Fantasy Baseball: 3 Burning Questions About the Houston Astros
Can Gattis Catch On?
Even though the projections have Evan Gattis as a top-80 hitter, it's tough picking him in the top 100 right now because he's listed as not only the backup catcher to McCann, but also the backup designated hitter on Houston's depth chart.
In head-to-head leagues with two catchers, it makes sense to pass on Gattis at his current price because it's hard to figure out how many plate appearances he'll actually get. It's an even easier decision in one-catcher leagues.
McCann, who turned 33 years old in February, is actually going 60-70 picks later than Gattis despite being their starting catcher following an offseason trade with the New York Yankees. In his 11 years since becoming a full-time player, he's averaging 132 games played and 22 home runs per season. He's hit 20-plus homers in all but one year, a number our projections have him missing by a single round-tripper.
| nF rank | nF | name | POS | ADP | PA | R | HR | RBI | SB | AVG | OPS | MIN | MAX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78 | 2.59 | Evan Gattis | C-5 | 103.1 | 426 | 52 | 23 | 63 | 2 | .251 | .781 | 66 | 148 |
| 115 | 1.06 | Brian McCann | C-9 | 165.9 | 477 | 55 | 19 | 60 | 1 | .232 | .712 | 117 | 205 |
Like with Gattis -- who struck out a career-high 25.5 percent of the time last year -- batting average is a concern for McCann. Prior to hitting .242 last year, McCann was bogged down in .230 range three of the previous four years. Our projections agree on the lower side, although there could be a mutually beneficial solution.
The best way to improve the overall performance of both catchers is to rest McCann against left-handed starters. He struggled mightily against southpaws (.218 average) and saw career lows in at-bats against them as a result.
Meanwhile, Gattis improves by 20 or more points in multiple hitting columns when facing lefties.
| Evan Gattis Career Splits | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Left-Handed Pitching | .271 | .311 | .500 | .811 |
| vs. Right-Handed Pitching | .241 | .298 | .478 | .775 |
Using Gattis situationally in DFS is one thing, but depending on him in season-long requires getting more opportunities than just playing against southpaws.
Gattis has played 59 career games in left field, albeit with shaky results. Houston has only tried that 11 times, all coming in 2015. There shouldn't be much opportunity at first base -- where he played four games back in 2013 -- since the Astros are planning to employ 33-year-old Cuban Yulieski Gurriel there, who is signed through the 2020 season.
