House of Houston
Fansided

Houston Astros: THREE Ways Evan Gattis Has Been “Earning It!”

By James Zeankowski

Apr 22, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Houston Astros catcher Evan Gattis (11) forces out Tampa Bay Rays catcher Derek Norris (33) as he slides home during the sixth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Houston Astros catcher Evan Gattis (11) forces out Tampa Bay Rays catcher Derek Norris (33) as he slides home during the sixth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
Houston Astros
Apr 19, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Evan Gattis (11) hits an RBI single during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Still Carrying a Big Stick!

What El Oso Blanco has done with his bat is nothing short of amazing. As deep of a lineup that the Astros have, including three overqualified bench players in Gattis, Jake Marisnick and Marwin Gonzalez, something has got to give soon.

For a short while, fans including your’s truly were a little concerned that he had not hit a home run yet. And as the bear always does, he put all fears to bed this past Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Trop.

A towering shot to right field, followed up by a ground out RBI, proved to get the team 2 of the 3 RBI they tallied. The other was off the first home run by all-star second baseman, Jose Altuve.

Though the team would eventually lose that game, they made up for it in extra innings to get the series victory on Sunday afternoon in extra inning. Gattis was a big part of that, hitting a sac fly RBI to tie up the game in the top of the 9th inning. This then led to a go-ahead RBI single from McCann, and an insurance RBI single from Yuli Gurriel in the 10th.

Spacemen Soaring High….Like Birds?!

As an Atlanta native, I notice similarities between the offense of this year’s Astros team with last season’s NFC Champion, Atlanta Falcons. There is more than one weapon that can pick this team up to victory at any given time throughout any given game.

While he’s not getting much time now, Evan Gattis is one of those weapons. And an important one at that! Sure, resting him may keep him fresh, but you also don’t want to risk him getting rusty, either.

Next: Can The Astros Afford Carlos Correa?

The task of finding more playing time for Gattis may be no easy feat for skipper Hinch. However, he needs to remember what he told the press following the victory against divisional rival, the Los Angeles Angels, on April 19th:

"“I’ve got to work harder to get him some more regular at-bats,” Hinch said. “It’s been hard with the DH spot going to Beltran most of the time. … I know when he warms up and starts getting some hits, the power’s going to come. He can do a lot of damage, but the two-out base hit to right — it’s hard to keep the ball fair inside the first baseman — proved to be a pivotal run as well.”"

– Quote Courtesy of Brian McTaggart of MLB.com

There is still a lot of season left to be played. All of the things that transpire remain to be seen. However, in all of this, one thing remains perfectly clear. And that is this: Evan Gattis has clearly been earning it! In lieu of this, Hinch needs to keep his promise in finding him more playing time!

GO HOUSTON ASTROS!!!!

Home/Houston Astros