Jonny Gomes wants to start, and as of now most evidence suggests he will.
Jonny Gomes wants to be the Red Sox starting left fielder in 2013.
In an era of specialization, baseball teams acquire players for any number of reasons.
Getting players to accept their roles is part of the challenge of being a major league manager.
New Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell appears likely to start the 2013 season with most of his starting lineup set.
No one needs to tell Farrell to pencil in Dustin Pedroia at second base or David Ortiz as the designated hitter.
Left field offers a bit less clarity.
When Spring Training starts in less than three weeks, the Red Sox will have a number of players competing for starts in left. Two players in particular stand out.
Ryan Kalish is a 24-year old prospect who was prematurely pressed into duty by a rash of injuries in 2010. Kalish responded well, hitting .252 and displaying both power and speed while playing all three outfield positions.
The signing of free agent Carl Crawford, and a shoulder injury that required surgery, put Kalish's big league career on hold. Last season, while Crawford recovered from an injury, Kalish spent most of his time in the Red Sox minor league system. Daniel Nava was one of several players who filled in at left for the Red Sox.
Crawford is in Los Angeles now, and Kalish could be poised to finally assume a role as an everyday major league player.
Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington may see Kalish as a potential future starter, but he also knows young players don't always work out as planned.
That's probably part of the reason why Cherington signed veteran free agent outfielder Jonny Gomes to a two-year, $10-million contract last November.
Now 32, Gomes has started and come off the bench. He has a reputation as a player who will embrace whatever role he is given, and do his best to produce.
Early in December, Cherington praised Gomes' personality and expressed high hopes he would bring leadership to the Red Sox clubhouse.
“We did a lot of work on him and he’s developed a really good reputation as a leader in the clubhouse, a guy that can mentor young players and be a big influence,”," Cherington told the Boston Globe.
In the very same article, Red Sox manager John Farrell implied that Gomes was being looked at as the Red Sox everyday left fielder for 2013.
“He’ll have the opportunity to earn the highest number of at-bats that he can,”," Farrell said.
That's good, because Gomes clearly wants to start.
Gomes expressed that intention, as reported in Friday's Boston Herald
“You look at baseball cards, there’s no such thing as a position of a ‘guy that hits lefties’ or a ‘guy that hits righties," Gomes said.
Gomes may appear preoccupied with his status based on whether or not the opposing pitcher throws left- or right-handed. There are good reasons for that.
Over his 10-year major league career, the right-handed Gomes has 934 at-bats against lefties with a career batting average of .284, with 50 home runs and an .894 OPS.
Gomes has 1,712 at-bats against right-handed pitchers with a batting average of .223, 86 home runs and an OPS of .732.
Those are significant differences, and with the left-handed Kalish as a possible platoon partner, Gomes wants to make sure that the decision makers in Boston view him as a legitimate everyday starter, regardless of who is pitching.
Wanting to play every day is good. The Red Sox should be glad to have a player who wants to start, and has the confidence to do so.
Gomes has not been a regular starter for most of his career. He has appeared in more than 120 games just once, and amassed more than 400 at-bats once as well.
He is used to a part-time role, but wants more and thinks he can succeed as a daily presence in the Red Sox lineup. There's nothing wrong with that, and Cherington's glowing review of Gomes personality suggests that whatever the eventual decision is, Gomes will act professionally.
As of now, it looks like Gomes has the inside track on a starting position.
At 32, Gomes might be ready to finally play everyday. Fenway Park might end up being a good place for Gomes to hit, and playing in lineup surrounded by the likes of Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Shane Victorino, David Ortiz and Mike Napoli should provide Gomes with plenty of opportunities to drive in runs.
The 2013 Red Sox need players who want to play, who want to contribute, and will battle for chances to make that happen. Gomes looks like a safe bet to bring a good dose of dogged competitiveness and veteran leadership to the team.