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Here's More About Jonny's Road to Major League Baseball...
Fifteen years ago, Jonny was a Petaluma American Little Leaguer who wanted to play baseball on television. Today, he's one of 750 players suited up for one of Major League Baseball's 30 teams. Jonny's storybook Rookie Season with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005 nearly earned American League Rookie of the Year honors. Jonny batted .282 with 21 Home Runs, 54 RBIs and 9 stolen bases!
The story of how Jonny Gomes became a stand out for Tampa Bay might surprise you. He wasn't the biggest star on every team he played for when he was your age.
Jonny's baseball career started at Petaluma American Little League where he played for the Couches team. Jonny's first All Star Season was as a Junior Leaguer for Valley Little League. He hit 3 home runs in two days! Jonny then played high school ball at Casa Grande High School where he was a member of the 1998 Championship team that began the Gaucho's dominance of high school baseball in the Redwood Empire. He was a strong player that got better every year earning the Most Improved Player Award each of his years at Casa. He capped his high school career with a First Team All Empire Selection as a senior.
Jonny then played for Santa Rosa Junior College where he struggled a bit. All kinds of people told Jonny he shouldn't try to play professional baseball because he was big enough, fast enough, or powerful enough. So you know what Jonny did? He told himself just to work harder at getting stronger and better. And it paid off. In a game at the end of his sophomore season in college, Jonny caught the attention of a Major League Scout named Hank King... Not with a home run or a diving catch, but with two pop flies that hung in the air for 7 seconds! Hank King also noticed his foot speed. Jonny nearly beat out the pop flies! The Scout talked to Jonny between innings and said, "level out your swing and show me what you can do with the bat. Then run as fast as you can to the outfield wall between innings." The next inning, Jonny made a small adjustment and blasted a line drive right past the pitcher's ear. The scout knew that he had found a winner and drafted Jonny in the 18th round of the 2001 Amateur Draft as a Tampa Bay Devil Ray.
Jonny worked his way up through the Rays minor league organization. He had an outstanding minor league career, winning Appalachian League MVP his first season and setting all kinds of records as he moved up through the system. He finally got his big chance on September 12, 2003 at Yankee Stadium hitting 2 for 3 as DH. Jonny says it was really something to end up on second base right next to Derek Jeter in his first Major League at bat! Jonny played a few more major league games in 2003 and 2004, but mostly had a starring role for the AAA Durham Bulls while waiting for the phone to ring.
He was called up for good in June of 2005 and sparked a struggling Rays team to an amazing second half turnaround. Jonny belted three homeruns in one game, a walk off home run later in the season, and became known for his aggressive diving catches and head first slides. His stats were impressive, but his attitude was infectious. The Devil Rays give Jonny credit for firing up a last place team and not letting them give up. He won awards for his impressive stats and won fan support for his determination, work ethic, and being a great teammate... especially when the team wasn't winning.
He ended his rookie season with a .282 batting average, 21 home runs, 54 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. His amazing performance earned second or third place in all of the major American League Rookie of the Year polls.
He won the hearts of lots of PTown families in February, 2006 when Petaluma recognized his accomplishments at Petaluma American Little League’s Ballpark with "Jonny Gomes Day".
Jonny's sophomore season in Major League Baseball started out with a bang. He led the American League in home runs through the end of April when a shoulder injury began to hamper his swing. In August, he had season ending surgery so he could get back to top form in time for the 2007 season. Jonny really came alive near the end of Spring Training, but the Rays chose to start some long anticipated prospects and use Jonny in a reserve role early in the season. Jonny has battled back before and we know that when the time is right that hard work and being a great teammate even through the tough times will pay off for him.
Jonny says being a goal oriented person with a positive attitude and surrounding himself with good people are the keys to his success.
Jonny had a dream and he didn't give up. He believed in himself even when others had given up on him. He knew that good things happen when you stick with it, work hard, and believe in yourself. Henry Ford, the man who invented the automobile, once said, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're probably right." Jonny is someone who thought he could... and did.
More About Jonny's career and approach to the game:
>> How's this for a fun fact: Jonny's first hit of the 2006 season was a home run. It was the fifth straight season in which his first hit of the year was a homer, starting in Class A Bakersfield after starting the season 0 for 26, then at Double-A Orlando, then the next two years at Triple-A Durham and now with Tampa Bay. (Wow... 0 for 26? Way to stick with it Jonny... You Gotta Believe!)
"It went from cool to a streak to unbelievable," he said. "I don't know how it happens."
>> On remaining positive and ready to play while others get their chance: MLB.Com: Gomes Remains Upbeat
