Don’t Expect A Big Year From Brian McCann

While Brian McCann may have led the Yankees in home runs in 2014, fans felt that he was a genuine disappointment offensively for his first season in pinstripes. When Brian Cashman signed the free-agent catcher out of Atlanta, he was bringing in a guy who hit .277 with 176 home runs and 661 RBIs over 9 seasons with the Braves.

His debut season in the Bronx was no doubt underwhelming, and Yankees fans want to see better numbers from their catcher. But should we really expect that much more from him in the upcoming seasons?

In the 2014 season, McCann hit only .232 with an on-base percentage of .286. His .286 on-base percentage was his career low, and his .406 slugging percentage was the second lowest of his career not including his rookie season. However, his 23 home runs and 75 RBIs were right around what you should expect from the 7-time all-star.

McCann was at his best from 2006 through 2009, and his bat has gradually become less and less effective since he turned 25. Since the 2009 season with Atlanta where he posted .281/.349/.486 with 21 home runs and 94 RBIs, he hasn’t driven in more than 77 runs and hasn’t hit above .270. In fact, his RBI totals were dropping every year up until his first season with the Yanks.

Behind the plate, McCann is excellent. I have no doubt that he can do a great job framing pitches and managing a staff. But Brian turns 31 this February, and catchers rarely improve as they get older. The position takes its toll on players’ bodies, which is why I don’t expect to see McCann ever put up the offensive numbers he did in 2009.

If players like Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira, and Jacoby Ellsbury can do what’s expected of them at the plate, he doesn’t have to return to his mid-20s form. I think a 2015 season where he hits .250 with 20 home runs and 75 RBIs is as much as we can hope for.