Education
Born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts, Gomes attended Durfee High School. After high school, Gomes attended Tulane University.
Born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts, Gomes attended Durfee High School. After high school, Gomes attended Tulane University.
He has played for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). At Durfee, Gomes pitched and also played shortstop, hitting.425 with 14 home runs and 83 RBIs while also compiling a record of 19-5 with a 1.66 European Research Area and 287 strikeouts. After having a successful freshman season, Gomes had Tommy John surgery during his sophomore year, receiving a medical redshirt.
As a redshirt sophomore, Gomes continued to work out of both the bullpen and starting rotation, but later became a full-time starter as a junior.
As a senior, Gomes improved, going 7-6 with a 3.92 European Research Area and 74 strikeouts in 96.1 innings. In 2003 and 2006, Gomes played for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League, going 2-2 with a 3.62 European Research Area for the team in 2006.
Gomes was selected by the San Diego Padres in the seventeenth round (537th overall) of the 2007 MLB draft out of Tulane University. Gomes is of Portuguese and Italian heritage.
In December 2010 Gomes was traded to The Tampa Bay Rays along with Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos and Cole Figueroa in exchange for Jason Bartlett and a player to be named later.
Gomes made his major league debut on May 3, 2011. On December 23, 2015, Gomes signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. Gomes has three pitches: a four-seam fastball (90-92 mph), a curveball (78-82), and a splitter (81-86).
The curveball is his off-speed pitch of choice to right-handed hitters, while left-handed hitters face the splitter.