Carlos Gomez vs. Denard Span

Carlos Gomez tracks down a
deep fly off the bat of Trevor Plouffe
in the eighth inning Monday.

About 13 months ago I recounted the career path Carlos Gomez, once the Twins center fielder and now a centerpiece of the Brewers lineup. I concluded that Gomez was better than Denard Span, the man who took the center field job from Gomez, an assertion that was quickly disputed in the comments.

I don't think it's disputable now.

Span since leaving the Twins: .277/.325/.380.
Gomez since leaving the Twins: .267/.321/.463.

Ah, but that understates the current status of the two. Span's numbers are from 2013 and 2014 (entering Monday's game). Gomez' begin with the 2010 season, and the first two seasons were a continuation of the frustrations that accompanied his Minnesota tenure. He started getting his game together in 2012 and really emerged last season:

Span 2013-14: .277/.325/.380
Gomez 2013-14: .292/.353/.524

Go-Go made the All-Star team last year, won a Gold Glove, finished ninth in the MVP voting. He's been even better this year. Span has never made an All-Star team, never won a Gold Glove, never drawn even a 10th-place vote in the MVP balloting. And he's two years older than Gomez.

There's been speculation already that the Nationals will decline Span's $9 million option for 2015. The Brewers aren't letting Gomez get away.