The Braves have a slugger of a catcher, Evan Gattis, whose unusual background, splendid nickname – El Oso Blanco — and circuitous path to the majors made him a budding folk hero to many fans before he played his first major league game. A catcher whose 43 homers in 723 at-bats over his first two seasons further strengthened the Paul Bunyan-esque legend.
And the Braves have a highly regarded, strong-armed rookie catcher, Christian Bethancourt, who only turned 23 last month but has already spent most of seven seasons in the minor leagues and showed promise in 30 starts in the majors. A catcher who needs to play on a regular basis to continue his development, and might be near the point of diminishing return playing in the minors.
So what will the Braves do about the catching position before next season? What should they do?
In Gattis, the Braves have a power hitter who’ll likely make below $600,000 in 2015, won’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2015 season and be under contractual control for four more seasons through 2018. That makes him attractive to both the Braves and many other teams, particularly American League teams who could use him as a designated hitter.
In Bethancourt, the Braves have a player who’ll make barely $500,000 in 2015 and be under contractual control for six seasons.
There were at least a few options on the table as Braves officials began their offseason discussions. Nothing will be decided until after they have a permanent general manager in place and probably not until they see what the trade market looks like.
But here are options they will likely consider:
- Keep the 250-pound Gattis at catcher and bring back Gerald Laird or another veteran backup to make 40-50 starts in an effort to keep Gattis healthy and fresh. That was the plan last season and it worked until it didn't, when Gattis, 28, came down with a balky back and a couple of unrelated illnesses that further diminished an already punchless lineup.
- Trade one or more from their current outfield of the Uptons and Jason Heyward and move Gattis to left field, where he actually made more starts than he did at catcher as a rookie in 2013. Corner outfielders Justin Upton and Heyward are eligible for free agency after the 2015 season, and the Braves probably can't afford to keep more than one in a long-term extension. The Braves know they will probably have to eat a substantial amount of the remaining three years and approximate $46 million on center field B.J. Upton's contract to trade him, but might be willing to do that, or eat part of it as part of a trade for another team's bad contract. Gattis' defense in left field was below average in 2013, but Gattis had little experience in the outfield, and some in the Braves organization believe he might become a serviceable defensive outfielder with a full spring training of work at the position.
- Work out some some form of platoon arrangement with Gattis getting ample time in left field and behind the plate, which would allow Bethancourt to start at least half of the games at catcher with Laird or another veteran as a third catcher who'd also get plenty of work.
“We’ve talked about it internally a lot,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said “and I tell you what, in this day and age with the way offense is going now, it’s hard to (replace) 22 home runs.”
He was referring to Gattis’ home-run total in 2014. Gattis hit 22 over the fences in 369 at-bats, the second-highest homer total on the team behind Justin Upton, who hit 29 in 566 ABs.
“I think we’ve got time to keep talking through those options,” Gonzalez said, “but, I mean, 22 homers. He had something like 41 homers in his first 600-some at-bats, (basically) a full season. I don’t know if you could keep him (going) for anywhere close to 600 at-bats, but we could try, someplace.”
Braves catchers tied for fourth in the majors in home runs with 22, and Gattis had all of them.
Despite missing about five weeks of the season with a bulging disc, a viral illness, strep throat and a kidney stone, Gattis tied San Francisco’s Buster Posey and Seattle’s Mike Zunino for third among major league catchers with 22 homers, one behind Brian McCann, the longtime former Braves perennial All-Star who had 23 in 495 at-bats in his first season with the Yankees.
Bethancourt was called from Triple-A to catch during Gattis’ three-week DL stint, and again handled the primary catching duties when Gattis missed most of the final three weeks of the season due to illness. Bethancourt had several key hits for the Braves including a few two-out, opposite-field hits, but he finished with a .248 average (28-for-117), three doubles, nine RBIs and a slugging percentage (.274) that was the same as his on-base percentage.
His strong arm and reputation helped him virtually shut down many opponents’ running games in the minors, but there continue to be questions about whether Bethancourt’s offense will ever begin to catch up with his defense.
Laird said Bethancourt is still learning and just needs more playing time. He has no doubts about the rookie’s abilities. “He’s learning new pitchers and the game’s a little faster up here,” Laird said. “All the talent’s there. We’ve seen it. It’s just a matter of getting confidence, and proving to himself that he can play up here every day.”
“I told him he’s one of the most talented guys I’ve seen, and just told him to really focus on his defense. The offense is there, it’s going to come as you get older. I watched Yadi (St. Louis All-Star Yadier Molina), the first three or four years of his career he wasn’t the best hitter in the world, and then the last three or four years he’s become a really good hitter.”
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