Former Astros catcher Brian McCann announces his retirement

Brian McCann, veteran catcher and a member of the Astros 2017 World Series Championship team, has announced his retirement after 15 years in the Majors.

Although Brian McCann had a short two-year stint with the Astros, he became a fan favorite and he will be fondly remembered. He started and ended his career as an Atlanta Brave, with brief stops in between in New York and Houston.

Growing up in the suburbs of Atlanta, it was McCann’s boyhood dream of becoming a Major League player and playing for the team he loved, the Atlanta Braves. In 2002, that dream became a reality when Atlanta drafted him in the 2nd round of the MLB June Amateur Draft. Coincidentally, two draft picks later, the Braves also selected a young pitcher by the name of Charlie Morton.

As we all know, he went on to have a very successful career, collecting five Silver Slugger Awards and participating in seven All-Star Games along the way. McCann had a career slash line of .262/.337/.452 with a .789 OPS. He amassed 1590 hits including 294 doubles and 282 home runs. This season he cleared the one thousand RBI plateau with a career total of 1018.

LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 01: Charlie Morton #50 and Brian McCann #16 of the Houston Astros celebrate after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in game seven with a score of 5 to 1 to win the 2017 World Series at Dodger Stadium on November 1, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

McCann joined the Astros in the later years of his career and even though he was starting to show some wear and tear, he played an intricate roll in Houston’s Championship season. Not only did he contribute with his bat, but he also developed a great relationship with the pitching staff. McCann started in 17 of the 18 postseason games in their championship run.

After two seasons with the Astros, McCann became a free agent when Houston declined his $15 million option for the 2019 season. The Braves signed him to a one-year $2 million dollar contract to bring him back home where it all started.

"“That’s a big reason I wanted to come back,” he said. “I wanted to be a part of this again — put this uniform back on, play in front of my family every night. That was a big reason. … Fifteen years is a long time, catching every day. And I got to do it in my hometown.” via Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors"

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The fans here in Houston will no doubt remember McCann giving Charlie Morton that celebratory bear hug when they clinched the 2017 World Series Championship. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors and I’ve got a feeling we might see him again in the Major Leagues in some type of capacity.

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