It’s Too Early to Be Excited About Jeanmar Gomez

I just can’t get excited about Jeanmar Gomez yet.

Yes, his numbers are sparkling through four starts: 1.54 ERA, 23.1 IP, 12K and a WHIP of 1.07. Yes, he’s only 22 and has shown a lot of poise in this young major league career.

Still, I’m not buying that he’s going to be anything better than a 4th or 5th starter the rest of his career.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d take the Indians developing any kind of consistent starting pitching of their own. But despite this recent outburst, I don’t think we’re going to see Gomez mature into an ace. Which is not to say he couldn’t be a useful ML pitcher. I just don’t think he’s going to be a stud.

Before you start calling me Debbie Downer, I’d like to point out the 2008 season of former Indians pitcher Scott Lewis.

2.63 ERA, 24 IP, 15 K, 1.08 WHIP

Admittedly, Gomez’s numbers are better, and he isn’t pitching against September call-ups. But keep in mind that four starts is not a good sample size to start projecting how a kid’s career will be. Lewis posted that awesome September, earned himself a rotation spot, got hurt, and was released this year. He’s apparently out of baseball, yet he posted one of the greatest months an Indians rookie pitcher ever had.

All I’m saying is that it’s too early to get worked up about Jeanmar Gomez. Let’s see how he pitches the rest of the year before we start relying on him to be in the team’s plans.