Red Sox Legend Jonny Gomes on Career, Indie Pro Agency

Fred: What’s up everybody? This is Fred Richani. We have right here via Zoom a very special guest. He is remembered very fondly by Boston Red Sox fans and a World Series champion and entrepreneur and now he is paying it forward. We’re talking to former MLB player Jonny Gomes. Jonny, thank you so much for your time. How’s everything going?

Jonny Gomes: Brad doing well. Oh, I mean, we got some different backdrops here, obviously with New York over there, and I got some Boston behind me along with some other things along the way, but yeah, I’m doing well.

Fred: Hey, well, we appreciate you taking the time. And look, we’re based in NYC, but we respect greatness. And man, you’ve had a hell of a career on the field, but before we get to your decorated career, how you got to this point, I’m sure a lot of fans are wondering currently what you’re up to. We know you’ve done some coaching, you’ve done entrepreneurship, a lot of a lot of mentoring. Can you fill us in on what you’re up to with Indie Pro and all that jazz?

Jonny Gomes: Yeah, I mean I guess you know from Jump Street, you know, retiring 2016 about halfway through when I actually finished in Japan. 2015 World Series Royals went over for a little bit. I called this studying abroad over there in Japan. And then was home, you know, retired. Cleats hung up, bat hung up, and I found out real quick like I’m not cut out for the real world. Baseball is all I know. So I’ve just been going down the path of everything baseball. From broadcasting to player development, working for data companies, you know, checking in with some youth coaching in these all-American games and, some of these high-end, you know, prospect games. And it’s all led me to where I am now with a great group and a great family around me with Indie Pro and you know, the advisory firm now, you know, so just kind of on the other side of the lines from baseball, but still all baseball.

You know, I played a long time, you know, I think professionally what around like 16, 17 years. Ironically 12 in the big leagues with 11 one-year deals. So really did a lot of bouncing around. And in that, you know, I was able to get, you know, a young organization in Tampa to the oldest organization in Cincinnati to a west coast in Oakland to a east coast in Boston to a last place with the Devil Rays to a first place with the Royals in the Red Sox. And you know, I was always taught, you know, not to hoard this information that I was able to gather. A lot of this information that I got from playing, you couldn’t get from a book.

So, and it’s all I want to do is give back, you know, and better the game than I left it and help these young guys get from, you know, high school to college, college to the minors, minors to the show, and do anything I can to help them out.

Fred: That’s amazing. And you mentioned the word data before, and I know depending on what player you ask, especially their age range, they might have very different reactions to that. I’m sure when you were playing, there was definitely some resistance to analytics and data. Now that you’re on the other side, how do you feel about the data and analytics playing such a huge role in the game?

Jonny Gomes: Well, I tell you what, at the end of the day, there’s every organization and every person has access to the same data, but it’s this ongoing process of how you relay this data to the player and what data does the organization hoard, you know, for arbitration cases or for trade cases. What data do they hoard for platoon situations? But at the end of the day, if the data was wrong, you know, this game, as slow as it is and old as it is, it’s a really smart game. So if something doesn’t work, it would be gone. And you see the analytic departments and the data just getting more and more, which tells you it works, right?

It does work. But how do we relay it to the player? How can we have the player understand it? What is too much? What is not enough? The spreadsheets, the piraphphs, you know, all this stuff. And at the end of the day, you know, this is a, you know, resultsdriven industry built on failure and who can capitalize on mistakes. And then you can keep going further and what’s the most important, you know, stat? I don’t know, maybe runs, right? Whoever touches the dish more than the other team’s going to win 100% of the time. How did they get to do that? There’s your data. And it is ironic, man. There’s only 30 team big league teams in the world.

And there’s 30 polar opposite ways of doing it, which is wild once you dig into it.

Fred: As far as your playing career, is there anything that you know now that you wish you knew back then if you had all this knowledge as a coach and as somebody that’s kind of been involved in the weeds?

Jonny Gomes: Yeah, a couple things, you know. You know, I think it’s real easy now with like filters on where the data is, to be able to find like sequences, to be able to find patterns, to be able to find tips, which you really had to study, you know, for a long time on video and what does he do on two two counts and what does he do on 3-2 counts? What does he do with runners in scoring position? You just have to watch the game, log it in your head. Now there’s just drop down filters. You know, what’s he do with a runner on third less than two and a 3-2 count. Boom, there it is.

There’s that side of things. I think another important C is like horizontal and vertical movement, which we didn’t have. I mean, you’re going to actually have a number of like how big his slider is. We used to kind of do comps, right? Like Roy Holidayiday slider is like so and so’s. CC Sabathia’s curveball is like so and so’s, you know? So, with the horizontal and vertical movement, you’re going to put a number to it. And then also like the spin rate, the fast ball, you know, not all 94 mile per hour fast balls are created equal, you know, with the spin differential. So I think that would have been helpful. So finding patterns, finding sequences, and I think being able to put like actual numbers of inches of movement on pitches would have helped me.

Fred: Definitely. Well, it certainly seems like you’ve absorbed a lot of information and now passing it on to the next generation, which is I’m sure is part of the reason why you started Indie Pro. And it’s one thing to be a coach. It’s one thing to be a mentor without an official title. It’s another thing to start your whole agency and mentoring next generation and really kind of putting your name and reputation on the line. Why was this the right time to take that next step?

Jonny Gomes: Well, I just figured I just had so many feathers in my hat, you know, so many different baseball feathers and, you know, I was always getting asked by other agencies to recruit into their agency. I was always getting asked by players about agencies. And I really wasn’t ready to cross over until I had like, you know, all my tees crossed, my eyes dotted. And for that was surround myself with people that I’m not good at, right? I mean, coming from a Joe PTO, you know, and Ian and we have so many people on board, Justin with the you know, the media side that we’re able to create like a team that can help me with things that I’m not good at.

So, we got a good circle going on and kind of all bases covered to be able to get these kids what they want. And along with their family too. And it’s a dicey time, you know, with the NIL, you know, in college. It’s a dicey time with recruiting, you know, the slot money in the draft. There’s so much going on that these guys really do need help with and we like to take all off field stuff, you know, put it on us so the players just have to focus on what’s in between the lines.

Fred: Very cool. And where can people find more information on that?

Jonny Gomes: Yeah, I mean you can just go, you know, to indiepro.com, but you know, you can hit any of us up on Instagram, too, and we’re always boots on the ground. Chances are if you’re at a baseball event, you’re going to find one of us there.

Fred: Amazing. Well, that’s great to hear. And I think you could also teach these kids a lot about resilience because I feel like that’s your whole career with different setbacks and everything. I was doing my research and we were talking earlier like you had multiple one-year deals. I don’t know if you ever had a longer deal other than like one or two years, which is a lot for a guy that was in the majors for over a decade. You and on top of that and digging into your background here, from I understand back in like 2002, 2003, your career was almost over before it started with a heart attack at a relatively young age. So, not to bring up past trauma or anything, but kind of how did that moment kind of shift your perspective and help you along the way as a player and now as a mentor?

Jonny Gomes: Yeah, I mean when you go into, you know, a young 22, so it was actually Christmas Eve of so coming up Christmas Eve of 2022, my birthday being November 22nd, so I was a I was a fresh 23 years old. Impeccable health. I really was. I was really in good shape. And the lanes man terms of, you know, it’s called the widow maker, which is this a type of heart attack, and they know how to treat it if you’re fortunate and able to get to a hospital on time. But they really don’t know why it happens. I mean, my cholesterol was, you know, at zero, no family history, no irregular heartbeat, like no warning sign to any of this, and it was just like boom, collapse type of deal.

Ended up going into the hospital. Was in the hospital for about seven or eight days. A majority of that time was just like studying. I had to get my blood drawn like every four hours, even throughout the night to even throughout the night to run these tests of why did this happen? And still a mystery, you know, still a mystery at the end of this day. I mean, I was in great hands down there by Stanford University. But yeah, just a young 23-year-old in great shape. And then, you know, a afterwards there were some times that like I wouldn’t be able to get my heart rate up, you know, to a certain, you know, deal because it had to heal and blah blah blah.

But, yeah, not exactly the adversity you want to jump into at 23 years old, but, check that off the list real early.

Fred: And obviously it worked out for you. And I also read too at some point you, if the majors didn’t work out, you wanted to join the military.

Jonny Gomes: Yeah. I was actually real close. So 2001, I played my last year of junior college. I went two years of junior college. And believe it or not, you know, I was just I was a late bloomer. I really was. My first year of junior college, I hit 210 with one homer. Not ideal. And just really went to work. Took one day off. I remember I took one day off and I was like, “All right, I got to sell my soul to this game more than I have and this is gonna be my only option. And if this doesn’t work, you know, I’m not really cut out for the cubicle or this work or that work.

I was going to join the Marines and I was actually really close to joining the Marines in 2001 and then I got drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 18th round. Wasn’t much negotiating, but yeah, I was actually talking to the Marines and the Devil Rays at the time and was kind of unique for the professional organization. Normally they’re doing like LSU, Ole Miss, you know, whatever you want to talk to, they’re negotiating with, but u mine was the Marines and it was a decision that I made and I wanted to do it. So it’s just interesting to see the path difference because I was at 2001, so obviously, you know, September 11,01.

So my careers would have been way different to where making my debut in 03 at Yankee Stadium to where I would have been in 03 if I would have went to the Marines.

Fred: Certainly crazy how life works. And we talked about the multiple one-year deals, almost in the military, thankfully surviving a heart attack, having to watch your heart rate, go injuries, going from the minors to the majors, minors to the majors. How did you stay even keel throughout your career? Did you stay even keel?

Jonny Gomes: Yeah, man. I think I came up in a really good time. I did I came up like preocial media. I came up like pre I guess you’d say like iPhone. So what I had to do is what I preach now and I know it can be distracting at times is like just being present, right? Just being present with like tractor beams of like my goal. I didn’t have any like off the field or like distractions, right? We didn’t it really wasn’t like the video game era either, right? Like if you weren’t in the cage on the field or at in the gym, like you just weren’t in the right spots. So now there’s so many distractions.

Fortunately it’s a distraction for everybody, you know, not just like individual guys. But, it’s what I talk about with my guys now, what I talk about whenever I talk to, you know, kids is, you know, just being, you know, present, eye on the prize. You know, there’s a lot of sacrifice that has to happen. And then there’s a little bit of patience that has to happen. And if there was a book that was written out that I’d send someone to like how to make it to the big leagues, like that book would be written. Like you can’t even write that book because everyone has different paths and everybody you know goes down different ways of it but you know most importantly like staying where your feet are being present sacrifice and patience and then we can kind of dive into those three different things.

Fred: Definitely. Very well said. And yes, you know, I’m part of that millennial generation, too, that came out before you the iPhones and everything else. You really do forget sometimes like, man, okay, you got to just you got to just breathe and choke in the air and everything else. And yeah, I’m sure it’s definely harder now with social media and people chirping and yapping and you know, more I imagine too like you probably as a coach you’ve seen this like there’s more access to players now even just like on Instagram like anybody can DM you and you say good or bad about you.

Jonny Gomes: Yeah, there’s more access to the players and there’s just a fleet of information out there too, right? And I think that’s the hard part for this generation is what information is right. I mean just go # baseballh hitting drills. I mean you will get millions, right? Which ones are right, which ones are wrong, which ones work for you. So to being able to navigate that, you know, thinking you’re getting yourself better, thinking you’re doing your homework, and really it’s not a swing or it’s not a pitch, you know, that’s going to benefit you. So, you know, again, you know, so much access to the players, so much information out there that has to go through a filter of what’s right for you.

So, there’s a lot that, you know, advisor advisers like myself have to do and way more on our plate to take off the players plate.

Fred: Absolutely. And hey, you guys are doing a great job there at Indie Pro. Now, I know you get asked this a lot and you’ve regularly been on Nessen as well, but it is hard to believe that it’s been 12 years since that inspirational 2013 Boston Red Sox team that won the World Series in the aftermath of the tragic Boston Marathon bombing. You were certainly one of the heroes of that team. Looking back, first of all, can you believe it’s been 12 years? And how fondly is it still remembered to this day, especially as a guy that wasn’t with the Red Sox for a long time?

Jonny Gomes: I live in Scottsdale, Arizona now, and I still I get back to Boston. You know, maybe five, six, seven times a year. And man, they haven’t forgot. They haven’t forgot one bit. You get off the plane in, you know, Boston and it’s instant like thank you, and they remember and photos and autographs. Really blessed and fortunate to be able to bring that title to Boston, you know, in that year of 2013 where the, you know, was basically kicked off in April of, you know, the marathon bombing. Man, I it felt like we were living in a history book or living in a movie. And so unique. I don’t think, you know, you could even plan to a Boston team winning a title the same calendar year of that tragic, you know, incident.

But, yeah, man, real heavy hearts throughout that season, with first responders coming out, you know, with some of the victims coming out, the doctors coming out throwing out first pitches, hanging. It was a wild year and really humbling with us just going to play a game with you know the four lives that were lost that year and limbs and kids and everything. But yeah, it was hairy. But having that opportunity to set that World Series trophy down on the finish line months after that bomb was there was pretty magical.

Fred: It was definitely a magical season. Props to all involved. And yeah, I mean to think about it. I feel like we talked about resilience which kind of defines your career but also I feel like perspective right all the things that you directly had to go through but then as you mentioned seeing the survivors the first responders the doctors there like I’m sure that really had to just change your outlook just as a person.

Jonny Gomes: Yeah, man. I mean, it just absolutely made it real, you know. Not that I wasn’t, but you know, when we’re seeing doctors throwing out first pitches, you know, in the scrubs, we’re seeing people coming out, you know, with, you know, an arm missing or a leg missing, something just so tragic and then we have to go out and play a game. It was real heavy hearts throughout that season. And to this day, you know, I always say that, you know, when we bump into someone at Boston, you know, I thought it was going to be way different that how we were perceived. You know, they all say like, “Thank you know, thank you for that.”

Which I didn’t see coming. I thought it’d be like congrats, you know, or you guys are awesome or that season. Like, they all just come and say thank you like over and it really hits home and it’s powerful.

Fred: Definitely. That’s saying something too, right? Considering what they did in ‘ 04 and in ‘ 07, but that team with everything going on, man.

Jonny Gomes: Yeah, that team. I mean, the Red Sox, you know, they’ve had other, you know, world titles even afterwards in 18 and still it’s you know, we’re the only team that clinched at home, which, you know, you can’t control that, but even just more of a moving, you know, a moving season.

Fred: Well, Jonny, you’ve been so gracious with your time. Before we let you go on the lighter side, we always like to ask our guests some random and rapid fire questions just to get to know them better. You got a bit of time?

Jonny Gomes: Let’s fire away.

Fred: All right. Favorite late night snack or cheat meal?

Jonny Gomes: I would say I’m kind of getting close to being a connoisseur of salsa, right? So, a good chip. And then a mango salsa definitely go-to.

Fred: Yeah, sounds delicious. I like your taste there. We talked about you almost joining the Marines and you not really being cut out for a cubicle. If baseball and military weren’t an option, what would be your alternate career path?

Jonny Gomes: Oh, good question. I probably would have been something in like sports medicine. I was actually I was, you know, taking some classes and like to be a personal trainer and a chiropractor. I don’t know if those would have worked out, but those were kind of some of my classes that I was taking at the JC. But being actually from like Sonoma County, Napa Valley, I probably would have got into, you know, the wine and the grapes up there. So, I probably would have been a farmer, you know, harvesting some grapes and making some good, you know, Cabernet savion up there.

Fred: Hey, it’s never too late, right?

Jonny Gomes: Yeah.

Fred: Who was your funniest teammate?

Jonny Gomes: Yeah. So, from bouncing around, I mean, six teams, right? And then you sprinkle in Mexico and Japan. But, probably the funniest teammate might have been one of the best teammates, too, and that’s Dustin Pedroia.

Fred: Do you have any funny stories from about Dustin or David Ortiz or anybody from that Red Sox team that you’re allowed to tell?

Jonny Gomes: I think one of the funniest ones actually was when we were in Baltimore and David Ortiz, you got to go back, he gets ejected and then he takes the baseball bat to the bullpin phone and like blows it all up. I mean, everybody was like all hands off of like, you know, this craziness mad madman. And then Dustin Pedroia comes in who’s like goes up to like his hip and was able to calm him down. And we were joking around like Dustin like you’re like a fly on the wall compared to David Ortiz. What were you really planning on doing? But those two are just two peas in a pot. They did it together for so long and they got a unique relationship.

So watching, you know, little 57 Dustin Pedroia try and help out David Ortiz from mayhem in Baltimore.

Fred: And I’m guessing you’re not surprised at all that Big Pop used translated so well to TV.

Jonny Gomes: Yeah. No, it doesn’t. I mean, he you know, I think it’s out now. In the beginning, I think it’s like once you scratch the surface, but this is one of the smartest, you know, high baseball IQ guys. It really was. And you have to have that to have the career that he had. And first bout Hall of Famer and then, you know, the things that come out of his mouth, you know, he sees the game in a different lens.

Fred: What’s the biggest misconception about being a baseball player?

Jonny Gomes: That everybody is like Mike Trout wealthy. I think you know that’s one of the first things that we get into as a young guy and some of these guys with their big signing bonuses is that you bump into this you know threeletter word called taxes, you know. Yes. And a million dollars definitely isn’t a million dollars. And yeah, so I think you know when you talk to the you know these kids, they all think you have like helicopters and mansions and all this stuff. It’s a good living, that’s for sure. It’s a short span of living. The average service time in Major League Baseball just dropped again. So it’s down to 2 and 1/2 years.

So that would be 2 and 1/2 years of league minimum because you know you don’t go to arbitration quite yet. So yeah, I would say you know that outside looking in, people think you’re just like filthy rich.

Fred: Well, hey, you’re certainly rich in life though. You got a beautiful family. Just want to ask you briefly about them. How important is it to have a partner and a family that kind of understands this life? I know you’re not active anymore as a player, but still very much involved, you know, how important is that to have that kind of support and have somebody who really understands?

Jonny Gomes: Yeah, I mean, my family, you know, and my wife definitely, they’re my lifeline and they’re, you know, why I work so hard. They’re why I stay healthy. They’re why I do what I do. And we got a pretty nice tight-knit group here in the house. And they’re my heartbeat, man. They’re my life. They’re my everything. And you know, at times it’s tough, but you know, it’s what I live for. And you know, I love being a dad and a husband.

Fred: Love to hear it. And we’ll get you on a high note. What’s the best piece of advice you have for success?

Jonny Gomes: I think we kind of touched on a little bit is just to be present, man. Just to be present. And at times, you know, it can be tough, but you know, you got to win the moment. You know, you got to be, you know, what’s where your feet are. And, you know, there’s a lot of forks in the road this day more than ever. But if you can just focus on where you are and who you’re surrounding yourself with, it’ll make it a lot easier.

Fred: Why should baseball players check out Indie Pro Agency?

Jonny Gomes: Yeah, man. We’re a tight-knit group, you know. I like to call it like a boutique, you know, agency. Meaning, you know, we’re not looking, you know, we’re not throwing casting nets out there. You know, if you’re represented by Indie Pro, you know, and then, you know, Jonny Gomes and staff is with you. So, you’re going to be a grinder, you’re going to be a dog, you know, we go after character first. And, you know, you can, you know, you can honestly say like every bump in the road or every fork in the road I’ve had in front of me. So, what I can do is definitely relay that information and you make your decision, but there’ll be no rock like over underturned for sure.

Fred: Amazing. Well, Jonny, it’s been a pleasure to talk to you, learn more about your amazing journey. Thank you so much for your time. Before we let you go, where can fans find you online and where can we find you next?

Jonny Gomes: Where can you find me next, man? I don’t know. We got winter meetings coming up. You know, the ABCA is also coming up. And then wherever the wind blows me, wherever the wind blows me, have a carry-on, will travel, we’ll meet, and anywhere baseball’s happening, I’ll be there.

Fred: Cool. And, you’re online on IG, Twitter, any of those?

Jonny Gomes: Just IG. Twitter, it’s stealth. I don’t post. I don’t do anything. I follow it. But, my gosh, I can be in headaches sometimes to follow.