Houston Astros: Evan Gattis: The Forgotten Man of 2017

While the Houston Astros enjoy much deserved team success, backup catcher and fill-in DH, Evan Gattis has made quiet contributions with nearly zero credit.

It’s no secret that the Houston Astros are THE best team in baseball! Riding a record breaking 52-25 start in the first 77 of 162 games, they are easily becoming the team to beat. Not just in the AL West division, or the American League conference, but across the ENTIRE league.

On the pitching side, the deep and heavily taxed bullpen has picked up the slack. In the wake of injuries to a big chunk of the starting rotation, these men have given it their all.

And of course, the deep and potent lineup continue to find ways to score runs. Even when hits aren’t at a premium, walks and sacrifice flies certainly are. Each batter possesses something incredibly special to this roster.

One batter, however, seems to be an afterthought for most in the fan base and mainstream sports media. Evan Gattis, who currently serves in his now 5th season in the majors in more of a backup role in 2017, has actually made tremendous strides with the limited playing time he gets.

I’ve analyzed this player and man repeatedly in my fan blog on him, The White Bear Chronicles. Additionally, I recently did a piece back in April on how Evan Gattis has been earning it. It, referring to playing time. Most things have still held up, while others have raised concerns, albeit mild ones at that.

Let’s take a look at where things stand for the Big White Bear up to this point in 2017….