| Douglas Benton. 6th July, 2006 - 5:20 pm
 In any battery, there is a positive side and a negative side and these two sides have to match up correctly in order for the batteries to work properly. In Atlanta, this has been the same case for the Atlanta Braves, who have always received great praise for their pitching, but not as much for their catching. Well, as Brain McCann, gets ready to embark to Pittsburgh for his first all-star appearance, and third by a Braves catcher in four years, it is time to look back on the men behind the mask.
For much of the 1990’s, the catcher position was a revolving door, until Javy Lopez came on full-time in 1994 and handled most of the duties. Still, Lopez was never able to break out into the catcher the organization thought he could be, in part because he never had the trust of Greg Maddux. So, while Lopez handled much of the duty, the Braves would still have to carry a personal catcher for Maddux, but in 2004 Lopez broke out in a big way by hitting 43 home runs to go with a 109 RBI and a .328 average. The 43 home runs were a major league record for home runs by a catcher, as Lopez was a no-doubt All-Star starter for the National League.
However, budget constraints and a wandering eye led Lopez to Baltimore after the 2003 season and left a gaping hole both behind the plate and in the line-up for the Altanta Braves. The Braves weren’t blindsided by this because it was somewhat expected, which is why general manager John Schuerholz traded for catching prospect Johnny Estrada for pitcher Kevin Millwood in another money-based move.
All Estrada did in his first full season in 2004 was hit .314, have 76 RBI, strike out only 66 times in 462 at-bats, and make the 2004 All-Star team as a reserve. Estrada’s ability to hit with two strikes during that season was one of the keys in the Braves’ midseason surge that produced another division title. He also showed great skill behind the plate, and these attributes carried on into the 2005 season until a vicious home plate collision opened the door for the next catcher in line.
With Estrada down, the Braves called upon 21-year old local product Brian McCann to provide a stop gate behind the plate until Estrada would be able to come back. He did much more than that by hitting .278 in less than 60 games of action and was one of the Braves’ most consistent hitters down the stretch. His ability to handle a pitching staff also drew rave reviews throughout the year, as he and his roommate Jeff Francoeur, played leading roles in the Baby Braves’ run to the playoffs last season. McCann also belted a three-run homer in the second inning against Roger Clemens in Game 2 of the NLDS, which proved to be the only win in the series for the Braves.
This season, McCann has taken the next step in his progression by torching major league pitching to the tune of a .351 batting average and a .416 OBP that has seen him draw 21 walks and only have 20 strikeouts. McCann missed some time this year due to an ankle injury, but once he gets the necessary plate appearances, he will rank in the top 5 in average and the top 15 in OBP in all of baseball. Needless to say, he was rewarded with a well-deserved All-Star nomination as a reserve this past Sunday.
So while the Braves try to find an identity to retool a suspect rotation and a beleaguered bullpen, they can rest assure that the man behind the mask will be in good hands. If it wasn’t enough that they have had three different All-Star catchers in four seasons, their top prospect is a catcher named Jarod Saltalamacchia, who was ranked by Baseaball America as the 16th best prospect. |
