Deep Waiver Wire: James McCann
By Brad Kelly
The Detroit Tigers have not have to many bright spots over the 2015 season, as injuries and futile pitching, has caused them to slip all the way down into last in the AL Central.
Outside of their pitching as a whole, one place the Tigers have desperately needed an upgrade at, is at the catching position. Alex Avila has been an absolute bust since his fluke breakout season in 2011, so the Tigers have had to seemingly find stopgaps every year.
Once again 2015 proved to be no different as Avila has struggled and battled injuries, but it seems as though the Tigers may have possibly found their long-term solution at that spot.
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James McCann seems to look the part as a potential starter in 2016, but he also offers value down the stretch in 2015 as well. McCann was drafted in the second round by the Tigers in 2011, but really did not make a lot of noise in the minors.
He minor league career high in homers is seven and he has knocked in a high of 54 RBI on two separate occasions. His AVG’s haven’t been bad though, as he has multiple seasons were he hit north of .270. These are pretty solid stats from a catcher, but they do profile more as a backup type of production.
After Avila’s ineffectiveness, McCann has been tasked with becoming the everyday catcher, and has done an admirable job in doing so. For the season, he has a .271/7 HR/36 RBI/.708 OPS. This is a decent stat line for a catcher who has played 99 games and relatively low expectations.
What I like about McCann going forward, especially in the playoffs, is that he is on a current surge and is still apart of a decent lineup that should offer plenty of RBI chances throughout the playoffs. He is definitely an off the radar type of waiver add, but our catcher spots can often be problematic and warrant change. McCann could be just that guy, for the month of September he is currently batting .355/1 HR/7 RBI, unspectacular but decent production.
We often only ask our catchers to just avoid killing us in any one category, and that is another value McCann brings as he has been able to maintain at least a decent AVG in his career. McCaan may not provide the pop we look for from the catcher spot, but something has to be said for a guy who can help stabilize our team in the playoffs across most categories, as we can not afford to just give away any categories.
At this point in the season, owners are either in or out of title contention and I will concede that fantasy football has taken the center stage, but these inconspicuous moves by astute owners are what separate championship owners apart from the rest of our competitors. Never stop looking for ways to upgrade.