Cleveland Indians: FanSided picks Roberto Perez as team’s breakout star

FanSided recently published an article on each MLB team’s breakout star in 2017, and chose Roberto Perez as the one for the Cleveland Indians.

The Cleveland Indians would not have reached the World Series last year if not for a few breakout performances.

One of the most surprising performances came from Roberto Perez, who was thrust into the starting catcher role when Yan Gomes went down with an injury in July. Perez didn’t shine on offense until the World Series, specifically in Game 1, but his defense was an asset throughout the latter half of the season.

Perez’s play last year led him to be named the Indians’ potential breakout performer in 2017 by Nicholas Ian Allen of FanSided.

Allen agrees that Perez didn’t light it up last year, but he still serves as a worthy replacement for Yan Gomes if he can’t stay healthy once again. From the article:

"It’s important to never place too much emphasis on a single month’s performance, much less a single game, but what Perez did in Game 1 of the World Series was magical. After hitting just three home runs in the regular season, Perez hit two against the Cubs in the opening game of the Fall Classic. The 28-year old also called a great game behind the plate as the Indians shut out Chicago 6-0."

"It also may seem strange to tab a backup catcher as a potential breakout performer. Nevertheless, Perez showed a glimpse of the player he can be both offensively and defensively, and is likely to have many opportunities to prove he can do it over the course of a full season as he splits catching duties with the oft-injured Gomes."

Perez’s defense is what makes him so valuable, and anything he can do on offense is just a bonus. However, the Indians can’t go all year with the catcher position hitting well below .200 again. They managed to get by in 2016, but it is just too much of a glaring weak spot in the lineup.

Perez also likely ends up as the breakout performer because the roster is so solidified with stars, it is hard to consider someone else’s performance to be a surprise. Fans are expecting players like Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor and even Brandon Guyer to have great years, with the only other potential breakout players being minor leaguers who must hope to get called up.

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So until players such as Bradley Zimmer or Yandy Diaz get brought to Cleveland, Perez will remain as the one player who can surprise us all with a great year in 2017.