By: Nick LaPorte, 6/18/2019
When the Nationals traded for Yan Gomes prior to the 2019 season, they did not plan for Gomes to be a workhorse. This was not a situation where Gomes would be required to play 120+ games and be a key bat in the meat of the lineup. The Nationals signed Kurt Suzuki, and planned to have the 2 former All-Stars split time, but the plan was certainly in favor of Gomes as the de facto primary catcher.
Now, approaching the All-Star break, Gomes has lost his edge on the spot and Kurt Suzuki is claiming more playing time. The reason for this is purely performance-based; both Gomes and Suzuki are well-liked in the clubhouse and noted veteran leaders. Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin favors Gomes, and has since his first start in April, but the rest of the staff seems to be shifting in favor of Suzuki. Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, the top 2 pitchers in baseball in WAR, are gravitating towards Suzuki.
So what has gone wrong for Yan Gomes that has made him the second fiddle in a spot where he was believed by many prior to the season to be competing for another All-Star spot?
In short; just about everything.
Gomes’ best seasons are behind him; in 2013 and 2014 he averaged 4.8 WAR. 2013 was an especially important year for Gomes because he only played in 88 games. If he kept up that pace, in which he hit .292 with 11 homers and 38 RBIs, he would have been a candidate to win the American League MVP.
While Gomes may never reach 4 WAR or higher ever again, he has still been a very good player for the last 2 seasons. Gomes averaged 2.1 WAR from 2017-2018 and notched a total of 30 homers between the two seasons. Last season, Gomes posted his best wRC+ since 2014, a mark of 101. While 101 may be frighteningly close to league average, it compares favorably to star J.T. Realmuto of the Phillies, and at a position where offense isn’t the #1 priority, the Nationals would have been more than happy with a 101 wRC+. To date, however, Gomes sits at 61.
Gomes has just 2 homers in 46 games, and his slugging is down 136 points. His OPS of .610 is about 100 points lower than the Nationals had hoped. One big reason for this is his groundball percentage. Gomes is hitting 9% more balls on the ground this year, and if you’ve ever seen him run I guarantee you know he isn’t stretching any singles into doubles. This is only the beginning of the list of explanations for Gomes’ lack of success.
And maybe worst of all, Gomes has put up 0.0 WAR. Yes, you read that correctly, Gomes has been exactly no better than a replacement level player. The bullpen has been the most publicized problem in D.C., but there has been another issue brewing. In other words, the quiet disaster for the Nationals has been Yan Gomes, who was expected to create a dynamic catching duo for the playoff-hopeful Nationals.
Instead, Gomes is losing starts to Kurt Suzuki, and is not contributing much on the days in which he does sit behind the plate.
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