Nearly eight weeks after being traded to the Astros, former Braves slugger Evan Gattis has had time to think about the deal and its pluses and minuses.
“The negative is that there’s a good fan base in Atlanta, I felt loved there,” he said. “The positives are that I’m in the American League, I might be a little more durable; I’m going to try to have a healthy season. And I’m in Texas, stoked about that. So yeah, positives and negatives.”
The big, barrel-chested Texan played two seasons for the Braves, but it took less time for the legend of “El Oso Blanco” to become as outsized as his native state.
His Bunyanesque strength, tape-measure home runs and unique back story – four years away from baseball, roaming the western United States – made Gattis a favorite of Braves fans and the subject of countless newspaper and magazine articles, songs, and a TV documentary.
Braves president of baseball operations John Hart said several times early in the winter that he intended to hang on to Gattis, with his big right-handed power and four years of contractual control, unless blown away by an offer.
But ultimately, Hart made him the centerpiece of the last big trade in the Braves’ deal-filled winter, shipping Gattis and minor league pitcher James Hoyt to the Astros for three prospects — third baseman Rio Ruiz and right-handers Michael Foltynewicz and Andrew Thurman.
“I had no problem with it, it was just surprising,” Gattis said. “I really didn’t think I would be (traded). It was just surprising, but I don’t have any ill will, nothing like that. I’m glad they gave me an opportunity to be in the big leagues two years ago. That’s where I started. That’s all I knew. I (bleeping) love the Braves.”
The Braves played the Astros in a spring-training game Sunday at Kissimmee, but it was a split-squad game for Houston and Gattis was part of the group that traveled to Lakeland, Fla., to face the Tigers. The Braves play the Astros again Saturday at ESPN Wide World of Sports.
“It’d be good to see some old buddies, but it’s alright,” Gattis said of being in the other split-squad game Sunday. He said he had a few Braves — Todd Cunningham, Joey Terdoslavich and Phil Gosselin — over for ribs last week.
Before leaving for Lakeland, Gattis’ group took batting practice and the bearded “White Bear” hit some epic long balls over the center-field fence, including one that startled a Houston reporter when it landed at his feet far beyond the center-field fence. Astros media members weren’t accustomed to balls landing there during batting practice.
Gattis hit .263 with 22 home runs in 369 at-bats in 2014, the second-highest homer total on the team behind Upton, who hit 29 in 566 at-bats. Gattis had 43 homers and a .487 slugging percentage in 723 at-bats over two seasons, becoming the 10th player in the past 20 seasons to hit at least 20 homers in each of his first two seasons. And he did it while playing fewer than 110 games each season.
As a rookie, he split time between catching and playing left field. Gattis was used strictly as a catcher last season, but the Braves had intended to move him to left field in 2015 if they’d kept him.
The Astros have had him focus solely on left field so far in spring training and will use him primarily there and as a designated hitter, although he’ll also likely play some first base and be a third catcher.
“He’s a great presence,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “He is hard on himself with his swing, he demands a lot out of himself during BP and games. He’s sort of a cage animal during games; the DH component of him is fun to watch because he paces up and down the dugout for as long as he’s in the games. But I love his presence, I love his desire.
“His makeup is very much a strength of his when it comes to competing. There’s nobody more focused when he gets into the batter’s box than Evan. It’s the first couple of weeks, there’s no easing into anything with him. He goes 150 percent in his preparation, and he runs his gas tank to empty on the field. And that’s a positive trait. I tell him, it’s a little scary when it comes to early in the spring. But he only knows one way to play.”
The Gattis deal followed trades of Braves outfielders Jason Heyward in November and Justin Upton in December. Heyward and Upton could’ve been free agents after 2015 and the Braves didn’t think they could afford to re-sign either.
“This year was a little unwieldy, because we had two guys that had one-year deals that we didn’t think were going to sign,” Hart said. “The Evan Gattis trade, I’ve said it many times, it breaks my heart. I’m an American League guy, I see 40 homers in that bat. I love the player. But I couldn’t get the at-bats. It was hard for me to find 600 at-bats for Evan.”
