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Back in 2011, Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila started an All-Star game and later won a Silver Slugger award after batting a robust .295/.389/.506 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs. Although injuries may have played a role, Avila has only managed to hit a disappointing .228/.333/.370 since that time.
Sure, Avila is a good teammate and he continues to draw praise for his .359 career OBP against right-handed pitching and glove work behind the plate, but there simply isn’t much else he brings to the table anymore other than the occasional home run or clutch hit. Although Brayan Pena had a solid season at the plate in 2013 while serving as the Tigers’ backup, Avila’s 2011 campaign now looks like the one true outlier in the Tigers’ struggle to find consistent offense from the catching position ever since Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez was traded to the New York Yankees back on Jul. 30, 2008.
Granted, Rodriguez was never quite able to replicate the excellent 2004 season he had with the Tigers, but he still managed to crack a .700 OPS every single year he was in the Motor City. Despite all of his walks, Avila hasn’t had an OPS over .700 since 2012. To put it simply, many Tigers fans would likely find it refreshing to see a catcher deliver Pudge-like offense once again.
Enter James McCann. The 24-year-old McCann made the Tigers’ 25-man roster as a backup this spring, but he has been getting regular playing time ever since Avila was placed on the 15-day DL on May 9 with a knee injury. So far, McCann has hit a solid .281/.310/.417 with two home runs and 10 RBIs. His first home run was of the inside-the-park variety and came against the Minnesota Twins back on Apr. 29, whereas his second homer was a walk-off shot against the Houston Astros last week Thursday.
McCann has also been very solid behind the plate. His arm has been particularly impressive, throwing out a whopping 44 percent of would-be basestealers thus far.
At this point, it is looking like McCann may have a chance to be the Tigers’ best all-around catcher since Pudge. Of course, that isn’t to say that McCann is going to be a bona fide Hall-of-Fame caliber player, but he could be able to consistently hit in the .280-.300 range and eventually have double-digit home run pop. He will likely continue being a rock-solid defender behind the plate as well.
With Avila set to hit the free agent market this winter, it appears that McCann may very well be giving fans an exciting glimpse of the future.
Brad Faber is a Senior Writer and Sabermetrics Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Brad_Faber, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on LinkedIn or Google.
