BBTF's Newsblog Discussion :: Fastest in MLB? Minnesota Twins prospect Carlos Gomez believes he is, and he’s ready to prove it

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Monday, March 10, 2008

Fastest in MLB? Minnesota Twins prospect Carlos Gomez believes he is, and he’s ready to prove it

I once saw Muhammad Ali on Carson call out his new buddy Houston McTear...and said he was “the fastest human alive!” McTear then tripped in the aisle.

The idea was so nonsensical, the question so absurd, it was all Carlos Gomez could do to hold his temper.

Have I ever lost a race? Have I ever seen anyone faster than me? What foolish nonsense.

“If somebody say they’re faster, have him come here and we race,” Gomez said. “We see.”

...Anybody? Really? That seems like a stretch for a team that isn’t known for its speed, that hasn’t had a player steal 30 bases in a decade. But ask someone who watches ballplayers run for a living (albeit someone not entirely impartial), and Gomez’s uniqueness becomes apparent.

Jose Reyes? “Tough one, but I think this guy gets him,” said first-base coach Jerry White, who instructs the Twins’ base stealers. Cristian Guzman? “Gomez, definitely,” White said. Denard Span? “Gomez by a step.”

Repoz Posted: March 10, 2008 at 12:27 PM | 37 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
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1. PASTE is not impressed by Albert Pujols (Zeth) Posted: March 10, 2008 at 01:38 PM (#2709654)

I know I'm nitpicking--I didn't get much sleep and I'm cranky and I just can't help myself this morning--but to qualify as the fastest player in major league baseball, don't you first have to be a major league baseball player? When did Carlos Gomez become that?

2. chris p Posted: March 10, 2008 at 01:41 PM (#2709655)

i wonder if the red sox will let him and clay buchholz race.

3. Neil Kinnock...Lord Palmerston! (Orinoco) Posted: March 10, 2008 at 01:48 PM (#2709663)

i wonder if the red sox will let him and clay buchholz race.

I think you meant Ellsbury. And Jacoby Ellsbury would have no chance against Gomez.

4. Social media assassin (Templeusox) Posted: March 10, 2008 at 01:49 PM (#2709665)

Buchholz beat Ellsbury in a race during their first professional season, so he probably meant Buchholz. He also ran a 4.32 40-yard dash when he was still a football recruit in high school.

5. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Griffin (Vlad) Posted: March 10, 2008 at 01:51 PM (#2709668)

Yeah, but could he beat Billy Sunday?

6. PASTE is not impressed by Albert Pujols (Zeth) Posted: March 10, 2008 at 01:52 PM (#2709669)

Nobody can beat Billy Sunday. Billy Sunday will be standing on first base before you even hear the starter's pistol go off.

7. Repoz

Posted: March 10, 2008 at 01:55 PM (#2709670)

I'm still in shock from an early 60's article I read...where Bill White was considered the fastest player in the NL.

8. Van Lingle Mungo Jerry Posted: March 10, 2008 at 02:11 PM (#2709680)

You can't steal first, son.

9. PASTE is not impressed by Albert Pujols (Zeth) Posted: March 10, 2008 at 02:16 PM (#2709683)

Tell that to Lloyd McClendon.

10. sunnyday2 Posted: March 10, 2008 at 02:21 PM (#2709688)

Being the fastest man is so irrelevant to whether a guy is worth a damn in MLB it isn't even funny, but let's be honest. The baseball writers in the TC are having a hard time shilling for the Twins right now. They're grasping a little bit. like the Cuddyer in CF story and the Adam Everett is really going to try to bring up his batting average story. What, he tried to hit .248 last year?

11. PASTE is not impressed by Albert Pujols (Zeth) Posted: March 10, 2008 at 02:30 PM (#2709697)

Nah. His goal was to hit .257, but you know, he had some injury trouble. This year he's set a loftier goal for himself, .264, and all the indications are that he's working like a maniac to see it realized.

12. alskor Posted: March 10, 2008 at 03:43 PM (#2709762)

#8- Nailed it. I dont know how you can look at the 07 Twins and think - wow, do you know what would be really great?? If we could clone Nick Punto and play the clone in CF!

13. Jim Wisinski

Posted: March 10, 2008 at 05:17 PM (#2709837)

Gathright is probably faster than Gomez and Gomez probably can't jump cars either.

14. Harry Balsagne's transparent jealousy

Posted: March 11, 2008 at 12:31 AM (#2710088)

"...a team that isn't known for its speed, that hasn't had a player steal 30 bases in a decade."

And yet you wouldn't know it by paying attention to the way Ron Gardenhire manages the team. The insistence on giving non-hitting speedsters as many at-bats as possible is becoming the hallmark of Gardy's tenure.

15. Avoid running at all times.-S. Paige Posted: March 11, 2008 at 12:43 AM (#2710093)

who is the slowest current player? If I had to guess, it would be Sean Casey.

16. spycake Posted: March 11, 2008 at 12:46 AM (#2710095)

"...a team that isn't known for its speed, that hasn't had a player steal 30 bases in a decade."

What's the definition of a decade? Luis Rivas stole 31 in 2001.

17. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: March 11, 2008 at 12:59 AM (#2710101)

who is the slowest current player? If I had to guess, it would be Sean Casey.

If it isn't a Molina or Jorge Posada, I'd be very surprised.

18. Biff isn't really an apt handle anymore Posted: March 11, 2008 at 01:08 AM (#2710107)

who is the slowest current player? If I had to guess, it would be Sean Casey.

Casey's not even the slowest player on the Red Sox, thanks to Doug Mirabelli. I think.

It's probably a Molina, but I bet Mirabelli (at least) is slower than Posada.

19. ValueArb Posted: March 11, 2008 at 01:20 AM (#2710112)

Who does this kid think he is? Billy Beane?

20. RB in NYC (Now with New iPhone!) Posted: March 11, 2008 at 01:23 AM (#2710114)

Bengie Molina is slower than Jose, so it's probably him. Posada is probably an inferior base runner to either of them, but I don't think he's quite as slow in raw foot speed.

Bengie, come to that, might be one of the slowest five or ten players in baseball history.

21. formerly dp Posted: March 11, 2008 at 01:25 AM (#2710117)

Ramon Castro? Frank Thomas?

22. Francoeur Sans Gages (AlouGoodbye) Posted: March 11, 2008 at 01:28 AM (#2710120)

Matt LeCroy is sneaky fast.

23. Nasty Nate Posted: March 11, 2008 at 01:34 AM (#2710123)

you're no match for my speed

You're that fast?

Let me put it this way: have you ever heard of Coleman, Henderson, Brock?

Yes.

Leadfoots.

24. Sam M. Posted: March 11, 2008 at 01:58 AM (#2710132)

You can't steal first, son.

And I say, why the hell not? If a batter wants to take off for first with the wind-up, let him. Let it be like any other steal attempt -- the pitcher can throw to first, but if he balks, it counts as a steal. So the batter has to time it right to make sure he commits to home, and then he takes off. If he beats the catcher's throw, he steals first.

Why the hell not? With a fast batter, it'd force the pitcher to choose whether he dares to pitch from the wind-up, or needs to go from the stretch. I think it'd be neat.

25. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: March 11, 2008 at 02:02 AM (#2710133)

Why the hell not? With a fast batter, it'd force the pitcher to choose whether he dares to pitch from the wind-up, or needs to go from the stretch. I think it'd be neat.

You wouldn't say that if your team didn't feature Endy Chavez. This is a scheme to make him a good offensive player.

26. Pops Freshenmeyer Posted: March 11, 2008 at 02:02 AM (#2710134)

f a batter wants to take off for first with the wind-up, let him. Let it be like any other steal attempt -- the pitcher can throw to first, but if he balks, it counts as a steal. So the batter has to time it right to make sure he commits to home, and then he takes off. If he beats the catcher's throw, he steals first.

For one thing, the batter would be right in the line of the catcher's throw.

27. Sam M. Posted: March 11, 2008 at 02:05 AM (#2710137)

You wouldn't say that if your team didn't feature Endy Chavez.

Yeah. Endy's the guy I have in mind with this little proposal of mine. Endy. ;-)

For one thing, the batter would be right in the line of the catcher's throw.

He has to run outside the foul line, just like on a bunt play. If he doesn't, and it interferes with the throw, he's out. I don't see the problem.

28. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: March 11, 2008 at 02:08 AM (#2710140)

Yeah. Endy's the guy I have in mind with this little proposal of mine. Endy. ;-)

The other speedy guy on your team is already a good hitter. I wouldn't think this would help Carlos Delgado or Moises Alou much.

29. Sam M. Posted: March 11, 2008 at 02:12 AM (#2710143)

The other speedy guy on your team is already a good hitter.

I wouldn't mind forcing every pitcher to have to pitch from the stretch to Jose Reyes every AB. And if a guy could steal successfully a decent percentage of the time, enough to make Endy Chavez a good hitter, what would it make Jose Reyes? Yikes.

30. Russlan will never be fond of Jason Bay Posted: March 11, 2008 at 02:14 AM (#2710144)

Hmm, maybe that's why the Mets acquired the strong-armed Schneider!

31. rLr Is King Of The Romans And Above Grammar Posted: March 11, 2008 at 02:16 AM (#2710145)

Suddenly, Nook Logan became a very valuable player.

32. Pops Freshenmeyer Posted: March 11, 2008 at 02:16 AM (#2710146)

He has to run outside the foul line, just like on a bunt play. If he doesn't, and it interferes with the throw, he's out. I don't see the problem.

A fair bunt moves the catcher into the field of play and away from the foul line. There would be a much smaller window if the catcher is staying home.

33. Sam M. Posted: March 11, 2008 at 02:26 AM (#2710151)

Suddenly, Nook Logan became a very valuable player.

I think you're overestimating how often batters would be successful "stealing first." They'd have almost no lead, since they have to start in the batter's box. They'd have no chance to get a running (or even a walking) start. It'd be a very high-risk play, in which only the fastest runners would have a reasonable chance and even then depending most of the time on getting a bad throw from either the pitcher or the catcher.

There would be a much smaller window if the catcher is staying home.

Get yourself a good catcher who can play his position. Don't come crying to me.

34. Pops Freshenmeyer Posted: March 11, 2008 at 02:42 AM (#2710158)

Get yourself a good catcher who can play his position. Don't come crying to me.

My concern is more for the health of the baserunner.

35. Social media assassin (Templeusox) Posted: March 11, 2008 at 03:21 AM (#2710186)

This rule would work until the first right-handed batter gets nailed in the head when a pitcher sniffs this out and throws the pitch up. That's what I would do. Sure, it's probably a fairly easy out. But you can nip the whole exercise in the bud to begin with by giving the first 2 or 3 people to try it concussions. And you couldn't accuse the pitcher of throwing at a batter since the batter would be running through his strike zone.

36. The Keith Law Blog Blah Blah (battlekow) Posted: March 11, 2008 at 03:36 AM (#2710198)

Johnny Estrada is the slowest human being I have ever seen, and that includes the lady on Discovery Health with no pelvis (granted, Johnny doesn't get to use a skateboard).

37. Sam M. Posted: March 11, 2008 at 03:48 AM (#2710209)

This rule would work until the first right-handed batter gets nailed in the head when a pitcher sniffs this out and throws the pitch up. That's what I would do.

Well, yes. A RH batter would be truly insane to try it. I would assume that well over 95% of the attempts would come from left-handed batters.

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Fastest in MLB? Minnesota Twins prospect Carlos Gomez believes he is, and he’s ready to prove it

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