Heber Gómez

Heber R. Gómez Contreras

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 190-220 lb.

• Born November 3, 1977 in El Carrizal, Veracruz Mexico

Heber Gómez played his 13th minor league season in 2008.

Gómez debuted in 1996 with the Plataneros de Tabasco, going 2 for 13 with a walk and 5 strikeouts. In 1997, the teenager hit .234/.297/.279 in a part-time role for Tabasco. He was a starter by 1998, when the shortstop batted .276/.314/.342. Gómez improved to a .291/.351/.375 batting line in 1999 and .307/.372/.454 in 2000, when he socked 13 homers in one of his best years to date.

In 2001, Heber hit .301 with 8 homers for Tabasco also spent time with the Chattanooga Lookouts (.189/.250/.243 in 10 games). The next year, he batted .280 for Tabasco. In 2002-2003, the infielder had a huge winter for the Mazatlan Deer, hitting .353 to lead the Mexican Pacific League, .015 over runner-up Rick Short. Hever slugged .504 that winter. He played for Mexico when they won Brozne in the 2003 Pan American Games.

Gómez moved to the Sultanes de Monterrey for the summer of 2003 but his average fell to .278 and he only delivered five home runs. He duplicated the home run turnout in the winter campaign, when he hit .288 for Mazatlan. In the summer of 2004, the veteran shortstop batted .299/.371/.412 for Monterrey. In the LMP that winter, he hit .298 for Mazatlan, which won the title and went on to win the 2005 Caribbean Series in an upset.

Gómez batted .295/.367/.379 for the 2005 Sultanes. In the 2006 campaign, Heber hit .326/.399/.435. He appeared in the 2007 Caribbean Series. He followed with a .286/.355/.359 batting line in 2007. In the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament, Heber hit .241/.313/.276 as Mexico fell short of a spot in the 2008 Olympics. In the competition, Gómez split time with Efrén Espinoza at third and José Luis Sandoval at short.

Gómez hit .288/.368/.411 for Monterrey in 2008. In the 2008 Americas Baseball Cup, he only batted .174/.296/.304 but Mexico still won a spot in the 2009 Baseball World Cup.

Sources

• IBAF
• 2005-2006 Baseball Guides
• 2004-2006 Baseball Almanacs
• The Mexican League: Comprehensive Player Statistics by Pedro Treto Cisneros
• MILB.com