Evan Gattis, Retired

Date of Birth: 8/18/1986
Birthplace: Dallas, Texas
College: University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Nickname: El Oso Blanco

Evan Gattis, retired designated hitter and catcher, played baseball in college in 2006 but he quit after just one year. He returned to college baseball in 2010 and later that year, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. Gattis played in the minor leagues from 2010 through part of 2013 and he ended with a .308 batting average.

In 2013, Gattis played in 105 games with the Braves. He batted .243 with 86 hits, 21 doubles, 21 home runs, and 65 RBIs. His defensive play was split between time as a catcher (42 games) and in left field (48 games). He finished the 2014 season with 97 hits, 17 doubles, 22 home runs, 52 RBIs, and a .263 batting average in 108 games. As a catcher, he made 49 assists, 723 putouts, and 5 errors in 93 games. He caught runners stealing 19.7% of the time and he had a .994 fielding percentage.

Gattis was traded to the Houston Astros on January 14, 2015. He finished the 2015 season with 139 hits, 20 doubles, 11 triples, 27 home runs, 88 RBIs, and a .246 batting average in 153 games. In 23 at-bats in 6 postseason games, he batted .174 with 4 hits and 1 RBI.

In 2016, Gattis played in 128 games with the Astros. He finished the season with 112 hits, 19 doubles, a career high 32 home runs, 72 RBIs, and a .251 batting average. Defensively, he caught 55 games for Houston. He made 34 assists, 448 putouts, and 2 errors and he caught players trying to steal 46.4% of the time.

The Astros exercised their club option for Gattis for 2017 on November 4, 2016. He finished the 2017 season with 79 hits, 22 doubles, 12 home runs, 55 RBIS, 50 strikeouts to 18 walks, and a .263 batting average in 84 games. Defensively, he played 1 game at first base and 49 games as a catcher. In the postseason, he had 8 hits and 3 RBIs in 30 at-bats in 13 games. He had the first home run by a designated hitter in the 2017 postseason in Game 7 of the ALCS.

Gattis He finished the 2018 season with 92 hits, 17 doubles, 25 home runs, 78 RBIs, 101 strikeouts to 33 walks, and a .226 batting average in 128 games. In the postseason, he had no hits in four at-bats in four games.

Gattis became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He didn't play professional baseball in 2019.

Gattis said his playing career was over in March, 2020.

Career batting statistics for Gattis through 2018 include:

• 706 games played
• 605 hits
• 116 doubles
• 139 home runs
• 410 RBIs
• 575 strikeouts to 167 walks
• .248 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Gattis as a catcher through 2018 include:

• 241 games played
• 123 assists
• 1,925 putouts
• 18 errors
• .242 caught stealing percentage
• .991 fielding percentage

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Evan Gattis
ESPN - Evan Gattis