The Detroit News · Nov 29, 2018
James McCann's time with Tigers could be in peril
James McCann’s hopes for remaining with the Tigers might well have disappeared during 2018 in a swirl of statistical realities.
The harsh facts for a 28-year-old catcher who had been a Tigers regular the past four seasons:
\u25baMcCann was 101st among all big-league catchers in an all-encompassing defensive statistic known as Fielding Runs Above Average, as compiled by Baseball Prospectus, and known to carry weight with most big-league front offices.
\u25baAnd while he was first in metrics that measure a catcher’s arm and effectiveness at chopping down runs, he was 92nd among all catchers in framing runs, and 108th in blocking runs