Jonathan Johnson "Jonny" Gomes (born November 22, 1980 in San Francisco, California) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball.
Gomes was born in San Francisco and raised in Petaluma, California. He was an all-league at Casa Grande High School, coached by Dominique Wirtz, in his hometown of Petaluma. As a sixteen-year-old in May 1997, he was a passenger in a car accident that killed his best friend, Adam Westcott. Gomes, who was sitting next to Westcott in the back seat, was only slightly injured. Gomes has Westcott's initials tattooed on his right biceps.
After graduating in 1999, he went to Santa Rosa Junior College before being selected in the 18th round of the 2001 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. While he was in the rookie leagues, he was certified to become a personal trainer. His older brother, Joey Gomes, currently plays for the Edmonton Capitals, of the Golden Baseball League. The family name "Gomes" is Portuguese in ancestry.
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