There are plenty of possible reasons for Brian McCann’s slow start with the Yankees.
It could be the expectations of playing up to a huge contract, the spotlight of New York or the shift he sees used against him almost every at-bat.
Terry Pendleton believes it’s all three, which is why McCann’s former longtime hitting coach isn’t shocked by what the catcher is going through.
Now Atlanta’s first-base coach, Pendleton began working with McCann when he was 19 and said on Monday he knew McCann would wind up either with the Yankees or Rangers this offseason.
“New York is not Brian,” Pendleton said before the Braves fell to the Mets 4-3 in 11 innings. “That’s my opinion. I knew if he chose New York, there would be more than he expected or knew about. He’ll never be comfortable with that.”
But Pendleton also knew how much McCann wanted to win and said that undoubtedly played a role in McCann’s decision to land in The Bronx.
“If I had to choose where he went, nothing against the Yankees, they’re one of the best organizations around, but I think he’d be more comfortable in Texas,” Pendleton said. “But he wants to win and when he looks at that, you’ve got to go to the Yankees.”
It hasn’t gone well and McCann has admitted he’s been “horrible.”
“Going from Atlanta to New York is a different animal,” Pendleton said. “Brian McCann is going to put more heat on himself and for him, trying to do more is the worst thing for him. I’ve learned that.”
And the five-year, $85 million deal McCann signed as a free agent has played a role as well.
“That money is hanging over his head,” Pendleton said. “A lot of guys say, ‘I’ve got to live up to that,’ instead of ‘They signed you to play your game.’”
Oh — and that shift.
“He became a pull hitter over the last three years or so,” Pendleton said. “When he got to the big leagues, he hit the ball everywhere. That’s what made him so good.”
Long fly balls he would hit to left-center wouldn’t leave Turner Field, though, and Pendleton believes that impacted McCann and caused him to focus solely on pulling the ball. And that’s when the shift began.
“It does affect him because last year he was getting [ticked] off because base hits were going right to the second baseman,” Pendleton said. “I told him to hit the ball to left field and he’d do it a couple of times, but he had it in his head he wanted to pull.”
That hasn’t changed with the proximity of the right-field porch at Yankee Stadium, but Pendleton doesn’t blame that. Pendleton saw McCann’s last homer in The Bronx, which snuck over the fence in right.
“If you’ve got pull on your mind, it doesn’t matter how far the fences are back,” said Pendleton, who last talked to McCann during spring training. “He’s going pull. That’s his mindset right now. The ball he hit out the other day, he didn’t hit good.”
But Pendleton doesn’t believe all is lost.
“I think he will become accustomed to it,” Pendleton said. “He has to relax and do what he’s capable of doing. He said he’s not a .220 hitter and he’s right. He’s definitely better than he’s shown. He just has to settle down.”