Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — It's Brian McCann's own fault. The Braves catcher set the bar high by hitting .333 with 24 home runs and 93 RBIs in 2006.

In his first full season in the majors.

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'I want to do the same thing every time I step to the plate, be consistent,' Braves catcher Brian McCann said. 'This offseason in the cage I got to where I felt like I did in '06, that comfort at the plate, feeling real good, and realizing I can cover every pitch.'

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At age 22.

Hello, unreasonable expectations.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to make that average again," McCann said, on the first weekend of his third major league spring training.

The Duluth native didn't say that with a tone of regret. Just said it matter-of-factly, like, "Dude, it's not normal to hit .333." (McCann uses "dude" a lot, so we're not taking great liberties.)

He might never hit .333 again, but McCann believes he's better than last season, when he batted .270 with a career-high 38 doubles, 18 homers and 92 RBIs — statistics that most catchers would love to put up just once.

McCann produced them despite a lingering ankle injury and an April finger injury that he wouldn't let keep him out of the lineup. He insists his injuries weren't a big deal and fatigue didn't cause his late-season slump.

He spent the winter working out, dropping five pounds to 235, and redistributing that body weight — or as McCann said, "reorganizing" it — through extensive weightlifting.

"This is the best I've ever felt going into spring training, mentally and physically," he said. "Mentally more than anything; I know what to expect."

He has the smooth left-handed stroke that could be used in an instructional video, but McCann doesn't want to be known as a good-hitting catcher. The two-time All-Star wants to be viewed as an elite all-around catcher.

"I just want to be complete," he said. "I'm more concerned about handling the staff than anything else."

He wants to improve his overall defense, including his percentage of runners caught stealing, after throwing out just 20 percent in 2007. McCann said that was his fault, but manager Bobby Cox said pitchers also need to do a better job holding runners close.

That McCann takes so much responsibility and wants to be held accountable are qualities teammates and Cox admire in the tough, baby-faced catcher.

"The guy always impresses me," third baseman Chipper Jones said. "I think he's an unbelievable talent, and he's going to be good for a long time.

"He wants to continue to learn every day."

McCann, who'll be 24 on Wednesday, is already one of the most respected members of the team.

Braves officials broke with tradition last March when they signed him to a six-year, $26.8 million contract extension, a deal potentially worth over $41 million including a club option for 2013.

It was the most lucrative contract the Braves gave to a player not yet eligible for arbitration, and at the time the largest contract in history for any major-league player with under two years of service.

Teammates will tell you McCann, affectionately known as "Heap" for his sloppy locker and hotel room, hasn't changed since becoming a very wealthy (and married) man. Still the worst dresser on the team, works as diligently as ever, and still abhors losing and failing to deliver in the clutch.

"You're never going to hear him make excuses," Braves second baseman Kelly Johnson said. "He just accepts the blame and goes to work. His dad's that way."

McCann's father, Howard, is a former Marshall University baseball coach who runs a hitting school in Gwinnett County. Another son, Brad, is a first baseman who played in the Kansas City organization last season.

Braves hitting coach Terry Pendleton said McCann is a conscientious pupil who doesn't need prodding. If anything, he said McCann works too hard at times.

"He knows how to hit," Pendleton said. "His dad's done well teaching him. My job is just to tweak it when he's not going right, hopefully recognize something early when it needs to be corrected. If anything, sometimes he may do too much, going in [the batting cage] when he's already fatigued.

"You can work yourself into a deeper slump doing that. Sometimes you just need to relax and get away from it, not overwork."

McCann spent many hours in his dad's batting cage over the winter.

"I want to do the same thing every time I step to the plate, be consistent," he said. "This offseason in the cage I got to where I felt like I did in '06, that comfort at the plate, feeling real good, and realizing I can cover every pitch."