Houston Astros: If Healthy, Evan Gattis Could Be in Line for Huge Breakout

The Houston Astros were very aggressive this offseason, adding several hitters to the roster who plan to contribute at the big league level in 2015.

Of those acquisitions, Evan Gattis is the most intriguing. 

I'm sure you've heard his life story before. He was once a promising high school prospect, but he left the game for five years and held a host of odd jobs, including janitor and ski lift operator.

He eventually returned to baseball in 2009. He played one season at the University of Texas-Permian Basin and was selected in the 2010 MLB draft.

Since then, all he has done is display his tremendous power at every opportunity. He mashed 43 home runs in his first two MLB seasons, despite playing barely 100 games in each. El Oso Blanco, the nickname he picked up playing winter ball in Venezuela, is very accurate. He is definitely white, and he possesses the raw power of a bear.

This is why the Astros traded for Gattis back in January. Power is a precious commodity that gets seemingly scarcer every season.

"We had to give up a lot to get Evan Gattis and [minor league pitcher] James Hoyt, but they’re both players that figure into our plans for next year," Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told Evan Drellich of The Houston Chronicle. "Evan Gattis is a premier player in today's game where offense is declining."

In his new environment, Gattis should be even more productive than he was in Atlanta.

The most convincing reason is his new home park. Minute Maid Park is one of the most favorable stadiums in the MLB for right-handed power hitters, mainly because of the left field wall that stands only 315 feet away from home plate.

Looking at Gattis' spray chart from last year, according to FanGraphs, he had plenty of fly balls to left field that were just long outs. Playing in Houston, a few of those would have been home runs, and his long-ball total would have been even more impressive.

Also, he should be able to play every day in his new home. The Astros aren't exactly loaded with talent at the major league level, and Gattis should get every opportunity to succeed, especially since the front office gave up so much to get him.  He has worked out at left field for the majority of spring training, and that is likely where he will play in most of his starts in 2015.

David Goldman/Associated Press

But he can also play catcher if that is what's needed, and moving to the American League means he could slide into the designated hitter slot whenever he needs a day off.

Either way, his power will play in the American League. There are only a handful of players in the majors with more raw power than Gattis, and that will undoubtedly result in a high number of round-trippers.

However, there is the injury factor. Gattis has been fairly injury-prone throughout his short career. He spent some time on the disabled list in 2014 with a bulging disc in his back and is currently battling soreness in his right hand.

On Friday, he had an MRI done on that right hand, and according to Evan Drellich, it revealed no structural damage. 

He swung a bat for the first time in six days on Friday and didn't feel any pain.

That's a very good sign for the organization, as Gattis could be a successful Astro for years. He is under club control until 2019, and he will send plenty of pitches into the Crawford Boxes throughout his Houston career.

If he can stay healthy, he can be a very productive middle-of-the-order bat in a lineup that is going to continue to get better. Moving away from the grind of catching should help him stay on the field, and playing left field and designated hitter should allow him to focus most of his attention on his hitting.

At the end of the day, the Astros did not trade away three prospects for Gattis' glove. They traded for his massive power and ability to hit the ball over the fence.

And that's exactly what he is going to give them.