Remember earlier in the year when Brian McCann couldn't see anything? All through Spring Training and through the early part of the season, there was a daily story about McCann trying glasses or different contacts and so on. If you don't remember the story, here is a link. Well, McCann is seeing the ball well now and has been crushing it. Much of the Braves recent success can be attributed to Mr. McCann.
Of course, McCann isn't much of a defensive catcher. Well, the Fan needs to be careful here because judging catcher's defense isn't as easy as it is for other fielders. But his RTOTs have always been in the negative though his range factors (how the heck do you figure out the range for a catcher?) are higher than league average. The one measurable factor is that he doesn't throw out runners very well (27%).
But as long as he can hit like he does, the defense will be serviceable. McCann blasted a serious homer to dead center last night and now has ten for the year. His batting and On Base Percentage are almost identical to last year's .301/.373 and only his slugging is down a little. But still, with an .872 OPS and a career OPS+ of 123, McCann doesn't seem to get enough press for what he does at the plate.
While it doesn't look like the Braves have any hope of catching the flying Phillies, McCann continues to be one of the best-hitting catchers in the game and has kept the Braves competitive all season.
2 comments:
Probably the second best offensive catcher in the game, after Mauer. Soto's season last year might have been a fluke. Napoli has never played 100 games in a season. Doumit can't stay healthy.
Whoops, forgot about Victor Martinez. Although he splits time at first and catcher now.
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