Evan Gattis

Evan Gattis

Gattis with the Houston Astros
Houston Astros – No. 11
Designated hitter / Catcher
Born: (1986-08-18) August 18, 1986
Dallas, Texas
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
April 3, 2013, for the Atlanta Braves
MLB statistics
(through April 29, 2016)
Batting average .250
Home runs 71
Runs batted in 211
Teams
Career highlights and awards

James Evan Gattis (born August 18, 1986) is an American professional baseball designated hitter for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut with the Atlanta Braves on April 3, 2013. Gattis has also earned the nickname of "El Oso Blanco" or The White Bear, due to his raw power capabilities, and his large beard. While with Atlanta, he played catcher and occasionally left field.

Gattis was a premier amateur baseball player in the Dallas–Fort Worth area through high school. However, anxiety and substance abuse led him to abandon his scholarship to Texas A&M University. After wandering around the Western United States for four years, he returned to baseball, and was drafted by the Braves in 2010.

After playing in minor league baseball for the Braves, Gattis made the team's Opening Day roster in 2013. Receiving playing time with Brian McCann on the disabled list, Gattis won the National League Rookie of the Month Award for both April and May 2013. He became the Braves' primary catcher in 2014, but was traded to the Astros before the 2015 season.

Early life

Gattis grew up in Forney, Texas, and began playing baseball at the age of six.[1] His parents divorced when he was eight years old, and at the age of 12, he moved from his mother's house to live with his father's new family. Busy playing baseball, Gattis never processed his parents' divorce.[2]

Gattis played for the Dallas Tigers, one of the premier amateur teams in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex.[1] Clayton Kershaw was one of his teammates. He played on traveling All-Star teams with Austin Jackson and in the Junior Olympic Games with Billy Butler, Homer Bailey, and Justin Upton.[2] He attended high schools in the Dallas area, including R. L. Turner High School, Forney High School, and Bishop Lynch High School, in order to play for specific coaches.[1]

Projected as a potential draft pick in the first eight rounds of the 2004 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft, Gattis instead intimated that he intended to attend college and play college baseball. While Rice University offered him a scholarship to play first base, he accepted an offer from Texas A&M University, who wanted him to play as their catcher.[2][3] However, the divorce of his parents and anxiety derived from the fear of failing at college baseball led Gattis into substance abuse.[2][3] He went undrafted in the 2004 draft.[2][4]

Instead of going to college, Gattis' mother took him to a drug rehabilitation facility, where he had a 30-day inpatient stay. He then went to Prescott, Arizona, where he had three months of outpatient therapy while living in a halfway house.[2][3]

Gattis enrolled at Seminole State College, a junior college in Seminole, Oklahoma, after receiving a recruitment phone call from the team's coach. Gattis redshirted as a freshman and played for half a season in 2006.[3] He injured his knee at Seminole State, became burned out on baseball, and quit.[1]

Wandering

Gattis' first job after quitting baseball was as a parking valet in Dallas.[5] He then visited his sister in Boulder, Colorado, and decided to reside there. He sold his truck and worked in a pizza parlor and as a ski-lift operator at the Eldora Mountain Resort.[3] Depressed, unable to sleep, and contemplating suicide, Gattis entered an inpatient psychiatric ward for three days in the summer of 2007, where he was diagnosed with clinical depression and an anxiety disorder. He was released into the care of his father.[2]

After living in Colorado for seven months, Gattis then moved to Dallas with his brother, where they worked as janitors for Datamatics Global Services. He met a New Age spiritual advisor there, and on her advice, he followed her to Taos, New Mexico.[3] There, he lived in a hostel and worked at a ski resort. Three months later, he moved to California to find more spiritual gurus.[3] Gattis also moved to Wyoming, where he worked at Yellowstone National Park.[1]

Return to baseball

College and minor leagues

Gattis decided to return to baseball in 2010. His step-brother, Drew Kendrick, was a college baseball player at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Brian Reinke, the coach of the Texas–Permian Basin Falcons, remembered Gattis from his high school career, and offered him a spot on the team.[1][6] That season, he had a .403 batting average and 11 home runs.[3] He was named the Heartland Conference's player of the week for the week ending February 7,[7] and to the Conference's post-season first team.[6]

The Atlanta Braves selected Gattis in the 23rd round of the 2010 MLB Draft. He batted .288 with four home runs in 35 games for the Danville Braves of the Rookie-level Appalachian League that year.[6] He failed to make the opening day roster of any Braves minor league team in 2011, and remained in extended spring training.[8] He was added to the roster of the Rome Braves of the Class A South Atlantic League (SAL) in May. Gattis won the SAL player of the week award twice during the season,[6] and won the SAL batting title.[3] After the season, the managers of the 14 teams in the SAL named Gattis to the post-season all-star team.[6]

Gattis started the 2012 season with the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League. After starting the season with a .385 batting average, nine home runs, and 29 runs batted in (RBIs) in 21 games, he was promoted to the Mississippi Braves of the Class AA Southern League at the end of April.[9] With Brian McCann starting for the Braves and top prospect Christian Bethancourt regarded as an excellent catcher, Gattis was shifted to left field.[10] After the regular season, he played in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he batted .303 with 16 home runs and a .595 slugging percentage in 53 games, leading the league in home runs and slugging percentage.[11] He earned the nickname "El Oso Blanco", Spanish for "the White Bear".[8]

Gattis playing catcher for the Atlanta Braves in 2013

Atlanta Braves

The Braves invited Gattis to spring training in 2013 as a non-roster player.[12] With a 19-for-53 (.358) performance in the Grapefruit League and McCann starting the season on the disabled list, the Braves added Gattis to their Opening Day roster to share catching duties with Gerald Laird.[8] On April 3, 2013, Gattis made his major league debut. He recorded his first hit as a major leaguer, a home run off of Roy Halladay, in his second at bat.[11] He batted .333 in his first eight games, also homering off of Stephen Strasburg.[4] Gattis was named the National League (NL) Rookie of the Month for April 2013, in which he batted .250 and led all major league rookies with six home runs, a .566 slugging percentage (SLG), 16 RBIs, and 43 total bases.[13]

Following the return of McCann from the disabled list and an injury to outfielder Jason Heyward, Gattis began to play left field for the Braves.[14] Gattis was again named NL Rookie of the Month for the month of May, after batting .303 with a .362 on-base percentage and a .683 SLG for the month, while leading all rookies with 16 RBIs and tying Jedd Gyorko for most home runs as a rookie with six. Gattis became the first rookie to win consecutive Rookie of the Month awards since Heyward in 2010.[15] Gattis was on the disabled list from June 19 through July 14 with a strained oblique muscle.[16][17]

With a 5-for-36 (.139) slump in August and McCann catching regularly, Gattis began to lose playing time.[18][19] The Braves sent Gattis to the Gwinnett Braves of the Class AAA International League on August 31 so that he could play regularly.[19] They recalled him on September 3, when the International League season ended.[20] On September 8 against Cole Hamels, Gattis recorded the longest home run of 2013, calculated at 486 feet (148 m), which was also the longest home run in the history of Citizens Bank Park. Later in that same game Gattis hit another 400+ foot home run off of Hamels after flying out to the warning track in a previous at bat. Hamels was quoted as saying "I felt like I was throwing a golf ball and he had a driver. He's probably going to be in the strongest man competition."[18][21][22] He ended the season with a .243 batting average, 21 home runs and 65 RBIs.[23][24] He played a total of 47 games in left field and 38 at catcher.[25] Gattis finished tied for seventh in NL Rookie of the Year balloting.[26][lower-alpha 1]

Gattis (right) batting for the Atlanta Braves in 2014

During the offseason, Gattis had surgery to remove a bone chip in his knee, which had bothered him since 2006.[25] With McCann leaving the Braves to sign as a free agent with the New York Yankees,[23] Fredi González, the Braves' manager, declared that he planned for Gattis to start between 100 and 110 games at catcher, with Laird catching the remainder, during the 2014 season.[25] On April 16, in a 1–0 win against the Philadelphia Phillies, Gattis went 4-for-4 with one home run, the first time a player has accomplished this in a 1–0 victory since Rogers Hornsby in 1929.[27] On April 21, Gattis hit his first career walk-off home run, a 2-run shot off of Miami Marlins reliever Arquimedes Caminero in the 10th inning to give the Braves a 4–2 victory.[28] In June, he had a 20 game hitting streak.[29] He went on the disabled list on June 30 with a bulging disc in his upper back,[30] and returned to the Braves' lineup on July 21.[31] Gattis hit the game winning home run, his 22nd of the season, against the Miami Marlins in the top of the 10th on September 6, 2014.[32] This would give him a new career high and make him the first Braves catcher to hit 20 or more home runs in his rookie and sophomore seasons.

During the 2014–15 offseason, the Braves traded Heyward with the intention of shifting Gattis to left field, with Bethancourt at catcher.[33][34]

Houston Astros

The Braves traded Gattis and James Hoyt to the Houston Astros for Mike Foltynewicz, Andrew Thurman, and Rio Ruiz on January 14, 2015.[35][36] Gattis said he was a fan of the Texas Rangers as a youth and not the Astros, but also said it is a "good environment" in Houston.[37] During the 2015 season, Gattis hit 27 home runs in a career-high 604 plate appearances, spending most of the season as the Astros' primary designated hitter.[38] He also recorded 11 triples, despite entering the 2015 season with one career triple and being the second-slowest player in baseball, behind David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox.[39]

Gattis lost approximately 20 pounds (9.1 kg) during the 2015–16 offseason by focusing on his nutrition and working with a personal trainer.[40] He started only 11 games in left field in 2015, none at catcher, and 136 at designated hitter. The Astros planned to play Gattis in the field more for the 2016 season, including left field, first base, and his original position of catcher.[41] Eligible for salary arbitration, the Astros and Gattis agreed on a one-year contract on February 16, 2016. The contract will pay Gattis $3.3 million for the 2016 season, with a $5.2 million club option for the 2017 season.[42] Gattis underwent hernia surgery on February 9, 2016, causing him to miss spring training.[43][44] He was activated in April 2016, having missed seven regular season games due to the operation.[45]

Notes

  1. ↑ Finished behind Fernández, Yasiel Puig, Shelby Miller, Hyun-jin Ryu, Julio Teherán, and Gyorko, and tied with Nolan Arenado.[26]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sherrington, Kevin (July 3, 2010). "Area athlete's long road leads back to baseball". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nightengale, Bob (April 30, 2013). "Braves rookie: 'All I could think about was killing myself'". USA Today. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 O'Brien, David (February 29, 2012). "Braves slugger Gattis has a story. Man, does he ever". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Glier, Ray (April 19, 2013). "From Janitor to Rookie, Hitting Fourth for Braves". The New York Times. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  5. ↑ Castrovince, Anthony (April 23, 2013). "Gattis came a long way on amazing journey: From odd jobs to Turner Field, Braves catcher took path rarely traveled to big leagues". MLB.com. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Former UTPB Standout Making Most Of Professional Opportunity". Odessa American. September 25, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  7. ↑ "College baseball: Gattis picks up Heartland Conference honor". Odessa American. February 9, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 Bowman, Mark (March 27, 2013). "Gattis wins spot on Braves' Opening Day roster: Young slugger's amazing journey leads him to Atlanta as backup catcher". MLB.com. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  9. ↑ Rogers, Carroll (April 30, 2012). "Gattis earns promotion to Double-A Mississippi". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
  10. ↑ O'Brien, David (May 8, 2012). "Late-arriving Braves prospect Evan Gattis keeps slugging". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  11. 1 2 O'Brien, David (April 3, 2013). "Gattis homers in debut, Braves pound Phillies 9-2". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Evan Gattis Wanders His Way Back to Baseball". USA Today. Associated Press. February 22, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Evan Gattis of the Atlanta Braves voted National League Rookie of the Month for April and May". MLB (Press release). MLB.com. May 2, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  14. ↑ Rogers, Carroll (May 6, 2013). "Gattis gets first major league taste of left field". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
  15. ↑ Kruth, Cash (June 3, 2013). "For second straight month, Gattis top NL rookie: Braves utility player earns honors for May after also winning April award". MLB.com. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  16. ↑ Lemire, Joe (June 18, 2013). "Braves’ Gattis placed on DL — and that’s a fact". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  17. ↑ Perry, Dayn (July 14, 2013). "Braves activate Evan Gattis from DL". cbssports.com. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  18. 1 2 Corcoran, Cliff (September 9, 2013). "Watch: Evan Gattis hits longest home run of 2013 season | The Strike Zone". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  19. 1 2 "Atlanta Braves send slumping Evan Gattis to Triple-A Gwinnett – ESPN". Espn.go.com. August 31, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Braves recall Evan Gattis from Gwinnett". Gainesville Times. September 3, 2013. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  21. ↑ Monagan, Matt (September 8, 2013). "Pure power: Evan Gattis crushes the longest home run of 2013 | MLB.com". MLB.com. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  22. ↑ Weiner, Rick (September 9, 2013). "Evan Gattis Blasts MLB's Longest Home Run of 2013 off Cole Hamels". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  23. 1 2 Nightengale, Bob (February 18, 2014). "Braves' Evan Gattis eager for next chapter". USA Today. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Braves' Evan Gattis focused on replacing Brian McCann". Boston Herald. Associated Press. February 25, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  25. 1 2 3 O'Brien, David (March 14, 2014). "Braves’ Gattis had knee surgery in October". Atlanta Braves Blog. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  26. 1 2 Fitzpatrick, Mike (November 12, 2013). "Rays' Wil Myers, Marlins' Jose Fernandez win rookie of the year awards easily". The Florida Times-Union. Associated Press. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  27. ↑ O'Brien, David (April 16, 2014). "Teheran’s 3-hitter, Gattis homer give Braves 1–0 win". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  28. ↑ Clemons, Jay (April 21, 2014). "Evan Gattis walk-off homer seals Braves' win over Marlins". FOX Sports South. FOX Sports. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  29. ↑ Bowman, Mark (June 26, 2014). "Streaking Gattis making case for All-Star nod". MLB.com. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  30. ↑ O'Brien, David (July 1, 2014). "While Gattis is out, Braves must pick up slack". Atlanta Braves Blog. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Evan Gattis (back) returns to Braves". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  32. ↑ O'Brien, David (September 6, 2014). "Gattis homers in 10th for 4-3 win over Marlins". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  33. ↑ O'Brien, David (November 17, 2014). "Hart on Gattis-to-LF scenario, other J-Hey trade matters". The Atlanta-Journal Constitition. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  34. ↑ Newberry, Paul (November 17, 2014). "Heyward to Cards, Braves get Miller in 4-man deal". San Jose Mercury News. Associated Press. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  35. ↑ Bowman, Mark (January 14, 2015). "Braves send Gattis to Astros for 3 prospects". MLB.com. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  36. ↑ "Braves trade Evan Gattis to Astros". ESPN.com. January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  37. ↑ Links, Zach (January 15, 2015). "Evan Gattis On Joining The Astros". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  38. ↑ Megdal, Howard (October 5, 2015). "The curious case of Astros' Evan Gattis and all those triples". USA Today. Retrieved December 13, 2015.
  39. ↑ Watson, Owen (January 25, 2016). "Where did Evan Gattis' sudden spike in triples come from?". Fox Sports. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  40. ↑ de Jesus Ortiz, Jose (January 23, 2016). "A slimmer, more fit Evan Gattis shows up to FanFest". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  41. ↑ McTaggart, Brian (January 26, 2016). "Gattis loses weight, gains versatility". MLB.com. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  42. ↑ Drellich, Evan (February 16, 2016). "Astros settle with Evan Gattis, avoid arbitration". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  43. ↑ Drellich, Evan (February 9, 2016). "Recent hernia surgery to limit Astros' Evan Gattis this spring". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Astros designated hitter Gattis has sports hernia surgery". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 10, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  45. ↑ "Astros activate Evan Gattis following offseason hernia surgery". ESPN.com. April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.

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