take the bulk of the DH responsibilities, and Brian McCann was acquired to handle most of the catching.

So despite having near All Star-like numbers in 2016, Gattis only had 325 PA’s in 2017, with only 12 home runs and a 106 wRC+.

He did make a sizable contribution in the playoffs, hitting .267 with five hits and a 130 wRC+. And that includes this tie breaking home run against the Yankees in the ALCS that proved to be the decisive hit in the decisive game of the only AL championship in Astros history.

With Beltran retired in 2018, Gattis was poised to claim greatness as the Astros’ sole DH. But this, his contract year, proved disappointing, as Gattis, like most of his team mates, produced below career average.

Actually, in away, 2018 was two seasons for Evan. For the whole year he hit a rather anemic .226/.284/.452 with a 99 wRC+. He had exactly 0.0 WAR. But for six glorious weeks in 2018, from about May 22- July 7th, the White Bear came out of hibernation. El Oso Blanco roared, his inner beast liberated, slashing .293/.343/.636 with 14 of his 25 home runs, probably the hottest stretch of his career. On June 12th and 13th he had back to back 5 RBI games with 3 home runs. On June 15th he added 4 more RBI on a grand slam en route to AL player of the week. Watch the Bear in his natural habitat.

And yet, if on the whole 2018 had been a successful season for Evan, I