Yankees Brian McCann is Miscast as the Regular DH

While the Yankees decision to make Gary Sanchez their starting catcher should be applauded, Brian McCann is wasted as a designated hitter.

Although Brian McCann is not the star for the Yankees he once was, coming into Thursday’s action the 32-year-old ranked as the seventh most valuable catcher in the American League this season at exactly one win above replacement level according to FanGraphs’ metric.

At this point, he is no longer among the elite at his position, but remains a solid everyday option behind the plate. Unfortunately, he has been flat-out outplayed by Yankees top prospect Gary Sanchez since the 23-year-old’s promotion on August 3rd.

Sanchez has gotten the lion’s share of the time at catcher since getting the call, and he has made a strong case for that to continue by hitting .340/.367/.660 (173 wRC+) through 49 plate appearances. 

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In addition, the younger catcher has proven more than capable defensively, drawing raves about his ability to work with pitchers and incredible arm strength from teammates, coaches, and pundits.

Through little fault of his own, Brian McCann has found himself prematurely pushed out of the starting catcher job and miscast as the Yankees DH. This is an inefficient use of a valuable player because most of McCann’s value actually comes from his defense.

Mac ranks sixth in the AL by defensive runs saved among qualified catchers. He’s not an elite glove-man, but the ability to play catcher regularly in the majors while having even an average bat makes him a rare commodity.

The offensive bar for being a regular designated hitter is much higher, and it isn’t clear that McCann can clear it at this point in his career. After slumping heavily the last month, Mac is hitting just .232/.333/.404 with 15 home runs. His 99 wRC+ would make him the third-worst qualified DH this season.

Basically, Brian McCann is still a solid hitting catcher, but the bat won’t really play anywhere else unless he rebounds. It’s possible that his offensive production could improve without the demands of catching everyday on his body.

The team also had him begin working out at first base a few weeks back, but the expected production there is not much lower than at DH. Also, the Yankees already have two promising options there in Greg Bird and Tyler Austin.

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We also know the Yankees have had ongoing trade discussions with the Atlanta Braves. McCann has a no-trade clause, but presumably he would be open to a move after losing his job. He’s been very vocal about his desire to remain at catcher in the past.