Jeff Brantley was with the Zingrods during their Golden Era, and he's very, very good. He's also very, very injury-prone. Gomes is the Phillies' closer of the future, and with only Brantley between him and the job, the future could be sooner than later.

Update 5-3-1999

It's going to be sooner. Here's an interesting fact: after two excellent years in Cincinnati, Brantley pretty much lost 1997 to injury. But he stayed with the team the whole time, teaching his then-protege the finer points of being a closer. Remember a guy named Jeff Shaw? If he does that well with Gomes, I'll be quite happy.

Update 10-14-1999: Apparently Gomes was't quite the understudy that Shaw was. He racked up a few well-appreciated saves for the Zingrods, but never quite displayed the attitude a top-notch closer needs. Considering the save opportunites given to Schrenk and Montgomery in the last week or two of the season, it's hard to say who will be the Phillies' closer next year, but it's easier to speculate that it won't be Gomes. He's still a good pitcher, but his fantasy value would drop considerably if he went back to middle relief.