Evan Gattis’s emergence was one of baseball’s best stories in 2013. Now that the luster of that has worn off and he’s going to be counted on as the Atlanta Braves primary catcher, what can the fantasy community expect from him.

Last season Gattis played in 105 games, splitting time between leftfield and catcher. Even though he will be with the big league squad to start the year, due to his heavier use as a catcher it shouldn’t be expected that he plays many more games than that. Even if he’s at full strength all season, the Braves will likely give him frequent days off due to the grueling nature of playing the catcher position.

Gattis’s power is well known, but just like most big time power hitters he has an issue with plate discipline. In 2013, he struck out 21.2% of the time while only walking in a paltry 5.5% of plate appearances. Another weakness of Gattis’s was facing right handed pitching as he hit a measly .236 versus them.

Another struggle for Gattis was his second half numbers. His average only dipped slightly, .246 to .241, but it was his slugging percentage that took the biggest hit as it dropped from .563 to .406. The downturn in may be due to teams attacking him differently, as his ground ball percentage increased by 5.5% which in turn cut his homerun per fly ball rate in half. 

One final scary statistic from Gattis’s 2013 debut season was his batting average in games when he was catching, which was .211 and his line drive rate was 12% less than when he was a left fielder. However this could be attributed to small sample size.

Now it’s not all bad news with Gattis because even if his average is low, he is still one of five catcher projected for 20+ homeruns. He is also currently slotted to bat fourth in the Braves lineup, behind Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Freddie Freeman, providing plenty of runs batted in opportunities.

Another positive for Gattis is that he’s had an entire offseason to study pitchers and adjust to how they adjusted to pithing him throughout the 2013 season. He also knows what his role will be with the team in 2014 and has had time to work with the Braves pitching staff which will help him to be a more effective game caller, providing him with more opportunities to play.

2014 Projected Statistics
FantasyPros.com 432AB    .256AVG     .305OBP    23HR    57Runs    71RBI    1SB 
@WaiverWarrior 460AB    .248AVG     .298OBP    27HR    65Runs    82RBI    0SB

Looking beyond the 2014 season for those who may be playing in dynasty or large keeper leagues, it is going to get very difficult for Gattis to find playing time. Barring the Braves trading him or big injury to Freeman, an Upton or Heyward, Gattis will be demoted to a backup due to the presence of Christian Bethancourt. Betancourt is a premium defender may even push from major league time in 2014 if Gattis struggles behind the dish.

Written By @WaiverWarrior