Lunchpail alert?
MLB Network is awesome. That doesn't mean its anchors never ever say anything stupid. Mitch Williams, a guy not exactly known for being quiet or subtle, has the following analysis to explain Brian McCann's status as not really a well known super duper star (damn DVR is broken so this is not really a super duper accurate recreation but it's close):
I think part of the reason he doesn't get the recognition is that he's not out there thumping his chest. He doesn't demand attention. He's not out there tweeting away on Twitter, running his mouth with all kinds of nonsense.
Things not mentioned by Mitch although they should have been:
-McCann is a career .289/.359/.483 hitter, which is definitely really great for a catcher, but nothing to write home about in the grand scheme of all hitters and certainly not enough to justify Pujols/A-Rod/Hamilton/whoever status
-The counting stats aren't there either: never drove in 100 runs, never hit more than 24 bombs
-Atlanta is a pathetic sports town and Braves players rarely get the credit they're due even when they're amazingly awesome (which McCann isn't)
-This is not football; McCann is not competing for "star power" with Ocho Cinco or Tom Brady. Largely, super duper baseball stars are not in the public eye because they don't put themselves there like athletes from other sports do
-He's having a crappy year so far
In short, Brian McCann is not super duper famous because there's no reason for Brian McCann to be super duper famous. He's probably only the 3rd or 4th best hitter on his own team. So yeah I'm calling this a lunchpail alert.
5 comments:
He's been the best catcher in the NL from 2007-2010. Joe Mauer has been the only catcher better in all of baseball, according to Fangraphs. If he played in one of the glamor markets he'd be a huge star. I didn't see the segment, and the statement you posted is dumb, but the fact that he hasn't started an All-Star game in that five year span tells me he's probably underrated by most fans. He's on pace to be a Hall of Fame catcher, and he's generally an afterthought.
And I meant four year span.
Biggus, I agree with you. I am a biased Braves fan though. The joke w/ Braves fans is that Soto and Molina would get more votes for the ASG no matter what McCann does. He can be pretty underrated, though I would think Atlanta isn't a small market, no?
I am offended no one thinks McCann is the single greatest player in the history of MLB though.
It's not the TV market. It's that the Braves have fewer and shittier fans than Boston, New York, LA, Chicago, etc.
(hangs head in shame at the truth of this)
I wish the Braves had more vocal, annoying fans. At least I think do.
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