The First Half for the Indians – Four Takeaways from the Good and Bad (Part Two)

4. Gomes Works His Way to the Mid-Summer Classic

Two seasons ago many wondered if Yan Gomes was ever going to have any impact on the Indians at the catcher spot, as in 76 games in the Indians World Series season he hit just .167 with nine homers and 34 runs batted in.

The team had a deal in place for catcher Jonathan Lucroy at the trade deadline, but he used his no-trade clause to not come to Cleveland and instead went to Texas.

Two years later, Lucroy is hitting .241 with one homer and 27 RBI for the Oakland A’s, while Gomes is going to the All-Star game as the first Indians catcher to make the squad since 2009 when Victor Martinez played in the game, and the first Brazilian-born player ever named an All-Star.

He’s hitting .247 with 10 homers and 32 RBI in 69 games, and also he’s been a huge force on a pitching staff that has been a huge advocate for his guidance behind the plate.

No doubt that sometimes the best deals are the ones that don’t happen, and for Gomes having Lucroy waive his no-trade clause two years ago has paid off in a huge way.

Quite the way to find out you are going to D.C. #MomentOfFlavor pic.twitter.com/FV5ITHv74R

— MLB (@MLB) July 15, 2018

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