Detroit Tigers: James McCann is the catcher fans can get excited about

It’s been nearly ten years since the Detroit Tigers have had a catcher who can come in and make an impact both offensively, and defensively. James McCann is here, ready to play and ready to stay.

Detroit Tigers fans and MLB fans may remember the name Ivan Rodriguez.

A Member of the Hall of Fame class of 2017, MVP, 14-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger and the last catcher to suit up for the Detroit Tigers that fans could get excited about.

Oh, and let’s not forget emotional, tear-jerking video of Pudge crying when he received the Hall of Fame call.

Don’t get me wrong, the Tigers have had some good catchers on the roster, all of whom have contributed to Detroit’s recent playoff runs and World Series teams (Rodriguez in 2006 and Laird and Avila in 2012).

Alex Avila and Gerald Laird were serviceable, and Avila continues to be a key player in the Tigers’ lineup. Since 2008, though, Detroit has not had a catcher the fans want to see, a youthful athlete who can make an immediate impact.

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Enter McCann.

James McCann is a 26-year-old right hander out of the University of Arkansas. McCann entered the league in 2014 with Detroit and has been with the team ever since.

Offense

Let’s begin with offense. We’ll rule out 2014 and start with the Goleta, CA native’s first full season.

In 2015 McCann appeared in 114 games, hitting .264 with 41 RBIs and seven home runs. The following year he saw the field in 105 games, hit .221 with 48 RBIs and 12 home runs.

This season the future all-star (calm down) has shown up for 24 games and is hitting .195 with 16 RBIs and 7 home runs. Future Hall of Fame numbers? Of course not. Numbers that will improve as the season and years go by? Undeniably, yes.

McCann is eighth right now in amount of at bats for every catcher in the AL. Among the seven players above him, the catcher is seventh in batting average.

He’s also sixth in on base percentage and third in slugging percentage.

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Due to somewhat of a timeshare with Alex Avila and John Hicks, McCann won’t get the usage as full-time catchers, which will make what he eventually does that much more impressive.

Defense

Let’s go to the defensive side, now.

McCann is currently twenty-third in fielding percentage among all AL catchers.

Breaking that down, though, McCann has more innings caught than 21 of the players above him. Also, his fielding percentage is .995, five thousandths below the 22 above him.

One final fielding stat to look at: range factor. Range factor is the total number of outs a player partakes in. To get the figure, you divide putouts and assists by the number of total innings or games played at a position.

McCann’s range factor is at 7.96 right now, better than 14 of the AL catchers above him in fielding percentage.

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Looking at all of these statistics I’m not claiming McCann should be a Gold Glove winner, 2017 All-Star or labeled as the best catcher in the American League. What I am arguing is that James McCann is a catcher Detroit fans can be excited about for many seasons to come.