Twins want Gomez to tap into raw talent

Carlos Gomez was the reason the Twins made the trade with the Mets for pitcher Johan Santana, and the center fielder has turned out to be a great fielder but a big disappointment as a hitter. He hit .258 last year, and after going 1-for-2 on Sunday in the Twins' loss against the Mariners, is hitting .219.

"Well, that's the one we're waiting on. He's got skills that you can't teach," Twins General Manager Billy Smith said. "That catch he made the other day [off the wall against the Indians, saving one or two runs], he went a long, long way to get that ball, and there aren't many guys that could go get it. He's got a strong arm. He's got raw power. We've just got to get him to calm down.

"Joe Vavra, our hitting coach, has spent hours and hours with Gomez. Carlos, he's a great teammate. He wants to learn. He asks a lot of questions. He works well with the coaches. It's just, we've got to get through and get him to calm down a little bit at the plate."

Asked about his hitting, Gomez said, "I've got to play a lot more and I will hit."

The other players in the Santana trade -- pitchers Philip Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey -- have made no impact so far.

Decker to play football Regardless how high Gophers receiver Eric Decker is drafted on Tuesday, he will play football in his senior season. If somebody offers him enough money to sign a baseball contract, he will still be eligible for football, and he has promised coach Tim Brewster he will play. Decker could be drafted any where from the 10th to 20th rounds. He was drafted in the 39th round by the Brewers last year.

However, a lot of baseball teams aren't likely to give him a lot of money and take the chance that he will be injured this fall. Even though he favored a shoulder injured during the 2008 football season, Decker played great center field for the Gophers and hit .319.

Rob Fornasiere, the Gophers assistant baseball coach who doesn't get enough credit for his contributions to the success of the program, recalled how Andrew Schmiesing, a former all-around athlete at St. Olaf, was an 11th-round pick by the Twins who played rookie ball, then came back in the fall and played football. He's now playing for the St. Paul Saints.

"There is no doubt that [Decker will] play football. But, he still could go out and play pro baseball this summer if he wanted to, and negotiate in an opportunity to come back and play football," Fornasiere said. "So, I still think there is a chance he could do both."

Fornasiere said there is a lot of interest in Gophers infielder Derek McCallum, including from the Twins. McCallum hit .409, and Baseball America has him going in the fifth round.

He also expects Gophers catcher Kyle Knudson to be drafted between rounds 20 and 30. "We've got a couple of pitchers that are eligible," Fornasiere said. "But neither one of them, I think, are going to sign. They'll be drafted, but I don't know if they're going to sign: Cullen Sexton, and Scott Matyas, the closer."

Fornasiere also said he expects the Gophers to play almost their entire 2010 home schedule in the Metrodome next year after the Twins leave. Meanwhile, fundraising is going on for the new Gophers baseball stadium.

Jottings The good news is that outstanding Cooper basketball player Rodney Williams has qualified academically and will be eligible to play this fall for the Gophers. ... That was Ken Mauer, the local referee and a member of the famous Mauer athletic family (Joe Mauer's cousin), working the first of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Magic.

Among the high school seniors to whom the Gophers basketball team has offered scholarships is Harrison Barnes, a 6-6 forward from Ames, Iowa, who is ranked by ESPNU as its top-ranked prospect in the nation. He was recently named the MVP of the Pangos All-American Camp in Long Beach, Calif. The Gophers also are interested in Ricky Kreklow, a 6-5 guard from Columbia (Mo.) Rock Bridge, who averaged 20 points per game this season; Alex Kirk, a 6-11 center from Los Alamos, N.M., who is ranked by Scout.com as the 10th-best center in the nation; and Trey Ziegler, a 6-4 guard from Mount Pleasant, Mich., who is the son of Central Michigan men's basketball coach Ernie Ziegler.

Gophers hockey coach Don Lucia, whose health is much improved, said he expects help this season from Jacob Cepis, a transfer from Bowling Green. "He's a good player. He was on the all-rookie team of the CCHA, he's a prototypical college player, he's not very big, he's about 5-7, 5-8, but very skilled," Lucia said. "He's from Cleveland, Ohio, and he's really done a good job since he's been here. Just anxious to get eligible here in December and when he gets eligible, he'll be in our lineup immediately."

Livan Hernandez, who went 10-8 with a 5.48 ERA with the Twins last year before they decided to drop him from the team in July, improved to 5-1 with the Mets this season by pitching seven shutout innings against the Nationals in a 7-0 victory on Sunday in Washington. His ERA is 3.88. ... Outfielder Craig Monroe, who was released by the Twins last August, had a strong April for the Pirates, but has cooled off of late. He is hitting .229 with eight homers and 29 RBI for Pittsburgh. ... Adam Everett, the Twins' Opening Day shortstop last year, has similarly cooled off this season for Detroit. In his past nine games, he is hitting only .115, though he did have a two-run single against the Angels on Sunday and also scored a run in Detroit's 9-6 victory. ... Mike Lamb, who is still getting paid by the Twins after signing a two-year contract before the 2008 season, even though he was released last August, is playing for the Mets' Class AAA Buffalo farm team, but he doesn't figure to return to the major leagues soon as he is hitting .181 with two homers and 13 RBI in 38 games.

Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on WCCO AM-830 at 6:40, 7:40 and 8:40 a.m. and on his Podcast once a week at www.startribune.com/sidcast. shartman@startribune.com