Astros Designate Carlos Gomez For Assignment
By Connor Byrne | August 10, 2016 at 3:29pm CDT
In a stunning move, the Astros have designated center fielder Carlos Gomez for assignment, reports Brian McTaggart of MLB.com (Twitter link).
Gomez’s designation represents a shocking fall from grace for the 30-year-old, whom Houston acquired from Milwaukee last July in a blockbuster deadline deal that also saw right-hander Mike Fiers join the Astros in exchange for four prospects, two of whom – righty Josh Hader (No. 22) and outfielder Brett Phillips (No. 58) – currently rank among Baseball America’s Top 100. That was only after the collapse of a deal between the Brewers and Mets, who were set to trade righty Zack Wheeler and infielder Wilmer Flores to Milwaukee for Gomez.
Gomez was a sought-after commodity last summer because he had established himself as one of the sport’s most well-rounded outfielders in previous seasons, combining excellence at the plate, on the base paths and defensively. From 2012-14, the former highly touted Twins prospect batted .277/.336/.483 with 66 home runs in 1,686 plate appearances, stole 111 bases and accounted for 16.1 fWAR. Gomez was less effective prior to last season’s trade, though he still slashed a respectable .262/.328/.423 with eight homers in his final 74 games with the Brewers.
Gomez’s career began going off the rails after the Astros acquired him, as he hit a meager .242/.288/.383 in 41 contests down the stretch in 2015. But that line looks appealing compared to the .210/.272/.322 Gomez has compiled this season in 323 trips to the plate. Further, he has only five homers while striking out a career-worst 31 percent of the time (a marked increase over his lifetime 23.1 percent mark) and posting his lowest ISO (.112) since 2010. From a statistical standpoint, Gomez’s ability to steal bases (he’s 23 of 28 with the Astros) is the lone aspect of his game that has held up since his departure from the Brewers.
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Wow.