WAY Too Big to Fail!
For my All Star Break post, I wanted to give you readers a visualization. Stay with me on this one!
Imagine you're on an airplane. You get pretty close to your destination when the steward or stewardess asks you to return to your seats, buckle up and prepare for the final approach and dissension, or landing. In the midst of you getting closer to the tarmac, the flight attendant tells you that, "As you leave, please check your overhead compartment carefully for all of your personal belongings as some items on the plane may have shifted during flight."
Now, let's apply that phrase to the current situation surrounding your people's champion and mine, Evan Gattis, and the catching core for the Houston Astros that is on the minds of fans and management alike. You recall two posts back, I highlighted the numbers between both him and current starter, Jason Castro. While there are some out there that want to claim that I used nothing but bias, the truth is that I actually pinpointed exactly where both players had their advantages and disadvantages. But in taking a good long look at it, Evan Gattis comes out ahead, whether the Castro loyalists, and by extension Gattis skeptics, want to admit to it or not.
Yes, El Oso Blanco finishing out the first half at only a .215 batting average leaves something to be desired, if not perhaps worried about as far as the plate discipline is concerned as of late. And yes, he has 2 fewer homers and 18 fewer RBI than he did at the All Star Break in 2015. Those concerns are warranted by everyone, including myself. Low numbers that can mostly be blamed on extended slumps.
But let us not also forget that his hernia surgery cost him to miss a good bit of the Spring Training that the other players on the team got in full. Plus, shifting between catcher and DH can take a toll as far as the mental anguish that comes with being idle between innings, and not being able to contribute as much as you want to the game, or be as focused and engaging on the task at hand that all come with having to serve as a DH. And considering that Gattis only got about 7 minor league games in at catcher and has still been able to do what he has done behind the plate in 18 starts and 20 total games upon being called back to the major league squad is nothing short of amazing. Additionally, in that whole time, he has not had ONE SINGLE SOLITARY health issue or nagging pain of any kind.
Just in yesterday's game, Evan Gattis went 2-for-4 to close out the first half with a single and THIS game-tying RBI double in the 9th inning to help the team win in extras 2-1 off of a throwing error from Oakland Athletics 3B, Danny Valencia against Carlos Correa that scored the speedy Jake Marisnick. The Astros go into the All Star Break at 48-41, 7 games above .500, the same as last season.
Oh, and then there was THIS!
That's right, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages. DO NOT ADJUST YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN! Evan Gattis now has his first stolen base over his career, AND is 1-for-2 in attempts. (50%) For a big burly bear such as himself, that's not too shabby. It only further proves that, despite his size, which has always been seen as more of a positive than a negative, this White Bear can run! Some have already coined him another new nickname of Hot Wheels, which I happen to enjoy that very much. I'm sure Evan would as well! Creating the kind of impact he does in games across this sport make Gattis, in my humble opinion, too big to fail.
So while those previous numbers may bug some people, because Evan is still human and will stumble from time to time, other numbers such as the following need not be forgotten:
Offensive Slash Line as a DH: .175/.259/.318 (.577 OPS)
Offensive Slash Line as a C: .292/.316/.639 (.955 OPS)
Team Record when Evan Gattis is C: 12-6 (.667 winning percentage, or 2/3 of those games!)
These numbers above should be just as important, because they help to make the case for why Evan Gattis needs to be the starting catcher in 2017 and beyond. He already is a starter, and not just a backup. Castro loyalists, you need to recognize this. If you, like the team, love him that much, then set him free! Let Castro go to a team that needs a catcher and has the bucks to pay him to support himself, his family, and his newborn. Unless Jim Crane is willing to expand the payroll to keep Castro and Gattis both on, this is the most logical thing that should happen. And again, in the meantime, you free Gattis of the DH role and his mental anguish over having to play in that position and give it to the likes of Reed/Bregman/White/Gonzalez or any combination you can think of when it comes to roster flexibility.
In this case, EVERYBODY WINS!!!! Including the Astros, going forward. Both of the following pics need to happen more often for this ball club and fan base!
Photo Credit: David J. Phillips of The Associated Press, via The San Diego Tribune
Photo Credit: Thomas B. Shea of USA Today Sports
Happy All Star Break, Everyone!!!! See you next game against the Mariners in Seattle on Friday!
Imagine you're on an airplane. You get pretty close to your destination when the steward or stewardess asks you to return to your seats, buckle up and prepare for the final approach and dissension, or landing. In the midst of you getting closer to the tarmac, the flight attendant tells you that, "As you leave, please check your overhead compartment carefully for all of your personal belongings as some items on the plane may have shifted during flight."
Now, let's apply that phrase to the current situation surrounding your people's champion and mine, Evan Gattis, and the catching core for the Houston Astros that is on the minds of fans and management alike. You recall two posts back, I highlighted the numbers between both him and current starter, Jason Castro. While there are some out there that want to claim that I used nothing but bias, the truth is that I actually pinpointed exactly where both players had their advantages and disadvantages. But in taking a good long look at it, Evan Gattis comes out ahead, whether the Castro loyalists, and by extension Gattis skeptics, want to admit to it or not.
Yes, El Oso Blanco finishing out the first half at only a .215 batting average leaves something to be desired, if not perhaps worried about as far as the plate discipline is concerned as of late. And yes, he has 2 fewer homers and 18 fewer RBI than he did at the All Star Break in 2015. Those concerns are warranted by everyone, including myself. Low numbers that can mostly be blamed on extended slumps.
But let us not also forget that his hernia surgery cost him to miss a good bit of the Spring Training that the other players on the team got in full. Plus, shifting between catcher and DH can take a toll as far as the mental anguish that comes with being idle between innings, and not being able to contribute as much as you want to the game, or be as focused and engaging on the task at hand that all come with having to serve as a DH. And considering that Gattis only got about 7 minor league games in at catcher and has still been able to do what he has done behind the plate in 18 starts and 20 total games upon being called back to the major league squad is nothing short of amazing. Additionally, in that whole time, he has not had ONE SINGLE SOLITARY health issue or nagging pain of any kind.
Just in yesterday's game, Evan Gattis went 2-for-4 to close out the first half with a single and THIS game-tying RBI double in the 9th inning to help the team win in extras 2-1 off of a throwing error from Oakland Athletics 3B, Danny Valencia against Carlos Correa that scored the speedy Jake Marisnick. The Astros go into the All Star Break at 48-41, 7 games above .500, the same as last season.
Oh, and then there was THIS!
That's right, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages. DO NOT ADJUST YOUR COMPUTER SCREEN! Evan Gattis now has his first stolen base over his career, AND is 1-for-2 in attempts. (50%) For a big burly bear such as himself, that's not too shabby. It only further proves that, despite his size, which has always been seen as more of a positive than a negative, this White Bear can run! Some have already coined him another new nickname of Hot Wheels, which I happen to enjoy that very much. I'm sure Evan would as well! Creating the kind of impact he does in games across this sport make Gattis, in my humble opinion, too big to fail.
So while those previous numbers may bug some people, because Evan is still human and will stumble from time to time, other numbers such as the following need not be forgotten:
Offensive Slash Line as a DH: .175/.259/.318 (.577 OPS)
Offensive Slash Line as a C: .292/.316/.639 (.955 OPS)
Team Record when Evan Gattis is C: 12-6 (.667 winning percentage, or 2/3 of those games!)
These numbers above should be just as important, because they help to make the case for why Evan Gattis needs to be the starting catcher in 2017 and beyond. He already is a starter, and not just a backup. Castro loyalists, you need to recognize this. If you, like the team, love him that much, then set him free! Let Castro go to a team that needs a catcher and has the bucks to pay him to support himself, his family, and his newborn. Unless Jim Crane is willing to expand the payroll to keep Castro and Gattis both on, this is the most logical thing that should happen. And again, in the meantime, you free Gattis of the DH role and his mental anguish over having to play in that position and give it to the likes of Reed/Bregman/White/Gonzalez or any combination you can think of when it comes to roster flexibility.
In this case, EVERYBODY WINS!!!! Including the Astros, going forward. Both of the following pics need to happen more often for this ball club and fan base!
Photo Credit: David J. Phillips of The Associated Press, via The San Diego Tribune
Photo Credit: Thomas B. Shea of USA Today Sports
Happy All Star Break, Everyone!!!! See you next game against the Mariners in Seattle on Friday!
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