BRAVES PLAYER PROFILES - Leading Off

BRIAN McCANN
Position: Catcher
Bats: L
Throws: R
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 210 lbs.
2009 Age: 25

2008 Stats:
573 PAs
.301/.373/.523
68 R
153 H
42 2B
1 3B
23 HR
87 RBI
57 BB
64 SO
134 OPS+

Brian Michael McCann is simply one of the best catchers in Major League Baseball, and that's because of his bat. When he's at the plate, Brian uses a short stroke through the strike zone to drive the ball to center and right. McCann lacks agility defensively, but he's not inept there. One could call him a "sound defender" and get away with it.

McCANN IS THE MAN: Last season, Brian led all catchers with 42 doubles and tied for the home run lead with NL Rookie of the Year backstop Geovany Soto (23).

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: McCann got into the All-Star Game last year... in the 15th inning as a defensive replacement. Russell Martin had played from the 5th to the 14th inning. Unfortunately, the game ended when Justin Morneau beat McCann's tag to score on Michael Young's fly ball as the AL won 4-3.

ALL-STAR STREAK: McCann is the first Braves catcher to make three NL All-Star teams in a row since Joe Torre (1964-67). Del Crandall also made four All-Star teams a in row (1953-56).

PHILLIE KILLER (OR PART 1 OF FUN WITH SMALL SAMPLE SIZES): In 18 games against the Braves' NL East rival, McCann batted .356/.472/.678 with three homers, 17 RBIs and 12 walks. He especially liked to face Jamie Moyer, Cole Hamels, and Brett Myers

Moyer: 20 PAs, .444/.500/.722 - 8-18, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI
Hamels: 25 PAs, .381/.480/.619 - 8-21, 5 2B, 5 RBI
Myers, 29 PAs, .370/.414/.640 - 10-27, 4 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI

A TRIPLE? WELL, MAYBE JUST ONE...: McCann has one triple in his career. It came off of Doug Waechter of the Florida Marlins on April 24, 2008. It came leading off the bottom of the eighth inning. Jeff Francoeur drove him in with a sacrifice fly.

My Outlook: Expect more of the same out of him this year. 140 games, .300 average, 35 doubles, 20 homers as a base. He's very capable of reaching those benchmarks.