he embarked upon a life of wandering, working variously at pizza delivery, as a ski lift operator, janitor, and at one point getting committed to a psychiatric facility for his old nemeses, depression and anxiety.

Upon release, Evan went on a search for a spiritual teacher that took him to Taos, New Mexico, and later California.

Redemption

Perhaps the wise ones counseled him to find his true Self, and so he returned to his first love, baseball. He first played again at UT Permian Basin and showed enough promise to get drafted in 2010 by the Atlanta Braves, with whom he made his big league debut in 2013. He was traded to the Astros in 2015, just in time to help them reach their first playoff series in 10 years.

For Gattis,success in baseball was more than the fulfillment of a dream, it was redemption. It was his pathway to sanity and the way to slay his personal demons. Evan’s life came to a stark crossroads; overcome the anxiety that held back his career and his dream, or succumb to that anxiety and a lifetime of despair. Like so many other Astros, he overcame.

Evan has made it.

The Astros paid a high price to acquire Gattis; top prospects pitcher Mike Foltynewicz and third baseman Rio Ruiz. Foltynewicz has since become one of baseball’s top pitchers. In his first five games as an Astro, Gattis went over 20 at bats without a hit. Now it wasn’t just Gattis, but the fans who were having anxiety attacks. But eventually he broke out,