HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 16: Yan Gomes #10 of the Cleveland Indians hits a home run in the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on September 16, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes was not an All-Star in 2014.

Of course, being named an All-Star is not the be-all and end-all in determining a player’s worth to their club or how they rank among their peers. Still, not being selected — at least at the time — seemed to register a blip on the injustice scale.

His solid .261/.306/.436 slash line, 12 homers 36 RBI and 110 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) were overlooked at the break in favor of Salvador Perez of the Kansas City Royals (.283/.329/.437, 11 HR, 39 RBI, 115 wRC+), Derek Norris of the Oakland A’s (.294/.402/.477, 8 HR, 37 RBI, 154 wRC+) and Kurt Suzuki (.309/.365/.396, 2 HR, 26 RBI, 116 wRC+) of the Minnesota Twins.

Offensively, all four had their strengths, thus, Gomes was left out of the All-Star festivities.

But since the break, Cleveland’s backstop has separated himself from the pack. In fact, Gomes has emerged as the best catcher in the American League this season.

Entering Wednesday, the 27-year-old led AL catchers in fWAR (wins above replacement), owning a 4.6 mark. The next-highest in AL fWAR among catchers is Chris Iannetta of the Los Angeles Angels (3.1) and Perez of the Royals (2.9).

Among all catchers, Gomes’ 4.6 fWAR is good enough for fourth behind Jonathan Lucroy of the Milwaukee Brewers (6.2), Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants (5.6) and Russell Martin of the Pittsburgh Pirates (5.0).

Gomes ranks third in the AL among catchers in home runs (19) and first among qualified AL catchers in isolated power (.191) and wRC+ (124).

And since the All-Star break, he is slashing .329/.345/.549 with seven round-trippers in 48 games.

Overall, he is batting .286 with an OPS of .797 and an OPS+ of 125 (25-percent better than the league average) in 2014.

But really, his offense only tells part of the story. In reality, the receiving portion of his game is where Gomes has helped separate himself as the most impactful catcher in the American League.

If you need proof, ask one of the hurlers he has caught this season.

“I just think it is executing pitches at the right time,” Corey Kluber told reporters of his success in Tuesday’s victory. “Yan did a good job leading me through the early part of the game when I didn’t have great stuff.”

Gomes and Kluber have developed a tremendous relationship dating back to 2013. So much trust has developed between the two that Kluber hardly ever shakes a Gomes sign off.

While a great deal of the credit for Kluber’s emergence as a Cy Young candidate this season goes to the Tribe’s ace, the comfort factor developed between the battery mates certainly plays a part.

Pitch Framing

Evaluating the defensive worth of catchers is a constantly evolving art form.

Errors certainly do not tell the entire story, nor do the number of passed balls or wild pitches they allow. Outside factors can wreak havoc on everything from a throwing error to the number of base runners the backstop successfully throws out.

However, with the amount of pitch data now being tracked, it is easier than ever to judge the amount of strike calls a catcher can add in a game based on their ability to frame pitches.

In that area, Gomes is an above average receiver, adding 51 strike calls this season on pitches outside the strike zone — an average of 0.46 a game.

That is seventh best in the AL among catchers with at least 5,000 pitches received according to StatCorner. He ranks far better than Perez (-66 calls) or Suzuki (-143 calls) this season.

Only three catchers (Mike Zunino, Brian McCann, Jason Castro) with at least 7,000 pitches received are better at framing pitches than Gomes in the AL this season.

What does it all mean?

Simply, Gomes helps pitchers, at least on occasion, get strikes they shouldn’t be getting.

Cost Effective

When the Tribe signed Gomes to a six-year, $23 million extension before the 2014 season, many scratched their heads in an attempt to decipher the team’s reasoning for inking a player without a full year of catching under his belt.

Those same skeptics were screaming in disapproval when the Indians’ catcher started the season with a slew of throwing errors.

But those doubters were exposed for being prisoners of the moment after Gomes got over some early season yips and over-aggressiveness to settle into a nice defensive groove behind the dish.

His 33.3-percent rate of throwing out baserunners is the second best in baseball. 29 caught basestealers rank him sixth in the MLB.

He ranks fourth in terms of defensive WAR (1.3) in the AL.

And he’s doing it all for $513,000 this season.

The beauty of the Tribe’s early-season extension of Gomes is the ability to control him through at least 2019 – a campaign in which he will earn $7 million.

Not $17 million. Not $70 million.

Seven.

On top of that, the club owns two club options on the catcher in 2020 ($9 million) and 2021 ($11 million).

In short, for the value Gomes could potentially add, he could become one of the best values in baseball if he continues to impact the game through his offense, defense and handling of the pitching staff.

And at 27 years old, the backstop is nowhere close to a finished product.

While 2014 has certainly been full of its disappointments in Cleveland, the development and emergence of Gomes as the best all-around catcher in the American League should not be dismissed, overlooked or taken for granted.

Follow @TJZuppe

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