Detroit Tigers: Previewing the 2018 lineup

Batting Seventh: Catcher James McCann

The Detroit Tigers catcher is known more for defense than hitting. He’s not bad at either. And while his OPS is in the bottom three for the team, he’s still better than the final two in the order.

James McCann makes sense batting seventh. He had the bulk of starts at this position in the order. And had his best production there. McCann hit .307 with power in 44 games batting seventh, and there’s no reason he can’t do the same this year.

it’s better than what he did overall last season. With all batting spots included, McCann hit .253/.318/.733. He was significantly better in the second half in 2017, increasing his batting average 90 points, and his OPS 61.

This season, McCann is projected to drop off slightly. He’s projected to hit .249/.305/.703.

McCann will likely hit better than this. Like Mikie Mahtook, McCann can be inconsistent at the plate. He went from hitting .161 in May 2017 to .396. He finished the season hitting over ten RBIs per month in July and August.

Also like Mahtook, his final line will depend on longer, and more frequent hot streaks.

Behind the plate, however, McCann is more consistent.

He’s a defensive catcher. He only committed two errors in 836.1 innings at catcher, and caught 30 percent of stolen base attempts.

Though McCann is the best catcher on the team, he won’t play every day. Catching is the toughest position. John Hicks will get the occasional start.