Three Reasons Why Yankee Fans Should be Thankful for Brian McCann

In lieu of Thanksgiving Weekend dwindling to an end, here are the three reasons why Yankee fans should be thankful for the signing of free-agent catcher Brian McCann

1. He provides a major offensive boost to a lineup in desperation mode

The ever so popular heavy hitting Bronx Bomber-esque lineup that constantly wears down opposing pitchers was non-existent in 2013.

The addition of Brian McCann is expected to turn that around instantly. At Turner Field, Brian McCann had homered twenty or more times in six of his eight seasons in a Braves uniform. As a matter of fact, since 2006, only four catchers have delivered more offensive value than McCann, and they go by the names of Buster Posey, Joe Mauer, Mike Napoli, and Victor Martinez... two of which are full time 1B/DH. That said, with the help of Yankee Stadiums short porch, there's no reason to believe the pull hitting McCann can't extend his annual HR tally to 25-30. His new ballpark is bound to give him a few extra long balls, especially some of the doubles and loud, loud, loud, fly ball outs he's hit over the years in Hot-lanta.

2. As a solid backstop, he brings the Yankees one step closer to their famous 'center of the diamond' approach... their key to success.

A strong catcher, a play-making short stop, a solid second basemen, and a speedy center fielder... the center of the diamond baseball approach that has won the Yankees 27 World Series Championships.

For nearly two decades the dish was manned by Jorge Posada. But since Hip- Hip Jorge was forced to DH in 2010 and eventually retire after the 2011 season, the catcher's hole was rather vacant in the Bronx, as it was occupied by part-time and inconsistent 'suitcase' catchers like Russell Martin, Francisco Cervelli, and Chris Stewart.

Defensively, McCann brings an above average skill set. Thanks to baseball analytics an their new ability to focus on pitch framing, we can see that McCann is the 12th best catcher in the majors in that department. Though that is a downgrade from Chris Stewart's pitch framing skill-set, McCann is a massive upgrade in blocking pitches, as Stewart allowed 12 pass balls and 32 wild pitches in 98 games behind the plate last season. Though he's not among the top in the game when it comes to stopping the running game either, McCann works very well with pitchers, which can prove to be very important for developing what seems to be a relatively young projected starting rotation for the Yanks in 14'.

3. Time- It gives the Yankees more flexibility in developing J.R. Murphy and Gary Sanchez

Signing McCann gives the Yankees plenty of opportunity for player development. Instead of having to rush up any of their catcher prospects, including J.R. Murphy who already saw some time in the bigs, the Yankees can slowly develop them for the future. My guess... McCann serves as the full time Yankee's catcher for three of the five years of his contract while the Yankees groom J.R. Murphy and Gary Sanchez. Fours years down the line, McCann will become a full time first basemen or designated hitter for the Yankees, allowing either Murphy or Sanchez to succed McCann behind the dish. This also gives the Yankees extra trade bait, as one of these two prospects can be key assets in trade talks for the Yankees going forward.

I, for one, am extremely thankful for the signing of Brian McCann. 5 years 85 Million, well worth it.