Gomes loves lefties; Righties loves Gomes

When you look at the numbers that Jonny Gomes puts up against lefties, you are put into the mindset that the Red Sox made one of the best free agent signings of the offseason.

Gomes versus lefties

Last season, Gomes hit .299, the 11th best average for all those with at least 190 PA against southpaws. We are talking all-star territory. Derek Jeter was on the top of this list at .364. Adrian Gonzalez ranked sixth at .322 and David Wright seventh at .320. But behind Gomes, was Josh Hamilton at .291 and Joe Mauer at .287. Further back were Bryce Harper at .240, Robinson Cano hitting just .239 and, prepare yourself Reds' fans, Shin-Soo Choo at .199.  

Pity the lefty pitcher who gets a pitch anywhere near the center of the strike zone. In that area alone Gomes hit .418. And pitches up in the zone, Gomes raked at .382.

But sadly for Gomes and the Red Sox, Gomes has to face righties as well.

Gomes versus righties

Last season, Gomes hit .209, the 320th best average for all those with at least 130 PA against righties. We are talking designated-for-assignment territory.

Obviously, I can't list all the players ahead of Gomes but I will tell you that Joey Votto and Robinson Cano were on top of this list at .359. The aforementioned Choo hit .327, as did Carlos Ruiz and Miguel Cabrera. Marco Scutaro and Andrew McCutchen each hit 100 points higher than Gomes. But even Jose Molina hit .235. Clint Barmes hit .217 and Dustin Ackley hit .215.

Gomes against righties has more holes than Dunkin' Donuts 

• On pitches that were up, he hit .160.
• Pitches that were down, he hit .132.
• Pitches on the outside, he hit .143.
• Pitches on the inside he hit .173.
• He chased many pitches out of the strike zone and hit .053.
• He was 7-51 against fastballs. That's .137.
• He was 0-12 against curveballs. 

I began by mentioning that when you look at the numbers that Gomes puts up against lefties, you are put into the mindset that the Red Sox made one of the best free agent signings of the offseason. But clearly, that is only half the story and the reality is, it really may not even be half, because the Sox will need to have another player to face righties as they sit Gomes. 

One last point, in case you were curious,over the last four seasons, Gomes has hit .225 against righties and his .209 last season was an improvement over his .167 in 2011.