Cleveland Indians: Players Ready for a Breakout August

Jul 29, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians catcher

(10) hits a home run during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Yan Gomes

This year has been a bit of a wash for the Brazilian backstop. After missing a large portion of time with a knee injury, Gomes has not looked like himself. His batting average is his worst with the Cleveland Indians, and his 25.9% strikeout rate is even higher than last season’s already high rate. One year after slugging 21 home runs, Gomes has especially struggled in the power department.

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All this said, there is a good chance that Gomes will bounce back from his poor performance. While a .279 BABIP may not look too bad, my own expected average formula suggests that a .284 batting average is more reflective of his performance. This number is a full 26% higher than his current batting average of .223. Even though his home run to fly ball ratio has plummeted from past seasons, he has managed to increase his line drive rate while retaining his hard contact rate. As we know, line drives are the most likely type of batted ball to fall for a hit, especially when they are hit hard.

Not only can we predict Yan Gomes to start batting much better, but also he has traditionally batted very well in the month of August. Last year he batted .369 with three home runs in 18 games, which is even better than his .361 average and two home runs the year before. If Gomes’ predicted improvement from batted ball rates and his typical August success align, this next month could be a month to remember for fans of the Cleveland Indians.

And the final player who could have a standout August is…

Next: Underperforming Pitcher with a Track Record of August Sucess