Brian McCann, Catcher, Retired


Date of Birth: 2/20/1984
Birthplace: Athens, Georgia
Nicknames: Heap, Fun Police

Brian McCann, retired catcher, started his baseball career in 2003 with the Atlanta Braves' minor league teams. During the 2005 season, he played with the Braves, usually catching for John Smoltz. In his eight seasons with the Braves, McCann has had impressive success with his bat. He has won five Silver Slugger awards (2006, 2008-2011) and in 2010, he won the All Star Game MVP award.

McCann became a free agent after the 2013 season and he signed a five year, $85 million contract with the New York Yankees in November, 2013. His new contract includes an option for a sixth year. In his first season with the Yankees, he had 115 hits, 15 doubles, 23 home runs, 75 RBIs, and a .232 batting average. Defensively, he caught players trying to steal an impressive 37.2% of the time and he had a fielding percentage of .998.

In 2015, McCann hit a career high 26 home runs. He finished the season with 108 hits, 15 doubles, 94 RBIs, and a .232 batting average in 135 games. He won his sixth Silver Slugger award in 2015. As the Yankees' catcher in 126 games, he made 69 assists, 980 putouts, and 7 errors. He caught players trying to steal 35.9% of the time and he had a .993 fielding percentage. He had no hits in four at-bats in the postseason Wild Card game.

McCann had another good season in 2016, finishing with 104 hits, 13 doubles, 20 home runs, 58 RBIs, 99 strikeouts to 54 walks, and a .242 batting average in 130 games. Defensively, he made 36 assists, 773 putouts, and 4 errors in 92 games. He had a .995 fielding percentage and he caught players trying to steal 23% of the time.

McCann was traded to the Houston Astros on November 17, 2016. He finished the 2017 season with 84 hits, 12 doubles, 18 home runs, 62 RBIs, 58 strikeouts to 38 walks, and a .241 batting average in 97 games. Defensively, as the Astros' catcher in 95 games, he made 48 assists, 905 putouts, and 5 errors. He caught players trying to steal a career low 12.9% of the time. In the postseason, he had 10 hits, including aa home run in Game 5 of the World Series, 2 doubles, and 7 RBIs in 57 at-bats in 17 games. He struck out 17 times and walked 4 times.

McCann spent most of the 2018 season on the DL, playing in just 63 games with the Astros. He finished the season with 40 hits and a .212 batting average. In the postseason, he had no hits in 8 at-bats in 4 games.

McCann became a free agent on October 31, 2018. He rejoined his first team, the Braves, on a new contract on November 26, 2018. He finished the 2019 season with 69 hits, 45 RBIs, 53 strikeouts to 31 walks, and a .249 batting average in 85 games. As the Braves' catcher in 83 games, he made 19 assists, 640 putouts, and 3 errors. He caught players trying to steal 20% of the time and he had a .995 fielding percentage. In the postseason, he had 3 hits, including a double, in 16 at-bats in 5 games.

McCann retired as a professional player on October 10, 2019.

Statistics for McCann in his fifteen seasons (2005-2019) in the major leagues include:

  • 2 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .333 in 2006
  • 4 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 42 in 2008
  • 10 seasons with 20 or more home runs, with a high of 26 in 2015

Career batting statistics for McCann through 2019 include:

  • 1,755 games played
  • 1,590 hits
  • 294 doubles
  • 282 home runs
  • 1,018 RBIs
  • 1,054 strikeouts to 640 walks
  • .262 batting average

Career fielding statistics for McCann as a catcher through 2019 include:

  • 1,612 games played
  • 729 assists
  • 12,048 putouts
  • 95 errors
  • .249 caught stealing percentage
  • .993 fielding percentage

Charitable Work

McCann has a charity wine, The McCann Merlot. Proceeds from sales of the wine go to the Rally Foundation, an organization that aids childhood cancer research and treatment.

McCann has worked with baseball clinics for children and youth from ages five through eighteen.

Personal Life

McCann's father runs a baseball academy. His older brother Brad played in the minor leagues from 2004 through 2007.

McCann and his wife Ashley were married in December, 2007. They have one son and one daughter.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Brian McCann
ESPN Sports - Brian McCann