Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo on losing Sunday to Marlins.
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo on losing Sunday to the Miami Marlins and being swept in a three-game series.
- Veteran catcher James McCann has joined the Arizona Diamondbacks while Gabriel Moreno recovers from injury.
- McCann has quickly made an impact both offensively and defensively, throwing out runners and contributing key hits.
It’s been about a week since James McCann joined the Diamondbacks, signed to give them a veteran presence and capable backup to catcher José Herrera while Gabriel Moreno’s fractured right index finger heals.
McCann, heading into the Diamondbacks’ game Monday, June 30, against the San Francisco Giants, had played in two games and was three for six as a hitter. He also threw out a would-be base stealer in his Diamondbacks debut, June 25, at Chicago.
In his second game on June 28, McCann went two for three, scored twice and drove in a run. He also threw accurately to second and third bases for what would have been two putouts caught stealing, if not for an obstruction call against shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and a late tag from third baseman Eugenio Suarez.
“As a catcher, you’ve still got to make the throw,” McCann said. “The toughest part as a catcher is learning the pitchers and what their pitches’ shapes are. What do they like to go to, setups. I would say that’s probably the hardest adjustment. Hitting and throwing, the base doesn’t move, the ball’s still got to come over the plate. Trying to fit six weeks of spring training into six days.”
That game was an adventure for McCann, whose bat flew out of his hands and far into the seats down the third base line during his first at-bat. He was also hit by a pitch.
The 35-year-old Santa Barbara, California, native was selected in the second round of the 2011 draft by the Detroit Tigers.
McCann, in his 12th major league season, has played for four other teams (Tigers, Chicago White Sox, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles). He hit 18 home runs and drove in 60 runs during his All-Star season of 2019 with Chicago.
McCann went right to work once he joined the Diamondbacks, starting conversations with the pitching staff.
With only his experience facing some of the Diamondbacks pitchers to go by, McCann knew he had some catching up to do once manager Torey Lovullo told him when he would play. Such was the case on June 28, when McCann caught starting pitcher Brandon Pfaadt.
Pfaadt credited McCann for helping him stay calm after a rough first inning against the Miami Marlins — the first time the two had ever worked together in a game. McCann said knowing he’d catch Pfaadt allowed him to watch film of the pitcher in advance.
“I love what I’ve seen so far,” Lovullo said of McCann. “The game-calling, now that I’m getting some definition and some explanation as to why it’s happening, he’s just very impressive. It was a great pickup for us. In the absence of (Moreno), he’s come in here and is just really solidifying that role and just given us a little bit of stability, a little bit of knowledge and experience, and I think we need that from that position right now.”
McCann fully understands his time with the Diamondbacks could end when Moreno is ready to return. He also knows he can help.
“I’m going to control what I can control,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I can to help the team win, and being a veteran, the greatest part of my job is to pass on knowledge to the younger players. Help them any way that I can.”