Former Vol hoists MLB championship trophy
In case you did not know, one of the members of the World Series-winning Washington Nationals is a product of the Volunteers baseball program: Yan Gomes.
A catcher by trade, Gomes was a standout in his years in Knoxville, starting at every infield position except for shortstop. In his first season at UT, he was named NCAA Division I Freshman All-American, and went on to have a solid collegiate career afterwards. He had the following to say about his recruitment by Tennessee.
“When I was in high school, I don’t think I understood what making it to the majors or even college baseball was like. I cheered for Miami growing up, because that was the team in town. Yet, when I started getting college letters, one came from Tennessee, where a couple of guys who I had played against in high school were already on the team. Coach Rod Delmonico came by my high school, told me they were interested in me and they wanted me to come on a visit. There was nothing like it. I couldn’t even tell you what came to my head. Knoxville is so different. All the people here are some of the nicest people in the world. Then, when I got to go to a football game, I had a blast and that was when I had to decide. I saw how much I enjoyed going there and I said, ‘Why not?’ Let’s give myself a chance to go somewhere out of town.”
He has since come a long way from being a 39th-round selection in the MLB draft, picking up a Silver Slugger award in 2014, as well as being selected to the All Star Game in 2018.
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