Fantasy Baseball: 2016 Bounce Back Sleepers Position Players
By Scott Dillon
Catcher: Yan Gomes
ADP: 11th Catcher, 214th overall (22nd round)
Yan Gomes was one of the most valued catchers entering the 2015 campaign. His 2014 campaign saw him perform like one of the top catchers in the league, but an early season knee injury in 2015 derailed any hopes of a repeat performance.
In 2015 he only played in 95 games, which is 40 games fewer than he saw in 2014. He was also trying to get his timing back for most of the season. In the final month of the year he saw season highs in doubles, batting average and slugging percentage.
In spite of only playing in 95 games last season and only 88 games in 2013, Gomes is among the top catchers over the last 3 years. Here is are his three-year rankings in each of these categories among catchers.
- Home Runs: 44 – Rank: Sixth
- Batting Average: .267 – Rank: Seventh
- Slugging Percentage: .449 – Rank: Fourth
- Doubles: 65 – Rank: Seventh
- OPS: .759 – Rank: Sixth
He also has accomplished these rankings with a lot less playing time than the people in front of him. In 2014, his best year, he was a top-five player in all of these categories and he finished second in slugging percentage. Buster Posey was the only player better in that area.
No one is saying that Yan Gomes is going to be Buster Posey, but if you need a quality catcher in the later rounds, Yan Gomes should be available.
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