Yan Gomes (C, WAS) - Waiver Wire Pickups Week 9

BALLER MOVE: Add in Two-Catcher Leagues

OWNED IN: 4% of Leagues

ANALYSIS: Throughout most of his career, Yan Gomes has never been much of a flashy fantasy pick. He's good for between 10 and 15 home runs, with an OK average, but not really much else. Since his All-Star 2018 season, Gomes has been in a near-50/50 timeshare with Kurt Suzuki for playing time behind the plate in Washington, which has cut into what value he had playing in Cleveland.

All that being said though Gomes can still provide value in fantasy as a solid No. 2 catcher when he heats up, and he has definitely been heating up over his last 10 games. Since August 22, Gomes is now hitting .333 in that span with two home runs, five RBI, five runs and even a rare stolen base (although don't expect that going forward as he boasts a career total of five steals now). He had a season-best performance on Friday night against the Braves, finishing 3-for-5 at the plate — his first three-hit game of 2020 — with a double, a home run and two RBI.

Gomes might even end up being a guy you keep rostered throughout the remainder of the season, as he is currently outperforming some of his prior season rates. With the obvious small sample size disclaimer, Gomes currently boasts a career-best 19.8 degree launch angle and 90.3 mph exit velocity, as well as an ISO of .174 — his second-highest mark over the last six seasons and his best mark since posting a .184 ISO in 2018. Again, he's not going to be a big flashy guy to add that's going to make other managers jealous that you snagged him first. But he's swinging a fairly hot bat right now and should be available in almost every league.