McCann came to Georgia Tech as a catcher, but slotted in at 1B as eventual #2 overall pick Joey Bart started behind the dish.  McCann transitioned back to catcher this season, finishing among the NCAA leaders with 23 home runs. He was selected by the A’s in the fourth round and signed for a slightly over-slot bonus of $500K.  After a quick five-game cameo in Rookie ball, McCann was moved up to Short-Season Vermont, where he is slashing .198/.294/.354 with a K:BB ratio of 77:24 over 52 games.  I have seen him multiple times throughout the summer.

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 217 pounds, the 21-year-old possesses a strong, filled out frame.  McCann’s best tool is his above-average raw power, which he produces through his strength rather than a quick bat.  Due to this poor bat speed, there is considerable swing-and-miss in the young catcher’s profile, as evidenced by the 35-percent strikeout rate. McCann was consistently late on average heaters, swinging through hittable pitches.  Although he has popped seven home runs in only 52 games, I expect him to struggle accessing his raw power during games against better pitching higher up the ladder.  McCann is prone to hooking the ball, turning over his wrists rather than extending through the zone, thereby pulling grounders into the defense.  With his pull-heavy approach and below average speed, he is susceptible to defensive shifts, particularly an infielder playing in short right field.  Defensively, the 21-year-old has an outside chance of staying behind the plate, with the more likely landing spot being first base.  He lacks the reaction skills and side-to-side agility to block pitches and his strong arm plays down due to a long release and slow pop times.

After getting multiple looks at McCann over the summer, I don’t see the glove to stay behind the dish nor the offensive upside for prospect value as a 1B-only, making the end result a likely upper-organizational tweener who doesn’t dominate any one aspect of the game enough to be a “rosterable” player, FV 20.