Banter From The Bench: Austin Gomber wears white pants after Labor Day

Following the typical adjustment period that comes with joining a new organization, the upside for a player like Austin Gomber was evident through nine starts last season when he held a 1.97 ERA during his most successful campaign as a starting pitcher in his young career. 

The 28-year-old came to the Colorado Rockies as the lone big league player in the infamous Nolan Arenado trade that went down a little more than 17 months ago.

Gomber’s introduction to the Rocky Mountain region consisted of a memorable quote about use of his breaking ball at altitude: “I could be pitching on the moon and I’m still going to throw curveballs.”

Alas, entering his previous start, the southpaw had quite a respectable 4.00 ERA (81.0 IP, 36 ER) over 15 starts at Coors Field.

Before his life in Colorado began, the product of Winter Garden, FL played college ball at Florida Atlantic University where he was named to the first team All-Sun Belt Conference with a league-leading 2.97 ERA in 2014.

From there, he was selected in the fourth round by the St. Louis Cardinals and was named their co-Minor League Pitcher of the Year during his first full season as a pro in 2015.

Of his 52 career starts lasting six or more innings in the minors, a whopping 49 were quality starts, including 13 that were scoreless.

As far as 2022 is concerned, there have been more challenges for the 6’5″ starter

In mid-June, he was removed from the starting rotation after rough performances in three of four starts that ballooned his earned run average from 4.11 to 6.43 in just two-and-a-half weeks. 

Saturday night’s outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks, an 11-7 Rockies win, nearly put him back on track in a big way. A ground out by Ketel Marte instead of the home run he hit would have ended the sixth inning and left him with just three earned runs on the ledger; in an alternate universe, Gomber’s quality start would have tied him for most on the club. 

But that’s baseball.

Patrick Lyons: Do you even remember the last barbecue you were able to attend on Independence Day?

Austin Gomber: I can’t tell you exactly when the last time. You could be doing worse things than playing in a Major League baseball game on Fourth of July.

Lyons: Did you at least get a chance to enjoy the fireworks at Coors Field with your family? 

Gomber: Oh, yeah. The first night. Not the last night. We didn’t stay because of the early turn around on Sunday morning. So we stayed out for the first night. They enjoyed it. It’s always nice to be able to do that at this time of year. 

Lyons: As a kid, you probably had tournaments all through the summer. Did you have to travel much or did the games come to where you were?

Gomber: No, most of the tournaments we played were in Florida. A couple in Georgia, but for the most part, you kind of just travel around Florida. We got to go to all the different Spring Training complexes and that’s where they have all the tournaments.

Lyons: You’re a seasoned veteran now, but what was that like as a youngster?

Gomber: It’s always cool. You’re playing on the back fields, but it’s definitely cool. Growing up, I think for us in Florida, it’s easier getting there. Obviously, there’s teams that come and play in those tournaments from all over the country. So it’s pretty convenient to only have to drive an hour, two hours to get there instead of flying across the country.

Lyons: Sunday is always the day for the Nike City Connect uniforms at home. Yet, you wore it mid-week during one of your starts. What was the thought process behind that? 

Gomber: Well, we have to wear them a certain number of times. I know we’re gonna wear them every Sunday, but then we have to wear them at other times, too. I didn’t pitch in it that first weekend, so I figured I’d wear it. Other than that, there’s no real thought process behind it.

Lyons: What’s the overall feeling on those new uniforms?

Gomber: I think they’re cool. Wish we went with white pants. I think that jersey would look better with white pants. But, I think they’re cool. Might as well break them out.

Lyons: Have you seen some of the other City Connect uniforms that were released in the last few weeks?

Gomber: I saw the Brewers and Angels ones. I haven’t seen the Padres’ ones yet.

Lyons: Padres went with really vibrant colors. They certainly jump out.

What's your favorite part of our City Connect uniforms? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/CEsdChzm48

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) July 1, 2022

Gomber: I’m sure we’ll see him at some point when we go play there. I think (the concept is) cool. They did a good job trying to mix it up. Some are better than others. But I think it’s a nice little thing that they’re doing.

Lyons: Do you prefer sticking with the traditional colors of the team? Or going with something a little bit more unique and original? I’d put the Rockies in that original category.

Gomber: I think if you’re gonna do it, you might as well do it unique and different. Or at least unique to the region or area that you’re in. Some areas have a little bit more history than others and some teams have a little bit more history than others and they’re gonna try to stick with more of the look that they have. I think everybody does it differently, but I think it’ll be cool once everybody has one.

Lyons: Sounds like you don’t think the Yankees will go with a neon orange jersey.

Gomber: Probably not.