Jeanmar Gómez

Jeanmar Alejandro Gomez

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 3", Weight 215 lb.

• Debut July 18, 2010
• Final Game May 19, 2019

• Born February 10, 1988 in Caracas, Distrito Federal, Venezuela

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Biographical Information

Pitcher Jeanmar Gomez signed with the Cleveland Indians in 2005 after being scouted by Henry Centeno. He debuted with the DSL Indians 1 that year. With the 2006 GCL Indians, his record was 4-3 with a 2.48 ERA. He finished 9th in the Gulf Coast League in ERA and was third in innings (54 1/3).

In 2007, the teenager was 11-7 with a 4.80 ERA for the Lake County Captains. He moved up to the 2008 Kinston Indians, where he went 5-9 with a 4.55 ERA. Jeanmar started off 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA for the 2009 Kinston Indians then was promoted to the Akron Aeros.

In his first four starts with Akron, the Caracas native was untouchable, going 4-0 with a 0.31 ERA, 9 hits, one walk and 26 K in 29 innings. His 4th EL game produced the first perfect game in Akron Aeros history, as he beat the Trenton Thunder 3-0. Overall, he was 10-3 with a 3.43 ERA for Akron. His 147 innings that year led Cleveland farmhands. Gomez placed third in the EL in ERA behind Zach McAllister and Felix Doubront but beat both of those guys out for Pitcher of the Year honors. He was named an All-Star pitcher as well, alongside lefty Joe Savery and reliever Anthony Slama.

He opened 2010 poorly with the Columbus Clippers, going 6-8 with a 5.70 ERA after 18 starts. Still, Gomez reached the majors with the Indians following the All-Star break. Called up for a spot start, he made his big league debut on July 18th, starting a game against the Detroit Tigers and giving up two unearned runs and five hits over seven innings to get the win. He beat fellow rookie Andy Oliver. He was then sent back to the minors with a 0.00 ERA, replaced by Jess Todd. He eventually made 11 starts that season, ending up with a record of 4-5, 4,68.

In 2011, Gomez again split his season between Cleveland and the minor leagues. He made 11 appearances for the Indians, going 5-3, 4.47 in 58 1/3 innings, and was 10-7, 2.55 in 21 starts for Columbus. With Columbus in 2012, he went 6-5, 4.41 in 11 games, then finished the year in Cleveland, where he was only 5-8, 5.96 in 20 appearances, including 17 starts. As he had failed to establish himself as a reliable major league starter in three successive stints in Cleveland, he fell off the team,s depth chart after the season and was designated for assignment the following January. On January 9, 2013, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in return for minor league outfielder Quincy Latimore.

Jeanmar had a good season as a swingman for Pittsburgh in 2013. He made 8 starts in 34 appearances and pitched 80 2/3 innings with an ERA of 3.03 and a 3-0 record. He was sent down to the AAA Indianapolis Indians for a brief spell in June, but came back after making 2 starts during which he gave up only one earned run in 8 innings. He made the first postseason appearance of his career that year when he pitched four innings in relief in Game 1 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals on October 3rd. He took over for starter A.J. Burnett in the 3rd inning, after Burnett had failed to retire any of the first 8 batters in the frame, giving up 7 runs in the process. He gave up a pair of unearned runs over the four innings as the Pirates lost the game, 9-1. In 2014, he moved to the bullpen full time, making 44 appearances during which he was 2-2, 3.19. He also recorded his first career save that year while pitching 62 innings.

Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2016, he took over the vacant closer job at the start of the year and went on to accumulate 37 saves, after posting only one in his first six major league seasons. However, he was hit hard in September when he went 0-3 with a 19.13 ERA. As a result, he ended the year with a relatively high 4.85 ERA in 70 games and 68 2/3 innings. He also struck out only 47 batters, a low total for a closer. In fact, his 2015 season for the Phils had been better, even if it had gone under the radar as he was pitching middle relief for a team having a bad season. In 65 games, he was 2-3 with a 3.01 ERA in 74 2/3 innings, with 50 Ks and only 17 walks.

Gomez did not retain his closer job for long in 2017. After he gave up 5 runs in 3 innings over his first three outings, manager Pete Mackanin announced that he was giving the job to 39-year-old veteran Joaquin Benoit, who had been signed as a free agent during the off-season.

Notable Achievements

• 2009 Pitcher of the Year, Eastern League, Akron Aeros
• 30 Saves Seasons: 1 (2016)

Related Sites

• Jeanmar Gomez on mlb.com