THE MAGIC OF MCCANN

By now we are all aware of Brian McCann’s prowess at the plate.  The six consecutive years of 20 or more home runs and the lifetime .276 average and .820 OPS are stats that bode well in Yankee Stadium.

Only there’s much more to our new backstop.

A catcher’s value to his team goes well beyond his contributions in the batting order.  Often, the catcher is one of the weakest hitters in the lineup.  For instance, a player like the Dodgers AJ Ellis holds a .254 lifetime average but has thrown out 70 of 149 potential base stealers.  That’s a 35% rate in a league where the norm is somewhere between 26 and 28 percent.  In 2013 alone, Ellis gunned down runners at a 44% clip (28 of 63).  Because of the value Ellis adds to the Dodgers in the field, he remains in the order. 

That’s why we are lucky.  We get the best of both worlds.

While McCann’s rate of throwing out runners will never set him above the likes of Ellis (McCann is typically right around the league average), he provides value in areas other than hitting. 

He’s never had more than 7 passed balls (2009) in a season (remember “defensive specialist” Chris Stewart last year?  His 12 passed balls ranked second in ALL OF BASEBALL), and his ability to handle a pitching staff is second to none.

In looking at McCann’s previous six seasons with the Braves, an impressive trend can be found:

The Atlanta staff ERA dropped each of those years.  While one can make the argument that their starters have simply gotten better, Chad Jennings of Lohud recently pointed out:

“How much of that success depends on the catcher is up for debate, but a recent Baseball Prospectus study of pitch framing suggested McCann's ability to make a borderline pitch look like a strike — that ability alone, not his powerful bat — has been worth roughly two extra wins each season.”

In other words, just by sitting behind the plate for our team McCann is adding two more wins.

GM Brian Cashman lauded McCann’s abilities in this interview on the YESnetwork.

The Yankees arguably have a better starting staff this year than last.  We’ve added Masahiro Tanaka and finally get to reap the rewards of our patience with Michael Pineda; gone are Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes.  As with the rest of the team, the rotation has a very different look to it.

Who better to manage this “new” staff than McCann?

His work ethic sets an example for younger players and can only help to build the trust of the starters.  Rather than make the spring trip with the team to Panama, McCann stayed behind to get more work in with Tanaka, Hiroki Kuroda and David Phelps. 

It’s the little things like that which will make a difference in the dog days of summer.

In McCann we are getting an “old school” type of catcher; one that isn’t shy about getting down and dirty in the field, and will get in an opponent’s face if they disrespect the game.

My favorite Yankees player growing up was always Thurman Munson.  He combined clutch hitting with unequalled grittiness as the Bombers’ catcher.  He didn’t self-promote or gloat, he merely went about his business.

McCann evokes my memories of Munson.

He’s not always going to be pretty, but he’ll always be dependable and will represent the interlocking “NY” with honor.

While he’ll once again belt out 20 or more home runs, providing us with countless big games at the plate, it will be the less noticeable things that McCann does that will give this team the “magic” it needs for an October run.

    

--Steve Skinner, BYB Writer
Twitter: @oswegos1




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