Kyle McCann

Kyle McCann
McCann at Georgia Tech in 2017
Athletics – No. 52
Catcher
Born: (1997-12-02) December 2, 1997 (age 26)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
March 30, 2024, for the Oakland Athletics
MLB statistics
(through 2024 season)
Batting average.236
Home runs5
Runs batted in15
Teams

Kyle Joseph McCann (born December 2, 1997) is an American professional baseball catcher and first baseman for the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB draft by Oakland after three seasons at Georgia Tech. Following his junior season, Baseball America named him a second team All-American as a designated hitter.[1] He was also named all-ACC first team catcher.[2]

Amateur career

McCann attended Lambert High School in Suwanee, Georgia, and Georgia Institute of Technology. He played college baseball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 2017 through 2019. During his first two seasons at Georgia Tech, he played first base as Joey Bart was already established at catcher.[3] Following his sophomore season, he was named to the all-ACC third team. Following the 2018 season, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham Anglers in the Cape Cod Baseball League.[4] For the 2019 season, he moved to catcher was subsequently named to the all-ACC first team and a second-team All-American by Baseball America.[5] He was also one of three finalists for the Buster Posey Award, which honors best catcher in NCAA Division I.[6]

Professional career

Minor leagues

The Oakland Athletics selected McCann in the fourth round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft. After he signed, the Athletics assigned him to Vermont Lake Monsters. Appearing in 55 games, McCann hit only .192. In five games with the Arizona Complex League Athletics, he hit two home runs with .400 average.[7] Following the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McCann was named to the A's 60 player training pool.[8][9]

To start his first full professional season in 2021, McCann was assigned to the Double A Midland RockHounds, where he hit .166 over 93 games at both first base and catcher. In 2022, he spent most of the season at Midland but also appeared in 7 games for the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators. He hit 21 home runs while batting .234 for the season across both teams. In 2023, McCann was a non-roster invitee to the team's spring training. During that time, observers noted that McCann had significantly improved from the prior season, with the San Francisco Chronicle calling McCann "the A's most improved player in spring training."[7] He was believed to be the most likely back-up catcher on the main roster before being leapfrogged during the final week of spring training by veteran Carlos Perez.[10] He subsequently played the entire season in Las Vegas, hitting .270 with 17 home runs in 97 games. Defensively, he played primarily at catcher (60 games) while making 10 appearances at first base. He also appeared in 27 games at designated hitter. He spent much of the year sharing catching duties with top prospect Tyler Soderstrom.

Major leagues

In 2024, McCann was again a non-roster invitee to the spring training roster competing for a back-up spot behind Shea Langeliers. On March 28, the Athletics selected his contract and added him to their Opening Day roster.[11] In his MLB debut on March 30, McCann went 0-for-2 in four plate appearances, walking twice. He also drove in a run and struck out twice.[12]

References

  1. ^ Cahill, Teddy (June 10, 2019). "2019 College Baseball All-Americans". College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.
  2. ^ "2019 ACC Baseball Season Honors Announced". theacc.com. May 20, 2019.
  3. ^ Tefertiller, Casey (July 27, 2020). "Kyle McCann Continues To Draw Attention". College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.
  4. ^ "#7 Kyle McCann - Profile". pointstreak.com. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  5. ^ "2019 ACC Baseball Season Honors Announced". theacc.com. May 20, 2019.
  6. ^ Edridge, Taylor (June 26, 2019). "MLB's top draft pick Adley Rutschman will be in Wichita as finalist for catcher award".
  7. ^ a b Kawahara, Matt (March 15, 2023). "Why catcher Kyle McCann is being called A's most improved player in spring training". San Francisco Chronicle.
  8. ^ "A's Announce 60-Man Player Pool For 2020 - A's Farm". June 29, 2020.
  9. ^ "Oakland A's: Getting to know Kyle McCann". White Cleat Beat. September 15, 2020.
  10. ^ "This Triple-A catcher making A's take notice". MLB.com. June 27, 2023.
  11. ^ "Transactions". MLB.com.
  12. ^ "Kyle McCann 2024 Batting Game Logs". Baseball-Reference.com.