Former St. Louis Cardinals minor leaguer Moisés Gómez appeared to be on track to make the MLB roster. After coming to the Cardinals following the 2021 season, Gómez dominated at Double-A Springfield in 2022. In 60 games, Gómez produced a slash line of .321/.401/.705 for an OPS of 1.106. In addition, Gómez smashed 23 home runs and collected 54 RBIs, earning him a promotion that season to Triple-A Memphis.
In total, Gómez’s 39 home runs at both Springfield and Memphis landed him the 2022 Joe Bauman Award for the top home run hitter in the minor leagues.
Coming into the 2023 season, Gómez was the 14th-ranked Cardinals prospect and member of the Cardinals' 40-man roster. With the momentum Gómez built in 2022, he was primed to make it to St. Louis, especially if he could cut down on the strikeouts.
Alas, it was not meant to be.
Despite hitting 30 home runs at Triple-A Memphis, Gómez had a poor OBP of .293 while striking out 180 times in 131 games with the Redbirds. My colleague Thomas Gauvain mentioned that the Cardinals missed their opportunity to trade Gómez while his stock was high.
Going into the 2024 season, Gómez was designated for assignment by the Cardinals last January. He returned to the Memphis Redbirds that season, but in 41 games, Gómez failed to come close to the power display he showed in previous seasons, as indicated by a ghastly .299 SLG. After his release from the Cardinals in July, Gómez signed with the Independent League's Kansas City Monarchs.
Now, he will be able to make an MLB team in 2025. According to Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors, Gómez signed a minor league deal last month with the San Diego Padres. With the Padres organization, he will reunite with former Cardinals manager Mike Shildt and perhaps reclaim the power he once showed.