Kyle McCann Stats & Scouting Report

AB	140
AVG	.236
OBP	.318
SLG	.371
HR	5

Full name Kyle Joseph McCann
Born 12/02/1997 in Atlanta, GA
Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 217 / Bats: L / Throws: R
School Georgia Tech
Drafted in the 4th round (134th overall) by the Oakland Athletics in 2019 (signed for $500,000).

View Draft Report

After producing the No. 2 pick (Joey Bart) in the 2018 draft a season ago, Georgia Tech again has a talented junior catcher in the form of McCann. McCann played mostly first base and was used as a DH during his sophomore season while Bart handled the catching duties, but he hit an impressive .300/.423/.600 with 15 home runs. This spring, McCann has taken over as the starting catcher for the Yellow Jackets and continued to post big power numbers, hitting 22 home runs through his first 54 games of the season—ranking fifth in the country among Division I hitters. He also has a walk rate hovering 21 percent, which ranks among the top 10 in the country. McCann has easy plus raw power from the left side, with a strong 6-foot-2, 217-pound frame, a low handset in his load and a swing that’s geared toward fly balls. McCann has a chance to be a fringe-average hitter, and his production in the ACC is impressive, but scouts wonder how well his approach will translate with a wood bat due to his high strikeout numbers and overall middling summer last year in the Cape Cod League. There, McCann hit .219/.309/.344 and struck out 36 times (32.7 percent) compared to 13 walks (11.8 percent) in 34 games. Defensively, McCann has above-average arm strength, but he needs to improve across the board to stick behind the plate at the next level. He’s slow behind the dish and doesn’t move well from side to side, while his release comes with plenty of length and his footwork needs refinement as well. McCann could go early on Day 2 if a team believes he has a chance to catch and his power is legitimate, but if he is forced to move off the position and slide over to first base his overall profile will take a significant hit.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

TRACK RECORD: The A's drafted McCann (no relation to Brian) out of catching factory Georgia Tech in 2019, where he started behind the plate as a junior after spending his first two seasons at first base in deference to Joey Bart. McCann flashed plenty of power to go along with plenty of strikeouts in his pro debut with short-season Vermont in 2019. He was assigned to Oakland's alternate training site in 2020, where he was aided by the tutelage of veteran catcher Carlos Perez.

SCOUTING REPORT: The A's labeled McCann as one of their biggest risers at the alternate site, a welcome development after he struggled mightily in his pro debut. Massive all-fields power is McCann's calling card, albeit with limited contact. He has a tendency to get pull-happy at times and projects as no more than a below-average hitter. It was strides he made defensively that impressed the A's the most. He showed an increased attention to detail and a willingness to improve his blocking, mobility and receiving. Those developments lead the A's to believe he could still develop into an adequate defensive catcher. He also plays an average first base right now.

THE FUTURE: The 2021 season will be revealing for McCann. He still must prove he's the player the A's saw at the alternate site instead of the one who floundered in his pro debut.
TRACK RECORD: After spending his first two seasons at first base at Georgia Tech, McCann moved behind the plate in 2019 after Joey Bart left for pro ball. McCann developed into a power lefthander for the Jackets while developing behind the plate.

SCOUTING REPORT: McCann has strength and a mature build and provides power over contact offensively. McCann has a quiet setup at the plate but has a small wrap through launch, which creates extra length and loop. He is a dead pull hitter with a lofted stroke geared for hard contact despite holes in the swing. Contact will be an issue moving forward based on his swing path, high swing-and-miss rate and challenges against lefthanders. Beyond pure strength, McCann's best asset is his advanced approach. He has a good feel for the strike zone and a selectively aggressive approach, though the walk rate in college did not translate during his pro debut. While he shows average arm strength, his receiving skills have been viewed as fringy based on lack of quickness and agility. First base remains a fallback option, though moving back would increase pressure on the bat.

THE FUTURE: With the questions surrounding McCann's defensive work, scouts have suggested a possible move back to first base. For now, he appears to be the level-to-level type who could start in Beloit in 2020.

Draft Prospects

After producing the No. 2 pick (Joey Bart) in the 2018 draft a season ago, Georgia Tech again has a talented junior catcher in the form of McCann. McCann played mostly first base and was used as a DH during his sophomore season while Bart handled the catching duties, but he hit an impressive .300/.423/.600 with 15 home runs. This spring, McCann has taken over as the starting catcher for the Yellow Jackets and continued to post big power numbers, hitting 22 home runs through his first 54 games of the season--ranking fifth in the country among Division I hitters. He also has a walk rate hovering 21 percent, which ranks among the top 10 in the country. McCann has easy plus raw power from the left side, with a strong 6-foot-2, 217-pound frame, a low handset in his load and a swing that's geared toward fly balls. McCann has a chance to be a fringe-average hitter, and his production in the ACC is impressive, but scouts wonder how well his approach will translate with a wood bat due to his high strikeout numbers and overall middling summer last year in the Cape Cod League. There, McCann hit .219/.309/.344 and struck out 36 times (32.7 percent) compared to 13 walks (11.8 percent) in 34 games. Defensively, McCann has above-average arm strength, but he needs to improve across the board to stick behind the plate at the next level. He's slow behind the dish and doesn't move well from side to side, while his release comes with plenty of length and his footwork needs refinement as well. McCann could go early on Day 2 if a team believes he has a chance to catch and his power is legitimate, but if he is forced to move off the position and slide over to first base his overall profile will take a significant hit.

Scouting Reports

TRACK RECORD: The A's drafted McCann (no relation to Brian) out of catching factory Georgia Tech in 2019, where he started behind the plate as a junior after spending his first two seasons at first base in deference to Joey Bart. McCann flashed plenty of power to go along with plenty of strikeouts in his pro debut with short-season Vermont in 2019. He was assigned to Oakland's alternate training site in 2020, where he was aided by the tutelage of veteran catcher Carlos Perez.

SCOUTING REPORT: The A's labeled McCann as one of their biggest risers at the alternate site, a welcome development after he struggled mightily in his pro debut. Massive all-fields power is McCann's calling card, albeit with limited contact. He has a tendency to get pull-happy at times and projects as no more than a below-average hitter. It was strides he made defensively that impressed the A's the most. He showed an increased attention to detail and a willingness to improve his blocking, mobility and receiving. Those developments lead the A's to believe he could still develop into an adequate defensive catcher. He also plays an average first base right now.

THE FUTURE: The 2021 season will be revealing for McCann. He still must prove he's the player the A's saw at the alternate site instead of the one who floundered in his pro debut.
TRACK RECORD: The A's drafted McCann (no relation to Brian) out of catching factory Georgia Tech in 2019, where he started behind the plate as a junior after spending his first two seasons at first base in deference to Joey Bart. McCann flashed plenty of power to go along with plenty of strikeouts in his pro debut with short-season Vermont in 2019. He was assigned to Oakland's alternate training site in 2020, where he was aided by the tutelage of veteran catcher Carlos Perez.

SCOUTING REPORT: The A's labeled McCann as one of their biggest risers at the alternate site, a welcome development after he struggled mightily in his pro debut. Massive all-fields power is McCann's calling card, albeit with limited contact. He has a tendency to get pull-happy at times and projects as no more than a below-average hitter. It was strides he made defensively that impressed the A's the most. He showed an increased attention to detail and a willingness to improve his blocking, mobility and receiving. Those developments lead the A's to believe he could still develop into an adequate defensive catcher. He also plays an average first base right now.

THE FUTURE: The 2021 season will be revealing for McCann. He still must prove he's the player the A's saw at the alternate site instead of the one who floundered in his pro debut.
TRACK RECORD: The A's drafted McCann (no relation to Brian) out of catching factory Georgia Tech in 2019, where he started behind the plate as a junior after spending his first two seasons at first base in deference to Joey Bart. McCann flashed plenty of power to go along with plenty of strikeouts in his pro debut with short-season Vermont in 2019. He was assigned to Oakland's alternate training site in 2020, where he was aided by the tutelage of veteran catcher Carlos Perez.

SCOUTING REPORT: The A's labeled McCann as one of their biggest risers at the alternate site, a welcome development after he struggled mightily in his pro debut. Massive all-fields power is McCann's calling card, albeit with limited contact. He has a tendency to get pull-happy at times and projects as no more than a below-average hitter. It was strides he made defensively that impressed the A's the most. He showed an increased attention to detail and a willingness to improve his blocking, mobility and receiving. Those developments lead the A's to believe he could still develop into an adequate defensive catcher. He also plays an average first base right now.

THE FUTURE: The 2021 season will be revealing for McCann. He still must prove he's the player the A's saw at the alternate site instead of the one who floundered in his pro debut.
TRACK RECORD: After spending his first two seasons at first base at Georgia Tech, McCann moved behind the plate in 2019 after Joey Bart left for pro ball. McCann developed into a power lefthander for the Jackets while developing behind the plate.

SCOUTING REPORT: McCann has strength and a mature build and provides power over contact offensively. McCann has a quiet setup at the plate but has a small wrap through launch, which creates extra length and loop. He is a dead pull hitter with a lofted stroke geared for hard contact despite holes in the swing. Contact will be an issue moving forward based on his swing path, high swing-and-miss rate and challenges against lefthanders. Beyond pure strength, McCann's best asset is his advanced approach. He has a good feel for the strike zone and a selectively aggressive approach, though the walk rate in college did not translate during his pro debut. While he shows average arm strength, his receiving skills have been viewed as fringy based on lack of quickness and agility. First base remains a fallback option, though moving back would increase pressure on the bat.

THE FUTURE: With the questions surrounding McCann's defensive work, scouts have suggested a possible move back to first base. For now, he appears to be the level-to-level type who could start in Beloit in 2020.
After producing the No. 2 pick (Joey Bart) in the 2018 draft a season ago, Georgia Tech again has a talented junior catcher in the form of McCann. McCann played mostly first base and was used as a DH during his sophomore season while Bart handled the catching duties, but he hit an impressive .300/.423/.600 with 15 home runs. This spring, McCann has taken over as the starting catcher for the Yellow Jackets and continued to post big power numbers, hitting 22 home runs through his first 54 games of the season--ranking fifth in the country among Division I hitters. He also has a walk rate hovering 21 percent, which ranks among the top 10 in the country. McCann has easy plus raw power from the left side, with a strong 6-foot-2, 217-pound frame, a low handset in his load and a swing that's geared toward fly balls. McCann has a chance to be a fringe-average hitter, and his production in the ACC is impressive, but scouts wonder how well his approach will translate with a wood bat due to his high strikeout numbers and overall middling summer last year in the Cape Cod League. There, McCann hit .219/.309/.344 and struck out 36 times (32.7 percent) compared to 13 walks (11.8 percent) in 34 games. Defensively, McCann has above-average arm strength, but he needs to improve across the board to stick behind the plate at the next level. He's slow behind the dish and doesn't move well from side to side, while his release comes with plenty of length and his footwork needs refinement as well. McCann could go early on Day 2 if a team believes he has a chance to catch and his power is legitimate, but if he is forced to move off the position and slide over to first base his overall profile will take a significant hit.