Fantasy Baseball 2018: Evan Gattis Astros full-time DH

The Astros will have a different-looking lineup in 2018. With Carlos Beltran retired, Evan Gattis will see an increase in fantasy value.

The World Series Houston Astros had a very solid team on both sides of the ball. While the rotation could use a little help, the offense had few holes. After winning, outfielder/DH Carlos Beltran announced his retirement. This leaves an opening in the lineup. Enter Evan Gattis.

Gattis started his career with the Atlanta Braves in 2013. He was then traded to the Astros two seasons later. However, with Jason Castro behind the plate, Gattis didn’t much time as their catcher.

That changed in 2016. Gattis played 55 games as the starting catcher, 128 in total, which led to his best hitting season. He hit 32 home runs, 72 RBI and .251. He finished as the No. 6 catcher on the Player Rater that season.

Entering 2017, Gattis was drafted in the 17th round, as the No. 7 catcher drafted. Unfortunately, those owners were shafted because the Astros traded for New York Yankees catcher Brian McCann. This means that Gattis wouldn’t be getting enough playing time.

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Though, the Astros were slotting him as the DH when McCann would start at catcher. Gattis played in just 84 games, missing 19 games in August and 11 games in September, not to mention the days he missed by not being in the starting lineup.

At the end of the season, he hit 12 home runs and 55 RBI with a .263 average. Based on how the catcher position performed during the season, Gattis was the 17th-best catcher in ESPN leagues.

The combination of lack of playing time and less-than-stellar performance makes Gattis a bargain for fantasy owners next season. The outfield is set with George Springer, Josh Reddick and Jake Marisnick. This leaves Gattis taking over the DH role. McCann will still be catching but Gattis could spell him a day or two during the week.

Though, Marwin Gonzalez will also get some playing time. He is a switch-hitter that could split up the righty-heavy lineup the Astros deploy. So, Gattis will likely miss a few games per month as a result.

Not having to play the field as often will help Gattis stay healthy for the season. If he can get back up to 120+ games played, he will be a top-100 overall player. If not, then he’ll be a good bench option and off-day fill in for your team.

Early Baseball Reference projections see Gattis hit .250 with 20 home runs and 60 RBI in just 376 at-bats. Fangraphs see things going a bit better for Gattis. They project a 30 HR/88 RBI/.254 season with 138 games played. If I were drafting today, I’d hope for the latter but can expect the former happening as well.

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Gattis will still carry catcher eligibility into 2018, making him more valuable. He should be able to be drafted in the later rounds after the top-five catchers are taken. I would try to handcuff him with McCann to always having a starting catcher in your lineup.

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