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Houston Astros: Will The Catching Duo Of Brian McCann And Evan Gattis Work?

By James Zeankowski

Oct 4, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Evan Gattis (24) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning of game two of the National League divisional series playoff baseball game at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Evan Gattis (24) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the second inning of game two of the National League divisional series playoff baseball game at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 27, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel (46) and catcher Brian McCann (16) reacts after defeating the Cleveland Indians at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Indians 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Familiarity does not always breed contempt.

Brian McCann and Evan Gattis were both apart of the Atlanta Braves roster and catching core in 2013. Ironically, this is the last time that team has made the playoffs. And with their rebuild still a work in progress, the Braves probably won’t be there any time soon.

But I digress back to the players. They are both two of a kind, sporting the same shaved head, husky physiques and gods-and-generals-like beards.

In addition to the similar looks, McCann and Gattis find themselves in some pretty decent company: Catchers who hit a minimum of 20 home runs in a season. The only two that McCann had not hit for that many is his rookie 2005 campaign and his 2007 year in which he still had 18.

Gattis, on the other hand, has had a minimum of 20 home runs in all 4 of his major league seasons thus far. So you put him and McCann together, and Houston Astros fans will be seeing a lot more runs scored and wins than they did back in 2016.

Evan Gattis and Brian McCann are the living embodiment against an outdated theory that catchers need not worry about the production with their bats. Yes, catchers are a heavy defensive position. However, If their offensive stats are any indication, they’d laugh at such a notion.

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