THIS IS EPISODE 51 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST

James McCann is a major league baseball catcher for the Detroit Tigers. He made his MLB debut in September 2014, and just finished his third full season in the big leagues in 2017.

In 2017, he hit .253 with 13 HR and 49 RBI but it was his second half that really impressed people around baseball. In July, McCann batted .396 (19-for-48) with a .473 OBP, seven extra-base hits and 11 runs batted in. His hitting streak would extend to 14 games before ending on August 5.

McCann has been married to Jessica for three years and together, they’re expecting twin boys in early 2018.

On this episode of the podcast, McCann shares what it’s like to catch Justin Verlander, what he learned in 2017 on and off the field, the importance of accountability partners during a long MLB season, how he’s preparing for fatherhood, and the incredible story of his birth and how doctors gave him a 25 percent chance to survive.

QUOTES:

“The best thing I’ve learned over all the years, is baseball is what I do, it’s not who I am.”

“Finding that identity of who you are is key. The identity for me is I’m a child of God, I’m a follower of Jesus.”

“As a man, the tendency is to want to do everything on your own. The truth is that’s exactly what the enemy wants. Satan wants us to try and do life on our own. And we can’t do it on our own. We need those accountability partners to knock you back into reality when we need it.”

“If you set your eyes on the heavens and on Jesus, you’re going to perform the way you need to. We are not called to be meek and soft, we are called to ferocious in our faith.”

“I’m so excited about being a father and not just teaching these boys how to become men but teaching them how to become men of God.”

“God has been protecting me from Day 1. Man said it was impossible for me to just be here. But God said not so. Here I am not just alive, but with a platform as a MLB player to share that story.”