Houston Astros: Why Evan Gattis is the answer at DH

The Houston Astros are expected to have a quiet off season. Even still, they have made their intentions for Evan Gattis well known and here’s why he’s the answer for the designated hitter position.

The Houston Astros will not need to do much this off season to improve the team. Besides for bullpen help, the spacemen have all they need to defend their World Series title. Evan Gattis is one of the unsung heroes of the post season.

It still does not stop decisions from being made, or rumors from being started. The biggest one that has already circulated is the possibility of adding Jonathan Lucroy. The veteran catcher is a free agent, and could serve as a good backup to Brian McCann.

This has led so many to speculate that Evan Gattis would become expendable if this signing takes place. After all, El Oso Blanco served diligently as last season’s backup catcher, and his offensive numbers were almost identical to Lucroy.

Well, the Houston Chronicle provided us that answer yesterday. Jake Kaplan published his latest article as we were all waking up Sunday. We’ll delve more into some of it’s content a little later on.

To be clear, checking in on Lucroy now has a legitimate reason: to shift Evan Gattis back to primary DH. The latest development confirms what I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how Evan Gattis isn’t going anywhere. Fortunately, it also no longer makes Gattis the forgotten man on the roster, as was the case in 2017.

Don’t Worry….Be Happy!

Now, a lot of folks out there will want to gripe about his catching versus DH offensive splits. Additionally, some will also complain that, somehow, Evan Gattis will only get more expensive. He’s slated to make around $6.5 million next season in his last salary arbitration year.

While those are all noticeable concerns, they are also incredibly impulsive. Gattis does have noticeable differences in offensive splits between catcher and DH. In the 2017 post season, however, some new evidence has come to light. Overshadowed by the two MVP’s in George Springer and Jose Altuve, here is how Evan Gattis contributed to the historic run as primary DH:

(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Slash Line: .267/.425/.433/.858
40 plate appearances (37 as DH)
30 at-bats (28 as DH)
1 HR, 5 RBI, 9 BB

The first of two important quotes from GM Jeff Luhnow in the Chron article demonstrate further proof of the vitality that Evan Gattis possesses to this Houston Astros ball club:

"“I think we’ll have some options for backup catcher next year that will allow Gattis to primarily be a DH and third catcher, which is probably ultimately the best role for him.”"

Case in point, the bear is more valuable on this team than he is on another ball club!

I Call That a Bargain….The Best They’ve Ever Had!

Evan Gattis is one of three players due to hit free agency next winter. The other two are Dallas Keuchel and Marwin Gonzalez.

Here’s another thing to ponder….another article published just last week suggested that Jim Crane would even consider making a trade to get Giancarlo Stanton. While highly unlikely, the fact that it is even being discussed by the Houston Astros’ owner is raising some eyebrows.

Honestly, if Crane is willing to take on a mega contract in Stanton, it means he is also willing to extend the key players that were vital in getting Houston its very first ever world championship.

More from House of Houston

Whether folks accept it or not, that includes Evan Gattis.

Even if the bear regresses back to his 2016 record setting season, he would still only be estimated to cost around $9-$11 million per season as a free agent. For a player as versatile as El Oso Blanco, who is a DH that can field 3 other positions in a pinch, that is a bargain.

Granted, he has not taken many reps at 1B, and you want to avoid putting him in the outfield at all costs. But Gattis still has enough catching left in him, despite his down year defensively last season. The bear is well worth the money that Jim Crane seems more willing to open up the wallet for!

In Conclusion: Gattis Has a Place in Houston For a While!

I get where people want to place emphasis on the core four in George Springer, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman. The dream is for these guys to be around for a while. Springer and Altuve are due for free agency after 2019, Correa after 2020 and Bregman after 2022.

It may be wonderful to think about, but it’s also unrealistic. Altuve is a new Scott Boras client, and we all know how notorious he is in asking for the big bucks for the players that he represents. By the way, there are a lot of them!

Not only that, but these four will need solid veterans around to help them out. Evan Gattis is, and will continue to be, one of those veteran presences. If you don’t believe me, read this second quote from Jeff Luhnow from the Chron article:

"“You saw the power production went down a little bit this year. I don’t know how much of that was due to the fact that he was catching as much as he was. But he’s got 30 homers in there somewhere, and he hit for a higher average, and he’s drawing walks,” Luhnow said. “He’s doing a lot of things toward becoming a complete player, and he could be one of the elite DHs in the game next year.”"

Next: The Top 10 heroes of the Astros' successful postseason run

The level of confidence that Luhnow shows with this statement is refreshing. It displays how much this Houston Astros organization really values Evan Gattis and how he has contributed to the success of the team . Anyone thinking otherwise is really only kidding themselves.

Home/Houston Astros