cut down on his strikeouts and improve his on-base percentage in 2009 to fulfill his potential and perhaps become an elite player one day.

Gomez, though, is already in elite company.

He is one of seven players in Major League history who have walked 25 or fewer times and struck out 130 or more times in a single season. The others are Bo Jackson, 1988; Cory Snyder, 1989; Alfonso Soriano, 2002; Corey Patterson, 2002; Jeff Francouer, 2006; and Kevin Kouzmanoff, 2008.

None of these players will likely ever need to ready a speech in preparation for his induction into the Hall of Fame. (Soriano is fashioning a borderline resume, if he continues to produce numbers at the same pace for the next half-dozen years.)

It's a small statistical sample, infinitesimal in fact, given all the Major League players who have ever donned spikes, but it leads one to wonder precisely how much improvement can one expect from Gomez, whose continued development is seen as essential to legitimize the trade of Johan Santana to the New York Mets.

Is the ability to distinguish "good" pitches from "bad" pitches an innate gift, much in the way that  some persons are born with perfect pitch. (No pun intended.)

Or, is discipline something that can be learned through experience and the patient tutelage of teammates and a batting coach?

The core sample of players mentioned above doesn't shed any light on the dilemma. The cold, hard fact is that none, expect Soriano, have enjoyed sustained Major League success.

Bo didn't know the strike zone very well in 1988, but he still belted 25 homers  and drove in 66 runs in 439 plate appearances for the Kansas City Royals. In 1989, Jackson's walk and strikeout totals both increased, as did his batting average (.010 points to .256) and his home runs (32) and RBI (105).

Jackson actually looked he was developing into a more patient swinger in 1990, by his standards. His strikeout to walk ratio was approximately 3-to-1 and as a result, he raised his season batting average to. 276. His home run and RBI production remained constant.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?