Former Houston Astros catcher Evan Gattis is not retired per se, but he is also not interested in playing either.
On Tuesday, Evan Gattis found himself in a Houston Astros jersey once again, as he caught the first pitch from another former Astros catcher, Brian McCann, prior to Game One of the World Series. It was a familiar sight to Astros fans, especially as Gattis spent four years in Houston as key part of the lineup before becoming a free agent following the 2018 campaign.
While Gattis sat out the 2019 season, it does not seem as though he is desperate for work. In fact, it does not seem as though he is desperate to return to the game, at least not yet.
Evan Gattis (@BulldogBeing), who won a World Series ring with the #Astros in 2017, didn’t play in 2019 and hasn’t officially retired, but is fine with his situation: “I really don’t have an answer.I don’t even know if I could play, but right now I don’t want to..(Baseball) was..” pic.twitter.com/dHo4Hd2t3a
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) October 22, 2019
Considering the state of the catching position, it is difficult to imagine that Gattis did not have opportunities for this past year. Even in what he considered to be a down season, Gattis still produced a respectable (for the position) .226/.284/.452 batting line while belting 25 homers.
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Those numbers are better than what Astros catchers produced this season. The combination of Robinson Chirinos, Max Stassi, Martin Maldonado, and Garrett Stubbs produced a .217/.317/.390 batting line, hitting 29 doubles and 22 homers. Gattis would, in all likelihood, approached those numbers had he played.
But that is the question – does Gattis really want to play again? At this point, he would likely need to sign a minor league deal, showing that he could still be an asset to a major league team in Spring Training. For now, Gattis does not seem particularly interested in seeing what would be out there this offseason.
And yet, he left that door open. After all, he had walked away from the game before, only to return and become a fan favorite during his time in the majors. While he was never an All Star, Gattis was a legitimate power threat, hitting over 20 homers five times in his six major league seasons. At 33 years old, he could still be that impact bat in the lineup.
But it all comes back to whether or not Evan Gattis wants to play again. While the former Houston Astros catcher is not retired, he also is not exactly looking for an opportunity.