When Bears Attack!

Utilizing the Animal Planet show title is only fair for today's posting. It has finally happened, ladies and gentlemen! Your people's champion and mine, Evan Gattis, is back behind the plate again. And boy, does it feel so good!

Serving as backstop for flame-thrower, Joe Musgrove, El Oso Blanco led him to 4 strikeouts across 3 innings with only one hit. Musgrove also only gave up one walk in his entire frame. In the 4th inning, Gattis guided relief pitcher, Ashur Tolliver to 3 strikeouts, and only one hit with an earned run off of a Yoenis Cespedes home run.

Tolliver did throw one wild pitch to allow Wilmer Flores to advance to second base. However, it was all for not. Flores would remain stranded, as Mets catcher, Travis d'Arnaud would strike out to end the inning. Pretty impressive stuff from Tolliver so far in Grapefruit League, if I do say so myself.

Unfortunately, the Big White Bear had a dry bat today. He got no hits in 3 at-bats, and two of those appearances resulted in strikeouts. Needless to say, that was the buzz kill in the midst of something extraordinary and long awaited for. Evan's average ended up taking a 50 point hit, and is now, regrettably, back down at .200 so far this spring.

But all was not a total loss, after all. The Houston Astros did beat the New York Mets on the road 7-6. The latter part of the game did become a nail biter, as the Mets were allowed to tack on another 5 runs from the 6th inning on. Thankfully, the spacemen were able to fend the boys from the Big Apple off long enough to sustain the victory. A win is a win, no matter what way you slice it!

To add to this piece of good news, and earlier report this morning from Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle lays out quite the eye opener regarding how much time Gattis will actually get this season. Here is the main quote from Skipper A.J. Hinch from that article:

"I think what can change that is how the DH plays. Obviously the performances will change. But McCann will catch a majority of the games, Gattis will catch the balance of them and then as the schedule permits and the health permits, then we'll adjust accordingly."

Translation - The prediction I made in House of Houston about the positional players' paths to a minimum of 300 AB's is not far off from what the skip just said. Basically, Brian McCann gets his roughly 95 games as a catcher, while Gattis gets somewhere between 65-70. When Carlos Beltran takes the field, around 30-40 games, you can put in Gattis as a DH. Beltran can get about 90 starts as a DH, and then you sprinkle the other 30 DH games among McCann, Josh Reddick, and Yulieski Gurriel.

Injuries and late-inning substitutions will also factor in. For example, if Beltran hits 3-for-3, or even 2-for-3, in any single game, you can even take him out and let Gattis get 1 or 2 AB's here and there. The same could be said if McCann performs the same way while catching, and probably more so for this to give McCann some extra rest. In all honesty, there is no way that Gattis can't get at least 100-120 games from both positions. So many variables, so many good players, so few games.

Gattis even mentioned in the article how he has been working on the blocking of pitches:

"Block and receive, I think they'll kind of go hand in hand," Gattis said. "If I can get better at blocking I think I'll be able to receive better instead of like just panicking for a block and then maybe missing a call, getting a strike called a ball."

Look for the Big White Bear to catch a lot going forward, as Hinch wants to get him more relegated time back behind the plate. And while we're on the subject of Bear Squared, a couple of fun videos caught my eye just last night. I'm sure you all have seen the Yankees remake of a famous scene from the movie "The Sandlot." And if you haven't yet, GOOD NEWS! I FOUND IT FOR YOU! You can watch below:

Equally as enjoyable was this blooper reel:

And not to be outdone was THIS video done by MLB Fan Cave. Where a number of players from across the league, including MR. EVAN GATTIS himself, paid homage to the baseball cinema classic. Note 8-10 seconds in & 33-36 seconds in for El Oso Blanco:

So maybe McCann and Gattis aren't quite ready for Oscars just yet. However, I can instantly see them playing an on-screen, dialogue-ridden, cameo role in a comedy somewhere. Especially, when you consider that MLB Fan Cave also put out THIS gem back in Gattis' rookie season as a Brave in 2013. Get ready to have your guts busted!:

For those who may have heard the rumors of McCann being a "fun police" in the club house, or that may believe the haters saying that Gattis is talent-less, I have news for you! These videos will put all of those rumors and nay saying hearsay to bed. Once, and for all!

Original Photo Credit: Karen Warren of the Houston Chronicle

Bear Squared is ready to go on the offensive and defensive!!!!