The Evan Gattis Atlanta Braves Irony

Evan Gattis has hit everywhere he has been

Braves right-handed power hitter Evan Gattis continued his good work Saturday against the Astros, as he lined a single to left, and hit a sacrifice fly in two at bats.  Gattis is now hitting .500 on the spring (7 of 14) with two doubles, a homer, and three RBIs.

Gattis has hit everywhere he has been the past few years, including the minors, Venezuelan Winter League and now with the Braves in the spring.  You don’t have to be hit with a frying pan in the head to understand that this guy needs to play in the major leagues, and not just as an ornament on the bench.  Gattis needs regular major league at bats.

What makes Gattis special is that he not only has tremendous power, he makes contact.  That is a recipe that usually results in many extra base hits and RBIs.

The Braves have been starved for right-handed power the past few seasons.  That weakness resulted in the Braves acquiring the right-handed power hitting Dan Uggla before the 2011 season, and paying him big money.  Then in this past off-season the Braves acquired right-handed power hitters B.J. Upton and Justin Upton, and rewarded both with big contracts.

The Evan Gattis Atlanta Braves irony is that after not having enough right-handed power hitting the past few seasons, the Braves now have this right-handed power hitting phenom in their lap and nowhere to play him on a regular basis.

What does this say about Evan Gattis and the Atlanta Braves?  It says that the Braves are stacked this season, and a guy like Evan Gattis is a luxury, not a necessity.