Brazilian-American baseball player (born 1987)
Baseball player
Yan Gomes
(
;
Portuguese:
[?j??
??omis]
; born July 19, 1987) is a Brazilian-American
professional baseball
catcher
who is a free agent. He has previously played in
Major League Baseball
(MLB) for the
Toronto Blue Jays
,
Cleveland Indians
,
Washington Nationals
,
Oakland Athletics
, and
Chicago Cubs
.
The Blue Jays selected Gomes in the tenth round of the
2009 MLB draft
. He made his MLB debut in 2012, becoming the
first Brazilian-born player
in major league history. He played for the Blue Jays in 2012 and the Indians from 2013 to 2018. He was traded to the Nationals ahead of the 2019 season and won the
World Series
with Washington over the
Houston Astros
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Gomes was born in
Mogi das Cruzes
, Brazil. His mother, Claudia, moved the family to the United States after getting a job in Florida, and his father, Decio, is a
tennis
instructor.
[1]
He was introduced to
baseball
by a
Cuban
coach
his father met in
Sao Paulo
. Gomes' family moved to the United States when he was 12.
[2]
Career
[
edit
]
Amateur career
[
edit
]
Gomes attended
Miami Southridge High School
in
Miami, Florida
, where he played for the school's baseball team.
[3]
He enrolled at the
University of Tennessee
, where he played
college baseball
for the
Tennessee Volunteers
in the
Southeastern Conference
of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
's (NCAA)
Division I
. At Tennessee, he started at every
infield
position except
shortstop
. He also spent a season as
J. P. Arencibia
's backup at catcher.
[2]
After his first season with Tennessee, he was named an NCAA Division I Freshman
All-American
.
[2]
In 2007, he played
collegiate summer baseball
for the
Cotuit Kettleers
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League
, and returned to the league in 2008 to play for the
Chatham A's
.
[4]
[5]
[6]
Gomes was drafted by the
Boston Red Sox
in the 39th round of the
2008 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft
, but he did not sign.
[7]
After playing two seasons with the Volunteers, Gomes transferred to
Barry University
, where he continued his collegiate career with the
Barry Buccaneers
in the
Sunshine State Conference
. He set school records with 92
runs batted in
(RBI) and 172
total bases
.
[7]
He was named to the All-South regional team,
[8]
and he was honored as the All-South player of the year and an All-American.
[7]
After his junior season, the
Toronto Blue Jays
drafted Gomes in the tenth round of the
2009 MLB Draft
, and he signed.
[9]
Professional career
[
edit
]
Toronto Blue Jays
[
edit
]
Gomes made his professional debut with the
Gulf Coast Blue Jays
of the
Rookie-level
Gulf Coast League
in 2009. He was promoted to the
Auburn Doubledays
of the
Low?A
New York?Pennsylvania League
that season. In 2010, he played for the
Lansing Lugnuts
of the
Single?A
Midwest League
and
Dunedin Blue Jays
of the
High?A
Florida State League
.
[10]
Gomes played most of the 2011 season with the
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
of the
Double?A
Eastern League
,
[11]
receiving a brief promotion to the
Las Vegas 51s
of the
Triple?A
Pacific Coast League
. During his first three professional seasons, Gomes spent most of his time as a backup
catcher
, but he soon began to receive playing time at
first base
and
third base
as well, as he sat behind top catching prospect
Travis d'Arnaud
in the organization's depth chart.
[2]
Gomes with the
Toronto Blue Jays in 2012
After
batting
.359 (47-for-131) with five
home runs
and 22 RBI at the start of the 2012 season with Las Vegas, Gomes was promoted on May 17, 2012, as the Blue Jays optioned the struggling
Adam Lind
to Las Vegas. Upon his MLB debut that day, Gomes became the first Brazilian player in MLB history.
[12]
[13]
On the same day, Gomes got his first MLB hit, a single off of
New York Yankees
pitcher
Phil Hughes
.
[14]
On May 18, 2012, Gomes hit his first MLB home run on the first pitch off of
New York Mets
pitcher
Jon Niese
in a 14?5 win. Gomes was optioned back to Las Vegas on May 27. He hit 5?22 with two home runs in eight games.
[15]
Gomes was recalled from Triple-A on June 5, with pitcher
Jesse Chavez
being optioned to make room for him.
[16]
Gomes was sent back down to Triple-A
Las Vegas 51s
on June 20. Gomes was again recalled from Triple-A
Las Vegas 51s
on July 19; pitcher
Sam Dyson
was optioned to Double-A
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
to make room on the roster.
[17]
Gomes was optioned back to the Las Vegas 51s after an 11?2 loss to the
Texas Rangers
on August 19.
[18]
[19]
Gomes was recalled to the Blue Jays active roster on September 7 after the Las Vegas 51s season ended.
[20]
Cleveland Indians
[
edit
]
On November 3, 2012, the Blue Jays announced that they had traded Gomes and
Mike Aviles
to the
Cleveland Indians
for
Esmil Rogers
.
[21]
The Indians recalled Gomes from the Triple-A
Columbus Clippers
on April 9, 2013.
[22]
Gomes' first hit as an Indian was a 2-run HR on April 13, 2013, against the Chicago White Sox. Gomes was returned to Columbus on April 24 when
Lou Marson
came off the disabled list. He was brought back up on April 28 when Marson was returned to the disabled list.
[23]
On July 30, 2013, Gomes faced
Andre Rienzo
, the first Brazilian pitcher in MLB history. He finished 1?2 with a walk and a single off Rienzo.
Gomes and the Indians finalized a six-year, $23 million extension on March 31, 2014.
[24]
In 2014, he batted .278/.313/.472, winning the Silver Slugger award among American League catchers. In 2015 he batted .231/.267/.391.
In 2016 he batted .167/.201/.327. He had the lowest batting average against right-handers among all MLB hitters (140 or more plate appearances), at .127.
[25]
Gomes with Cleveland in 2017
On August 9, 2017, Yan Gomes hit a walk-off 3-run home run against
Colorado Rockies
in a 4-1 win, which was his second walk-off home run in his career. In 2017 he batted .232/.309/.399.
Batting .251 with ten home runs and 31 RBIs, Gomes was named to the
2018 MLB All-Star Game
. He became the first Brazilian player to be featured in an All-Star Game in an American sports league.
[26]
In 2018 he batted .266/.313/.449.
Washington Nationals
[
edit
]
On November 30, 2018, Gomes was traded to the
Washington Nationals
for right-handed pitcher
Jefry Rodriguez
, minor league outfielder
Daniel Johnson
, and a player to be named later, later announced as
Andruw Monasterio
.
[27]
In 2019 he batted .223/.316/.389 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs, and won the
World Series
title, catching the final out of the series-clinching Game 7, which was a
Daniel Hudson
strikeout
of
Michael Brantley
.
[28]
The Nationals declined a club option for $9 million to keep Gomes for the
2020 season
, making him a free agent.
[29]
On December 10, 2019, Gomes re-signed with Washington on a two-year contract.
[30]
In the shortened 2020 season, Gomes batted .284/.319/.468 with 4 home runs and 13 RBIs in 30 games.
Oakland Athletics
[
edit
]
On July 30, 2021, Gomes was traded to the
Oakland Athletics
along with
Josh Harrison
in exchange for
Drew Millas
, Richard Guasch, and Seth Shuman.
[31]
Chicago Cubs
[
edit
]
On December 1, 2021, Gomes signed a two-year contract with a club option for 2024 with the
Chicago Cubs
.
[32]
The Cubs exercised the $6 million option for Gomes for the 2024 season.
[33]
In 2024, Gomes played in 34 games and batted .154/.179/.242 with two home runs and seven RBI. On June 19, 2024, Gomes was
designated for assignment
after the Cubs signed
Tomas Nido
.
[34]
[35]
He was released by the Cubs organization on June 21.
[36]
International career
[
edit
]
World Baseball Classic
[
edit
]
Gomes helped the
Brazil national team
qualify for its first ever berth in the
World Baseball Classic
by leading them out of the
2013 World Baseball Classic qualifying round
. Gomes was the only Major Leaguer on Brazil's team for the qualifiers and helped his team advance despite the other teams in the pool at the time boasting several Major Leaguers. He opted not to participate in the
2013 World Baseball Classic
to focus on winning a spot on the Indians'
Opening Day
roster.
[37]
[38]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Gomes married Jenna Hammaker, daughter of former pitcher and All-Star
Atlee Hammaker
, in 2012.
[3]
They have three children, a daughter born in 2014 and sons born in 2017 and 2021.
[39]
They reside in
Knoxville, Tennessee
.
[40]
[41]
Gomes is a
Christian
.
[42]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Waldstein, David (October 11, 2017).
"Indians' Secret Weapon May Be Yan Gomes, Their Catcher From Brazil"
.
New York Times
. Retrieved
July 19,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Dewey, Todd (April 22, 2012).
"Gomes eager to carry banner for Brazil"
.
Las Vegas Review-Journal
. Retrieved
November 18,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Villa, Walter (May 18, 2012).
"Former Barry star Yan Gomes first Brazilian Major Leaguer"
.
Miami Herald
Media Co
. Retrieved
May 24,
2012
.
- ^
"Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League"
(PDF)
. capecodbaseball.org
. Retrieved
September 25,
2019
.
- ^
"2007 Cotuit Kettleers"
. thebaseballcube.com
. Retrieved
September 23,
2021
.
- ^
"2008 Chatham As"
. thebaseballcube.com
. Retrieved
September 23,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
Sentinel, News (May 7, 2012).
"Former UT players Gomes, Lima get noticed at Barry"
. GoVolsXtra
. Retrieved
May 17,
2012
.
- ^
Pelegrin, Pete (May 16, 2009).
"Barry full of standouts"
.
Miami Herald
. p. 7D
. Retrieved
May 23,
2012
.
(subscription required)
- ^
"Blue Jays promote Yan Gomes to Toronto"
. Toronto.bluejays.mlb.com
. Retrieved
May 17,
2012
.
- ^
Livingston, Tim (August 26, 2010).
"D-Jays split Irish-themed doubleheader | MiLB.com News | The Official Site of Minor League Baseball"
. Milb.com
. Retrieved
May 17,
2012
.
- ^
"Team effort"
. Concord Monitor. May 4, 2011
. Retrieved
May 17,
2012
.
- ^
Kennedy, Brendan (May 17, 2012).
"Blue Jays' Yan Gomes becomes first Brazilian to play in MLB game"
. Toronto Star
. Retrieved
December 26,
2014
.
- ^
Chisholm, Gregor (May 17, 2012).
"First MLB Brazilian, Gomes 2-for-3 in debut"
. MLB Advanced Media, L.P
. Retrieved
May 24,
2012
.
- ^
"MLB.com Gameday | MLB.com: Gameday"
. Mlb.mlb.com. May 17, 2012
. Retrieved
May 24,
2012
.
- ^
Toronto Blue Jays on Twitter: "Roster Moves: Blue Jays option Gomes and DFA Igarashi. Recal RHP Chad Beck and select contract of RHP Jesse Chavez."
- ^
Blue Jays bring back versatile Yan Gomes
- ^
Chisholm, Gregor.
"Gomes called back up to Blue Jays"
.
MLB.com
.
- ^
"Yan Gomes optioned"
.
NBCSports.com
. August 19, 2012. Archived from
the original
on January 29, 2013
. Retrieved
August 19,
2012
.
- ^
Lott, John (August 19, 2012).
"Texas Rangers chase Henderson Alvarez in rout of Toronto Blue Jays"
.
TheNationalPost.com
. Retrieved
August 19,
2012
.
- ^
Griffin, Richard (September 7, 2012).
"Jays add Arencibia and Lawrie back into lineup: Griffin"
.
TheStar.com
. Archived from
the original
on October 15, 2012
. Retrieved
September 8,
2012
.
- ^
"Blue Jays Acquire Rodgers"
.
MLB.com
. November 3, 2012
. Retrieved
November 3,
2012
.
- ^
Grayshock, Rick (April 9, 2013).
"Lou Marson to DL; Indians call up catchers Yan Gomes and Omir Santos"
. Retrieved
April 9,
2013
.
- ^
"Indians put C Marson on DL, recall Gomes, Barnes"
. April 28, 2013
. Retrieved
April 23,
2013
.
- ^
"Yan Gomes signs six-year deal"
.
ESPN.com
. Associated Press. March 31, 2014
. Retrieved
March 31,
2014
.
- ^
Splits Leaderboards | FanGraphs
- ^
Noga, Joe (July 15, 2018).
"Yan Gomes announced as A.L. All-Star before at-bat"
.
cleveland
. Retrieved
November 18,
2023
.
- ^
"Indians deal All-Star catcher Gomes to Nationals"
.
ESPN.com
. Associated Press. December 1, 2018
. Retrieved
November 18,
2023
.
- ^
Castrovince, Anthony (October 31, 2019).
"Washington Nationals win 2019 World Series"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
October 31,
2019
.
- ^
Dybas, Todd (November 2, 2019).
"Sean Doolittle, Adam Eaton will return to Nationals, expect Ryan Zimmerman to join them"
. NBC Sports Washington
. Retrieved
November 3,
2019
.
- ^
"Nats finalize deals with Gomes, Kendrick"
.
MLB.com
. December 10, 2019
. Retrieved
December 10,
2019
.
- ^
Gallegos, Martin (July 30, 2021).
"A's add vets Harrison, Gomes in deal with DC"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
November 18,
2023
.
- ^
McCalvy, Adam (December 1, 2021).
"Cubs, Gomes agree to 2-year deal"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
December 1,
2021
.
- ^
https://www.mlb.com/news/cubs-options-kyle-hendricks-yan-gomes
- ^
"Cubs Sign Tomas Nido, Designate Yan Gomes For Assignment"
.
mlbtraderumors.com
. Retrieved
June 19,
2024
.
- ^
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40385974/source-cubs-designate-catcher-yan-gomes-assignment
- ^
https://www.mlb.com/transactions/2024/06/21/p-1
- ^
Bastain, Jordan (January 17, 2013).
"Gomes may pass on Classic, focus on Indians"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
April 8,
2014
.
- ^
Hoynes, Paul (February 28, 2013).
"Six Cleveland Indians are honored to be World Baseball Classic-bound"
.
Cleveland.com
. Retrieved
April 8,
2014
.
- ^
Angell, Dan (October 8, 2017).
"Jenna Gomes, Yan's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know"
.
Heavy.com
. Retrieved
December 22,
2017
.
- ^
"Yan Gomes was briefly a free agent but didn't want to 'restart' with a whole new team"
. February 17, 2020.
- ^
Palumbo, Dom (November 19, 2019).
"
"It's Never Too Far Away" - VFL Yan Gomes Captures Baseball's Most Coveted Prize"
.
University of Tennessee Athletics
. Retrieved
November 18,
2023
.
- ^
Romano, Jason (June 11, 2018).
"Indians catcher Yan Gomes says he wants to use his platform to tell others about Jesus"
.
Sports Spectrum
. Retrieved
April 6,
2023
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Yan Gomes
.