Moving to DH Could Bring Back the Old Brian McCann

Removing the stress of catching every day could return Brian McCann to the offensive force he was prior to joining the New York Yankees.

After more than 11,000 innings behind the plate in his 12 year career, former New York Yankees starting catcher Brian McCann was officially moved off the position following the promotion and astounding success of rookie Gary Sanchez in August.

It always seemed like a long-shot that McCann would stay at catcher through the entire five year $85 million contract he signed with the Yankees prior to 2014, but few saw the move coming this soon.

McCann is still generally considered average or better defensively. A player who can competently handle everyday catching duties while providing league average production is extremely valuable in MLB, and moving him to DH negates the majority of that value.

Still, it’s interesting to consider just how much McCann’s offensive production might be improved without his body taking the daily pounding that being a starting catcher requires. He was hampered by an injured toe in April and a hyper-extended left elbow in June.

Neither injury landed the 32-year old on the disabled list, but the cumulative effect of all those nagging issues could be one of the reasons for Mac’s sub-par offense this year.

In the nine years prior to signing with the Yankees, Brian McCann compiled a .277/.350/.473 (117 OPS+) batting line. Since joining New York, he has a cumulative .231/.310/.415 (99 OPS+) slash.

Now, it shouldn’t be surprising that age 30-32 McCann did not hit as well as the age 21-29 version. Getting old sucks. But it at least seems possible that allowing McCann to just focus on hitting could bring back something resembling vintage Atlanta Mac performance.

Its worth keeping an eye on how McCann responds to DHing everyday down the stretch. It wouldn’t surprise me if he went on a tear. The Yankees have a very real need for a proven power bat in the middle of their lineup in 2017. At the moment, their best options are two rookies and a guy who missed the entire 2016 campaign.

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Everyone assumes that Brian McCann will be traded this winter, and certainly the Yankees should explore that, but there is no reason to just dump him. Aside from the fact that he provides extremely valuable depth at a position known for injury risk, but it’s not crazy to project a .260/.350/.450 return to form with 30 long-balls next season.