Cleveland Indians All-Decade Team Studs and Duds: The Infield

The decade was full of ups and downs for the Cleveland Indians and here’s a look at the best and worst players at each position, starting with the infield.

While I’m sure everyone knows the decade doesn’t actually end until the end of 2020, it’s still time to take a look at the best (and worst) of the Cleveland Indians decade. One player at each position will be picked as the “stud” and one as the “dud” starting with the infield today, starting with the catcher position.

Catcher

A position that many teams struggle to fill, the Indians have enjoyed much success at the position for a while. Victor Martinez was the clear stud last decade but with his trade in 2009, it signaled a new direction for the Tribe…sort of. The decade began with Lou Marson as the catcher…sort of. Acquired in the Cliff Lee trade, Marson appeared to be a perfectly decent backup but boy was he anything but posting negative WAR values every year with the club. However, the real prize for the Tribe was Carlos Santana, who was a top prospect in the game and looked like a Victor Martinez clone (he even had his number!). Santana burst onto the scene in 2010 and while a bad knee injury slowed him down as a rookie he was one of the best offensive catchers in the game.

However, the Indians made another move early in the decade, acquiring Yan Gomes from the Blue Jays. Gomes began as Santana’s backup in 2013 but it became clear as the season went on that his bat, and more importantly, his glove needed to be in the lineup more. By September he had bumped Santana to 1B/DH and was the Tribe’s starting catcher from 2014 through 2018. He was the only Tribe catcher to make an All-Star game in the decade and despite the great year Roberto Perez had replacing him this past season, the “catcher of the decade” award goes to Yan Gomes, slightly beating out Santana.

Stud: Yan Gomes
Dud: Lou Marson