| Brian McCann | |
|---|---|
 McCann with the Atlanta Braves in 2009 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: (1984-02-20)February 20, 1984 (age 41) Athens, Georgia, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| June 10, 2005, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 29, 2019, for the Atlanta Braves | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .262 |
| Home runs | 282 |
| Runs batted in | 1,018 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Brian Michael McCann (born February 20, 1984) is an American former professionalbaseballcatcher. He played 15 seasons inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theAtlanta Braves,New York Yankees, andHouston Astros. A seven-timeAll-Star and a six-timeSilver Slugger Award winner, he won the2017 World Series with the Astros. He is one of only four catchers to win theSilver Slugger Award six times and the only catcher to win the award in both theNational League andAmerican League.
McCann was born to Howard and Sherry McCann inAthens, Georgia. At the time, his father worked as an assistant baseball coach for theGeorgia Bulldogs Baseball underSteve Webber and his mother worked at Athens Regional Hospital.[1] Both of his parents attendedOswego High School inOswego, New York, where they would later be inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame. McCann's father playedcollege baseball atMississippi State.[2] Howard McCann would eventually become the head coach atMarshall.[1]
McCann's older brother, Brad, played atClemson and was selected in the sixth round of the2004 Major League Baseball draft by theFlorida Marlins but was out of professional baseball by 2007.[3]
McCann attendedDuluth High School inDuluth, Georgia.[4] He was ranked the 26th best high school prospect byBaseball America and initially committed to play college baseball forAlabama.[5]
TheAtlanta Braves selected him in the second round of the2002 MLB draft.[6]
McCann made his MLB debut with the Braves on June 10, 2005 after playing in the minor leagues for theRome Braves. A personal catcher forJohn Smoltz for most of the 2005 season, McCann hit his firsthome run in just his second regular-season game and became the first Braves player in franchise history to hit a home run in his first playoffat-bat on October 6, 2005. He accomplished the feat in the second inning of a 7–1 victory overRoger Clemens and theHouston Astros in Game 2 of the2005 National League Division Series. McCann was named the everyday starter when the Braves tradedJohnny Estrada to theDiamondbacks.
During the 2006 season, McCann hit .333 with 24 homers and 94 RBI. He led all Major League catchers in homers, and his RBI total was matched only byJorge Posada andVictor Martinez.[7] The Braves rewarded McCann by buying out his arbitration years with a six-year, $27.8 million contract during spring training in 2007.[7]
McCann was selected to play in the2006 MLB All-Star Game, in his first full major league season, and then again in both 2007 and 2008, making him the first Braves player ever to be selected to the National League All-Star team in each of his first three seasons. In 2008, he allowed more stolen bases than any other NL catcher, with 93.[6]
Beginning in April 2009, McCann was bothered by blurry vision in his left eye, due to a slight vision change following 2007LASIK surgery. He decided to opt for glasses when contact lenses proved uncomfortable.[8] In May 2009,Oakley, Inc. made special glasses for McCann to correct the vision problem and allow for comfort under the catcher's mask. McCann remarked, "I need my Oakleys. I have to have the wraparounds for my peripheral vision."[9] In 2009, he had more errors at catcher than any other major leaguer, with 12, and had the lowest fielding percentage among them (.988).[10]
McCann was again selected for the All-Star Game in2009 and2010. In the latter, he was named theMVP after driving in all three of the National League's runs with a bases-clearing double in the seventh inning (driving inScott Rolen,Matt Holliday, andMarlon Byrd), off ofChicago White Sox relieverMatt Thornton, giving the NL a 3–1 victory, its first in the midsummer classic since 1996.[11][12] On August 29, McCann hit the first walk-off home run reviewed byinstant replay. McCann hit a line drive to right field. The ball struck the top of the right field wall. The umpires called it adouble, but McCann and Braves bench coachChino Cadahia argued the call. The umpires went to go review instant replay. Replays showed that the ball struck the top of the right field wall, bounced into the stands, and then got onto the field. Thus, the umpires overturned the call and called it awalk-off home run.[13] In 2010, he allowed more stolen bases than any other NL catcher, with 84.[6]
During spring training, on March 9, 2011, McCann hit a line drive foul ball which struck minor league managerLuis Salazar, blinding him in the left eye.[14] On May 17, 2011, McCann hit a ninth-inning, game-tying,pinch-hit home run and an 11th-inning game-winning two-run home run to defeat the Houston Astros 3–1.[15] Also in 2011, he allowed 104 stolen bases, more than any other major league catcher.[16]
On July 27, 2012, he became the first player sinceJim Thome in 2007 to homer in six straight games versus an opponent. He did this on the same day Chipper Jones tiedPete Rose's major league record for extra base hits by a switch hitter.[17]
On July 14, 2013, McCann was chosen by National League managerBruce Bochy to replace injured Braves first basemanFreddie Freeman in the2013 All-Star Game.
On November 23, 2013, McCann agreed to a five-year, $85 million contract with theNew York Yankees, with a vesting option for a sixth year.[18] The Yankees officially announced the deal on December 3.[19] McCann wore the number 34 as number 16 is retired in honor ofWhitey Ford.
On May 28, 2014, with limited options at first base, managerJoe Girardi slotted McCann into his first career start at first against theSt. Louis Cardinals, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and a walk in a 7–4 Yankee win. On September 28, 2014, McCann entered the game against theBoston Red Sox as apinch runner forDerek Jeter, after Jeter's final career hit. McCann led the Yankees in home runs (23) and RBI (75).
On September 6, 2015, McCann hit his career-high 25thhome run of the season, a game-tying three-run shot off ofChris Archer of theTampa Bay Rays. McCann ended the season with 26 home runs and a career-high 96 RBI. On November 12, 2015, he earned his sixthSilver Slugger Award at catcher (his first in theAmerican League).
McCann struggled early on during the 2016 season. After the Yankees releasedAlex Rodriguez, rookie catcherGary Sánchez was brought up to share in catching duties. After Sánchez had a big impact both on offense and defense, McCann became the primarydesignated hitter for the team. In 130 games, McCann batted .242 with 20 home runs and 58 RBI, the ninth season in a row in which McCann hit at least 20 home runs.
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On November 17, 2016, the Yankees traded McCann to theHouston Astros forAlbert Abreu andJorge Guzmán.[20] On April 14, 2017, McCann became the 14th catcher to record over 10,000 putouts at theposition. On May 21, Houston put McCann on the 7-day disabled list for players who have sustained a concussion.[21] Playing in only 97 games, McCann hit 18 home runs. He failed to reach 20 home runs for the first time since 2007, ending his streak at nine consecutive 20-home run seasons.
In the2017 American League Championship Series, McCann hit RBI doubles in Games 6 and 7 against his former team, the Yankees, to help the Astros reach the2017 World Series. McCann caught every inning of the World Series, and hit 5-for-25 with a pivotal home run in Game 5 as the Astros defeated theLos Angeles Dodgers in 7 games.[22]
On April 23, 2018, McCann became the 10th catcherall-time to record 11,000 career putouts at the position. For the season, he batted .212/.301/.339.[23] He had the slowest baserunning sprint speed of all major league catchers, and the second-slowest speed of all major league players, at 22.7 feet/second.[24][25]
On October 31, 2018, the Astros declined the 2019 option on his contract, making him a free agent.[26]
On November 26, 2018, McCann signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Atlanta Braves, marking his return to the club.[27][28] He was assigned uniform number 16, the number he wore during his first stint with the Braves;[29]Charlie Culberson, who had worn the number during the 2018 season,[30] switched his number to 8.
On June 14, 2019, McCann recorded his 1,000th career RBI, awalk-off single against thePhiladelphia Phillies.[31]
For the season, he batted .249/.323/.412. In 2019, he had the slowest sprint speed of all major league players, at 22.2 feet/second.[32]
On October 9, 2019, shortly after the Braves' Game 5 loss in theNational League Division Series against theSt. Louis Cardinals, McCann announced his retirement from baseball.[33]
McCann played for theUnited States national baseball team in the2009 World Baseball Classic.[34]
McCann married Ashley Jarusinski in December 2007. Their first child, a son, was born in July 2012.[35] Their second child, a daughter, was born in September 2013.[36] They reside inGwinnett County, Georgia.[37]
In 2017, McCann's mother married the father ofMark Teixeira. McCann and Teixeira were teammates on the Braves from 2007 to 2008 and the Yankees from 2014 to 2016.[38]
In 2008, McCann released a charity wine (The McCann Merlot) with 100% of his proceeds supporting the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research, an organization dedicated to raising funds to support pediatric cancer research and treatments.[39][40] McCann also has baseball clinics for kids aged 5–18.[citation needed]
"I need my Oakleys," the Atlanta catcher said Saturday at Turner Field. "I have to have the wraparounds for my peripheral vision.
Atlanta Braves minor league manager Luis Salazar was awake and able to respond to doctors Wednesday after being hit in the face by Brian McCann's foul liner during an exhibition game.
