Catching the speedy Gomez
Over the next few years, you're going to be compared a lot to Jacoby Ellsbury. What do you think of him?
CG: "Who's that? I don't know him. What's his name?" (Gomez pauses, and a teammate says, "Ellsbury, plays center field for Boston.") "Oh yeah. He's a very, very exciting player. His game is a lot like mine. He runs, can play defense, can hit, and has some power. Yeah, I like watching him a lot. I think I played against him in Double A."
Do you think you're the fastest player in baseball?
CG: "No. We had a guy at Double A named Juan Capusano. Oh, my God, he was the fastest player I've ever seen. In the big leagues? I don't know. Well, I probably am. I've always been fast because my dad was very fast. He played baseball in the Dominican and he's 46 years old right now and he's still very fast."
Can he beat you?
CG: 'Well, I let him win once in a while to keep him happy. He doesn't play anymore, but he can still beat a lot of people in a race."
What did it feel like to hit for the cycle so early in your career?
CG: "I was so excited because Kirby Puckett [the last Twin to hit for the cycle, in 1986] was one of my favorite players. It's amazing. I saw the video of Kirby Puckett doing it. That was unbelievable. I knew I had a chance because there was a lefty pitching."
What do you envision yourself as down the road? Will you be a leadoff hitter?
CG: "Now I'm a leadoff hitter, but I'm 22. When I get to be 25, my body will be bigger and I'll be hitting home runs. I can be like an Andruw Jones or a Torii Hunter and hit third in a lineup. I don't think I'll be a leadoff hitter forever, no way."
David Ortiz spent a lot of time talking to you before Friday's game. What did he say?
CG: "Papi is my homeboy. He played on the same team I did in the Dominican, so we're very close. He just told me not to let anything distract me. He told me to forget about money because the money will come if I'm a great player. He told me to just keep staying focused on baseball and nothing else. He told me to go 100 miles an hour and never let up. I don't think I'll ever change that."
From the Boston Glob.
Over the next few years, you're going to be compared a lot to Jacoby Ellsbury. What do you think of him?
CG: "Who's that? I don't know him. What's his name?" (Gomez pauses, and a teammate says, "Ellsbury, plays center field for Boston.") "Oh yeah. He's a very, very exciting player. His game is a lot like mine. He runs, can play defense, can hit, and has some power. Yeah, I like watching him a lot. I think I played against him in Double A."
Do you think you're the fastest player in baseball?
CG: "No. We had a guy at Double A named Juan Capusano. Oh, my God, he was the fastest player I've ever seen. In the big leagues? I don't know. Well, I probably am. I've always been fast because my dad was very fast. He played baseball in the Dominican and he's 46 years old right now and he's still very fast."
Can he beat you?
CG: 'Well, I let him win once in a while to keep him happy. He doesn't play anymore, but he can still beat a lot of people in a race."
What did it feel like to hit for the cycle so early in your career?
CG: "I was so excited because Kirby Puckett [the last Twin to hit for the cycle, in 1986] was one of my favorite players. It's amazing. I saw the video of Kirby Puckett doing it. That was unbelievable. I knew I had a chance because there was a lefty pitching."
What do you envision yourself as down the road? Will you be a leadoff hitter?
CG: "Now I'm a leadoff hitter, but I'm 22. When I get to be 25, my body will be bigger and I'll be hitting home runs. I can be like an Andruw Jones or a Torii Hunter and hit third in a lineup. I don't think I'll be a leadoff hitter forever, no way."
David Ortiz spent a lot of time talking to you before Friday's game. What did he say?
CG: "Papi is my homeboy. He played on the same team I did in the Dominican, so we're very close. He just told me not to let anything distract me. He told me to forget about money because the money will come if I'm a great player. He told me to just keep staying focused on baseball and nothing else. He told me to go 100 miles an hour and never let up. I don't think I'll ever change that."
From the Boston Glob.
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