Evan Gattis -- yes, that Evan Gattis -- is now second in the league with eight triples
Don't look now, but Evan Gattis is 2nd in MLB in 3Bs
Baseball fans know Evan Gattis as "El Oso Blanco," a nickname that's Spanish for "the white bear." He earned that moniker in the Venezuelan Winter League, back when he was a power-hitting catcher in the Braves system.
Prior to the start of the 2015 season, Gattis had accumulated a total of 1,592 professional at-bats in his two seasons with the Braves and four seasons across various levels of Minor League Baseball. In those 1,592 at-bats, Gattis had managed to hit exactly seven triples, or approximately one for every 272 at-bats.
Well, the Astros apparently acquired Evan Gattis 2.0 in an offseason trade with Atlanta because homeboy's a different player now. In just 403 at-bats with the Astros, Gattis has managed to hit eight triples, more than doubling his professional total entering the season.
That puts him tied for the second-most in MLB (he trails Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who has 11). Gattis' eighth triple came on Tuesday, off Madison Bumgarner -- who was in the midst of a five-hit, 12-strikeout complete game.
Look at those wheels! He was at third before you could even say, "BUT-MINUTE-MAID-PARK-IS-A-TRIPLE-FRIENDLY-STADIUM!" And the funny thing about that is that four of Gattis' eight three-baggers have come on the road.
Now, are we positive that "El Oso Blanco" doesn't translate to "second-most triples in MLB?"