You miss Juan Abreu that much, huh? I also think the Bourn trade was terrible. BTW, they didn't trade Bobby.
McCann has a decent advantage with contact.. .2/1 strikeout ratio vs 3/1 from Castro. Also, 4 of the last 5 seasons, McCann's OPS has fallen 100+ points pre-ASG vs post. He's been wearing down. A 50/50 split with Gattis seems in order. Hopefully Evan can hit better as a DH than last season. I don't recall how '15 was for him. Thinking again now, hopefully McCann doesn't fall off when he's not fielding either. Downgrading from Castro's defense is worrisome. We have a few 55' throwers.
Bob Boone was the best pitch framer that I've seen, before that term was cool and I didn't need a computer to figure that out. I like the WAR stats (Really dont fully understand them) and I think it give a slight advantage. (Like the infield shift.) But sometimes it seems as though some posters look at stats like WAR and dont even bother to watch the games to form their opinions with their own eyes vs what they read on a piece of paper. Of course watching games takes up too much time.
I don't normally buy into any fiery leadership nonsense... but I get a feeling this deal is aimed almost exclusively at the Astros' flaccid performances against the Rangers; they certainly needed to inject some intensity into this team and, specifically, that rivalry.
2 huge prospects, yeah that sounded like bulls**t all along. This always seemed like his true value, they gave him away and kicked in money to get a pair of decent prospects. While I don't love this move, I can't see how anybody would think this is a bad move. He is a proven receiver, and at worst a league average offensive catcher that should fill out our lineup as being offensively capable 1-9. It also continues what should be a significant upgrade in the aggregate this offseason.
Great move for the Astros they need to improve catching and add another bat. Two birds with one stone
Everyone needs to remember: as a catcher last year, Evan Gattis slashed .295/.345/.647/.992 in 206 PAs.
But outside his arm he was not all that great defensively but I'm not sure how good McCann was defensively but I have to assume he was a lot more mobile. Also I simply don't trust Gattis put up those number again. If he needs to be on the field to be more productive first base is Open
Can someone explain why some players bat better playing one position versus another position? Like Gattis
It's completely random. Catcher is far and away the most difficult defensive position in baseball and if it were to in any way impact Gattis' bat, it should have been negatively. And yet, he excelled. Random, small sample size.
From the files of the CP show; Gattis would be more focused if he was catching and thus more into the game and had better AB's vs being a DH.
Well pardon me sir. What the Astros did with Bobby Abreu, left unprotected whatever, he turned out to be a pretty good player.
Just depends how much you buy into it. Its just one of those analytics, you don't have to buy into it but there's a decent amount of research out there that has suggested framing has an underrated impact on games, and some catchers are clearly better at it than others. The analytics may seem nerdy and contrived, but its goal is really to just get a better understanding of what wins games in baseball.
Gattis has played mostly DH. Being the DH affects most players negatively by about as much as being the catcher negatively affects their offense, IIRC. It could be random at how well he's hit as a catcher and how bad he's hit as a LF, but I'm thinking it may not be random that he sucks at hitting as a DH. He may just be one of those guys that sitting on his butt for 3 innings at a time affects his hitting more negatively than most.
So you're saying he is going to be the first bullpen catcher to play DH? I say that in jest... but... maybe?
http://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/mlb/yankees/2016/11/21/94244398/ NEW YORK - Ultimately, Brian McCann didn’t see himself as a part-time player and a designated hitter. "I still want to catch every day. I’m not ready for that DH, catch-once-a-week gig,’’ McCann told Mike Francesa this afternoon on WFAN radio. Last week, the Yankees traded McCann to the Houston Astros for two hard-throwing minor league pitching prospects. Gary Sanchez’s presence made McCann expendable. Last month, Yankees GM Brian Cashman insisted there would be a role for McCann on the 2017 Yankees, though he would sort through trade scenarios and present them to McCann – who owned a full no-trade clause – at the proper time. Clearly, the Yankees' preference all along was to add to the haul of young talent they received at the trade deadline while gaining additional financial flexibility. And after some time to think and to heal following the 2016 season, McCann – who turns 33 in February - felt that he had more left in the tank and he likens the burgeoning Astros’ talent to that of the Cubs. “They’re just getting started,’’ McCann told Francesa. “They’re only going to get better.’’ McCann feels the same way about Sanchez, who blasted his way onto the scene in August and finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting. “He’s ready,’’ said McCann, who told Sanchez that “in 15 years, I want to see you as (having been) one of the better players around because you’ve got all the tools.’’ McCann praised the Yankees for bringing up Sanchez at the right time in his development. “I always knew he had the tools (but) something clicked mentally for him,’’ said McCann, who added that he staked Sanchez to one particular piece of advice: “It starts with catching.’’ The defensive part of the job is “the most important thing,’’ McCann said. “If you’re not invested behind the plate, you’re doing your staff a disservice (and) your team. You’ve got to kind of separate the two, offense and defense, and he did that.’’ McCann repeated that he thoroughly enjoyed his three seasons in the Bronx and the lifelong friendships he made. Despite the club’s failure to play in a playoff series over his time, McCann felt the club had ‘’championship-caliber’’ talent. “For whatever reason, we didn’t get it done.’’ Now, he is ready to invest himself in the Astros’ immediate title hopes. “At the time, I was accepting it,’’ McCann said of his end-of-season role on the Yanks. “I’ve got some good years left. I want to be that guy that shows up every day that’s ready to catch.’’ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/11/21/brian-mccann-wfan-yankees-astros-trade/ NEW YORK (WFAN) — Brian McCann said Monday he’ll miss his former Yankees teammates but knows it was time to move on. The Yankees traded McCann to the Astros last week for pitching prospects Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman. The seven-time All-Star catcher became expendable after rookie Gary Sanchez burst onto the scene this year for the Yankees. There had been some rumblings that McCann was open to remaining with the Yankees as a designated hitter and backup catcher. But he said ultimately he wasn’t ready for that role. “I still want to catch every day,” McCann told WFAN’s Mike Francesa. “I still want to put in the work with 115, (1)20 games and catch every day. So that was kind of the final decision that I made when the season ended. I’m just not ready for that DH/catch-once-a-week gig.” McCann, 32, handled Sanchez’s rise this season without complaint, realizing he was witnessing something special. “I was fired up to watch it every day,” McCann said. So I think something clicked mentally with him where he just took that next step, and the rest is history. “I’m anxious to see how everything turns out, but he’s as good as it gets.” McCann joins an up-and-coming Astros team led by 22-year-old shortstop Carlos Correa and 26-year-old second baseman Jose Altuve. “I look around, and it reminds me kind of what the Cubs did,” McCann said. “They have some of the best young players in the game. … They’re just getting started, but yet they’re contending for MVPs.” As for what he’ll remember most about his three seasons with the Yankees? “For me, it was meeting new people,” McCann said. “I met some coaches that, man, the hours they put in, the passion they have for the game — I was so blessed to be a part of it. Again, I made a lot of friends, lifelong friends that I’ll have. I’m very grateful that I was able to play three years there, but now it’s time to move on, and I start a new chapter.”
