Yoendrys Gomez A Positive Sign For Chicago White Sox Player Development

CHICAGO –– Yoendrys Gomez's first stint with the White Sox in May was short-lived, and whether he'd get another Major League opportunity was no sure thing at the time.

But Gomez got to work on adding new pitches while with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, a process that has produced a far more effective pitcher. Gomez held the Minnesota Twins scoreless across 4.2 innings on Sunday while striking out six batters and walking three in an 8-0 White Sox victory.

The White Sox starting rotation went through significant changes recently, as the team optioned Jonathan Cannon and Sean Burke to Triple-A after being mainstays since Opening Day. That gave Gomez a chance, one he's made the most of so far.

"I'm just grateful for this opportunity and the confidence they've given me," Gomez said after Sunday's win. "The responsibility of starting games, that's something that I really like. I'm just glad and grateful they decided to give me that responsibility."

Across three starts and 14.2 innings, the 25-year-old right-hander has allowed just four earned runs while registering a 1.05 WHIP. And perhaps most importantly, the White Sox are 3-0 in his starts against the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins, with Gomez earning a pair of wins.

However, this production didn't come immediately. The White Sox claimed Gomez off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers way back on May 10, and he was designated for assignment just 10 days later after allowing three earned runs across three relief appearances.

"Early on when he came up as a reliever, there were signs of nibbling, trying to be too fine," White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz said. "The arsenal for us wasn’t really complete."

No one claimed Gomez, though, so he went to Triple-A Charlotte and began tinkering with his repertoire. Katz explained that Gomez added a sinker and cutter to his pitch mix and reintroduced a changeup.

Gomez said Katz is always giving him on advice on how to add pitches, improve his stuff and attack hitters. He takes that information, works on it during bullpen sessions, then applies it to the game.

"When we first acquired him, we were excited to start that process," Katz said. "The added pitches we’ve been able to accomplish, that he did [in Triple-A], throwing a ton more strikes right now, confidence is there. The stuff has always been there. That’s why a lot of teams have had him this year. The ability to add to his arsenal and use that in the game has really been nice for him. Now you are seeing the ability to potentially be a starter."

During Sunday's start, Gomez threw 28 four-seam fastballs, 23 sinkers, 10 curveballs, eight cutters, five changeups and one slider. With an expanded arsenal and ability to produce different shapes of pitches, Gomez said he can get quicker outs. He can also attack hitters with different pitches, and they can't simply wait on one in particular.

Katz thinks it also helps Gomez navigate through righties and lefties, which in turn allows him to pitch deeper into the game. Add an uptick in confidence, and altogether he's an new and improved pitcher.

"It's been great to see two different versions of him in his time up here," Katz said. "Now doing this as a starter is really exciting for us."

This process with Gomez can also be viewed as a win for the White Sox from a player development standpoint.

"You look at organizationally, for us to have claimed him and then gets back in the Minor Leagues, gets to work. Our [player development] group there in Triple-A did an outstanding job," Venable said. "For him, as somebody who had struggled with command to find that. He's got a lot of different pitches, and for him to command them like he is now, you see the results. It's huge, a big win for our group down there and really nice to see a guy go to work and get positive results."

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