James McCann, Catcher, Baltimore Orioles

Date of Birth: 6/13/1990
Birthplace: Santa Barbara, California
College: University of Arkansas

James McCann, catcher for the Baltimore Orioles, was first drafted in 2008 by the Chicago White Sox but he opted instead to go to the University of Arkansas. Three years later, he signed with the Detroit Tigers when they drafted him. He played in the Tigers' minor league system from 2011 through most of 2014. He finished with a 2.66 batting average, 342 hits, 88 doubles, 154 RBIs, and 261 strikeouts to 76 walks in 351 games. Defensively, as a catcher, he made 183 assists, 2,077 putouts, and 22 errors in 321 games. He caught players trying to steal 40% of the time and he had a .990 fielding percentage.

McCann joined the Tigers for nine games in 2014. He had his first major league home run, an inside-the-park one, on April 29, 2015. His second home run on May 21st and his third home run on June 28th were walk-off home runs. He finished the 2015 season with 106 hits, 18 doubles, 41 RBIs, and a .264 batting average in 114 games. As a catcher, he made 54 assists, 723 putouts, and no errors in 112 games. He caught players trying to steal 40.6% of the time and his 1.000 fielding percentage was the highest for all major league catchers.

In 2016, McCann batted .221 in 105 games with the Tigers. He had 76 hits and 48 RBIs. Defensively, as the Tigers' catcher in 99 games, he made 44 assists, 756 putouts, and 4 errors. He had a .995 fielding percentage and he caught players trying to steal 45% of the time.

McCann batted .253 in 106 games in 2017. He finished the season with 89 hits, 14 doubles, 13 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 89 strikeouts to 26 walks. Defensively, as the Tigers' catcher in 103 games, he made 34 assists, 745 putouts, and 2 errors. He caught players trying to steal 29.6% of the time.

McCann played in 118 games in 2018. He batted .220 with 94 hits, 16 doubles, 39 RBIs, and 116 strikeouts to 26 walks. Defensively, as the Tigers' catcher in 114 games, he made 50 assists, 847 putouts, and 5 errors. He caught players trying to steal 36.5% of the time and he had a .994 fielding percentage.

McCann became a free agent on November 30, 2018. He signed with the White Sox on December 19th. He finished the 2019 season with 120 hits, 26 doubles, 18 home runs, 60 RBIs, 137 strikeouts to 30 walks, and a .273 batting average in 118 games. Defensively, as a catcher in 106 games, he made 39 assists, 884 putouts, and 7 errors, and he caught players trying to steal 31.5% of the time.

McCann played in 31 games in 2020. He finished the season with 28 hits, 3 doubles, 7 home runs, 15 RBIs, 30 strikeouts to 8 walks, and a .289 batting average. Defensively, he was a catcher in 30 games. In the postseason, he had 1 hit in 6 at-bats in 2 games.

McCann elected free agency on October 28, 2020. Two months later, on December 15th, he signed with the New York Mets. He spent time on the IL in 2021 with lower back spasms. He finished the season with 87 hits, 46 RBIs, 115 strikeouts to 32 walks, and a .232 batting average in 121 games. Defensively, as a catcher in 107 games, he made 33 assists, 877 putouts, and 6 errors. He caught players trying to steal 27% of the time.

The Mets traded McCann to the Orioles on December 21, 2022.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - James McCann
ESPN - James McCann
Baseball Reference - James McCann