Chris Gomez

Background
The Orioles signed utility man Chris Gomez to a minor league contract with a guaranteed spring training invite. Gomez played previously for the Orioles from 2005 through the middle of the 2007 season. He has played for 8 teams in his 16 major league seasons.

Stats

Year	Tm	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS+
2008	PIT	90	183	26	50	8	0	1	20	0	13	30	.273	.322	.333	77
16 Yr		1515	4604	517	1206	234	18	60	487	35	408	750	.262	.325	.360	82

ND's Take
I like Chris Gomez. I think he's a gamer. He's got a great reputation as a clubhouse guy, and since it's pretty clear that Kevin Millar isn't coming back, the Orioles could always use one of those.

And this move isn't going to cost us much (assuming it costs us anything at all), and it isn't likely to take a roster spot from an up-and-coming prospect who needs playing time. Oh, and Gomez had the best season of his career for us in 2006.

Not much else I can say that's positive. Basically, Gomez isn't going to contribute much offensively, he's below average defensively, and his big benefit is that he can play all four infield positions, offering the starters an occasional day off.

That's fine if that's what he provides. What's not fine is having him play 36 games at 1B in half a season, as the O's had him do in 2007. Or play 42 games at 1B and 6 at DH, as they had him do in 2005. If Chris Gomez is getting that many AB in the power slots of the lineup, you can write off the season already.

Of course, Gomez still has to make the team. The O's are apparently leaning toward going north with 13 pitchers, leaving only 3 spots on the bench. One will have to be a backup catcher, and one is going to be Ryan Freel. That leaves one spot to be taken from among Gomez, Donnie Murphy, Jolbert Cabrera, Lou Montanez, Oscar Salazar, and maybe Scott Moore or Nolan Reimold.

I think Gomez will win the spot, with one of the OF guys coming up when (if?) the pitching solidifies. If he is limited to a couple hundred plate appearances, he won't hurt us too much, and maybe his clubhouse presence will actually add something. If he plays much more than that, we'll know Trembley's not as good a manager as I've maintained he is.