The Tigers have played just 30 games this season which is a little under 20% of the regular season. With the announcement of Alex Avila to the DL, much of the catching responsibilities will be given to young James McCann. Third-string catcher Bryan Holaday will see some action as well, but the Tigers would be wise to give McCann a shot at being an everyday starter.

Below is a quick summation of McCann’s production this season, compared against his peers as well as himself. It should be noted that he has only accumulated 46 plate appearances across just 15 games, so the data is not an ideal sample size. Nevertheless, there are enough statistics to make some general comparisons and observations.

Tigers Catchers

It does not appear that the Tigers offense will drop off too much by replacing Avila with McCann on most nights. In 15 less AB, McCann actually has more hits than Avila and has kept pace in HR and RBI. His .295 AVG is almost 100 points higher, and his slugging percentage is also much stronger.

One area where Avila does excel is his 17.6% walk rate, which gives him in edge in OBP and hence runs scored. McCann has not shown a ton of patience, only walking once this season compared to eight strikeouts. Avila is also much better defensively, having great relationships with the Tigers pitchers, and and he has posted 2 DRS compared to McCann’s -3 DRS.

McCann’s Progression



McCann started the season going a miserable 4/23 (.174). But since April 26th, he has really turned his production around and has gone 9/21 (.429). As seen in the chart above, he has now brought his average back up to a respectable .295, which is a very encouraging sign. Fortunately for the Tigers, McCann will be given more at bats and responsibilities during the time that he is on the upswing offensively.

Again, it should be reiterated that McCann has only been to the plate 46 times in 2015. There are still many more games to play, and it is hard to deduce any firm certainties at this point in the season. For better or for worse, McCann is going to granted an opportunity to showcase his abilities both with his bat and with his glove, and there is a high probability that he will succeed.

Around the MLB

So far this season, 35 catchers have recorded over 40 at bats. McCann ranks 14th in wOBA (.323), 12th in wRC+ (104), and 22nd in fWAR (0.1). Clearly, he has the offensive ability to produce as at least an average catcher. Avila, by comparison, has a .307 wOBA and 93 wRC+.

As noted above, Avila is a much better defender, but McCann has given reason for a great amount of optimism in his bat. If he can continue to provide quality results from the bottom of the lineup, he will be a serious contender for the starting job in 2016. With consistent playing time, there is no reason to think that McCann cannot keep pace with the other catchers around the league.