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Brad McCann Update
Mar 2, 2006, 9:49 AM
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http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/sports/highschool/stories/0302gwxbrad.html
Brad McCann, Brian's brother, says there's no sibling rivalry
By CARROLL ROGERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/02/06
Jupiter, Fla. — Brad McCann is the elder McCann. His brother Brian is 14 months younger. Brad is the brunet. Brian is blond. Brad is the right-handed one. Brian bats lefty.
But the way most people distinguish him these days is that Brad McCann is the one who's still in the minor leagues.
Former Greensboro Grasshopper and now Marlin minor Brad McCann is dealing graciously with living in his major-league brother Brian's shadow.
While Brad was tearing up Class A pitching in the Florida Marlins organization last summer, Brian was getting called up to the Atlanta Braves, homering off Roger Clemens in the playoffs and earning an everyday major league catching job for 2006.
Even so, the part that surely distinguishes Brad from everybody else in the world is his attitude about it.
"People ask me all the time, 'You must be so jealous he's up in the big leagues,' " Brad said Sunday, after a workout in the Marlins' early camp for minor leaguers. "If one of us could make it, I'd rather him make it. I love him. It's unbelievable to see him in games."
These guys are brothers? Well, yeah.
Brad said ever since they were about 13 years old and moved to Duluth from Huntington, W.Va., where their father was the baseball coach at Marshall, they've gotten along great.
For them, sharing pro baseball in common isn't as much a point for comparison as it is an instant support network.
"He helps me out," said Brad, who got insider information on how many fastballs to expect in the South Atlantic League. "He's been to every level. I'm the older brother and I follow him. It's funny how things change, but he's been a great brother."
It's not that Brad, 23, is on a slow track, but Brian's on the fast one. Brian, who turned 22 a week ago, was drafted straight out of high school. Brad played three years in college. Plus, Brian had the magic ticket — being a left-handed-hitting catcher.
It doesn't hurt that Brad is doing so well in his own right. The Marlins named him their minor league player of the year last year after he led the organization with 28 home runs and 106 RBIs. That was in only 123 games, and it was McCann's first year after moving from third base to first.
"As long as I'm moving up each year, I'm fine," he said. "Baby steps. One step at a time."
When he can't beat it — his brother's success — he celebrates it. On June 10, the night that Brian got his first major league hit, Brad asked someone to keep tabs of the game in the Grasshoppers' clubhouse. No need, though.
To his surprise, as he ran out on the field to play defense in the top of an inning, the Greensboro public address announcer announced that Brad McCann's brother Brian had just gotten his first big league hit for the Atlanta Braves.
As the crowd applauded, Brad turned and saw a highlight on the Jumbotron of Brian's RBI single to right field off Oakland A's pitcher Danny Haren.
"I wanted to jump up and down and run around, but I had to just stand there," Brad said. "I was thinking 'Thattaboy.' "
Brad was at Turner Field in October when Brian hit his three-run homer off Clemens in the Division Series. It was a proud moment, and a rarity.
One of the hardest things, both brothers say, is how little they get to see each other play in person.
Brian saw only one of his brother's Clemson games and one in the minors when he drove four hours to surprise Brad at a game in New Jersey.
"It's terrible," Brian said.
At the rate they're going, they'll need Brad to get called up to the major leagues just to get a glimpse of each other. If Brad has another season like the last one, it's not out of the question.
"He's got a shot to be in the big leagues this year," Brian said. "He can hit. He can field. His time is coming. He's one of the best hitters I've ever been around."
It's probably no surprise that almost word for word, Brad said the same thing about Brian.
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http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/sports/highschool/stories/0302gwxmccannrail.html
PLAYING FAVORITES
• Favorite thing to do away from the ballpark: "During the offseason, my favorite thing to do is lay on the couch and watch a game and hang out with my brother [Brian McCann] and talk baseball. We got 100 wings and chicken nuggets and watched the national championship [in college football]. Sitting around with a bunch of guys watching football."
• Favorite TV show: " 'South Park.' "
• Favorite musician: "Rascal Flats."
• Favorite movie: " 'Gladiator.' "
• Favorite baseball player, growing up: "Andre Dawson, the 'Hawk.' "
• Favorite athlete now, in a sport other than baseball: "Tom Brady. Jenny Finch."
GWINNETT FLAVOR
• Biggest influence on your career, growing up? "My dad."
• Favorite restaurant in Gwinnett? "Firehouse Subs."
• Last time you were at Duluth High? "To see Coach [Joe] Marelle last year."
• Are you dating a girl from Gwinnett, by chance? "No, she's from South Carolina. Her name is Harvin Eadon. She's from Sumter, S.C." (They met at Clemson.)
• You got some dirt on the other baseball guys from Gwinnett? Something on your brother? "I'd rather get Jeff [Francoeur]. He'll either get mad at me or get even, and he does more interviews than I do. But ... he has a pair of SpongeBob SquarePants boxers."
SHORT ANSWER
• Loves about spring training: "Getting back into baseball after four months off. Getting in the heat, around all your buddies again, it's a great time."
• Hates about spring training: "The first couple days when my body gets sore."
• Who did you work out with in the offseason? Nick Green. And Casey Rogowski, who was with the AA Birmingham Barons last year and got to know Brian McCann at the Arizona Fall League.
• Craziest or most fun thing you did in offseason: "Brian bought a house. It's an unbelievable house. Me, Brian and Jeff [Francoeur] had a great time. It's like we were in college. They never got to have the college experience. Yeah, we occasionally had [parties]."
• Did you guys fix up the house? Paint? "Jeff's dad is going to paint his room sometime during spring training. It's purple. Jeff and I had to pick between two rooms. They were two girls' rooms before. My room is yellow. The crazy thing is he got first pick and he wanted the purple room. I don't know what that's all about."
• Best thing about playing college baseball: "Growing up, getting an education, meeting lifetime friends. College was the greatest experience of my life."
• Best advice you've ever gotten about baseball: "My dad always says, 'Stay out of the tank,' which means stay healthy, stay out of the training room."
THE MOMENTS
• Highlight of high school career [Duluth]: "Pitching when my brother was catching. And when we beat Parkview. My brother and I both had a good game against Jeff [Francoeur]. We had two homers each. It was a cool moment for us."
• Highlight of college career [Clemson]: "I went 6-for-6 with 10 RBIs [against College of Charleston]. It was just stupid. I couldn't make an out."
• Highlight of pro career: "Just the experience."
• Most embarrassing baseball moment: "Some guys crumpled up my game clothes, taped them up, so I had to wear them wrinkled in a game last year."
FILL IN THE BLANK
• Three people I'd like to have dinner with are: "Albert Pujols. Heidi Klum. Tom Cruise."
• Most famous person I've ever met is: "Andre Dawson. He works for the Marlins. It was a big deal to me. He was showing me stuff at first base. It was like, there he is, the 'Hawk.' "
• If I weren't a baseball player: "I'd have to have a job where I could follow my brother around and watch him play. It killed me last year when he got called up and I couldn't see him play."
• My last summer job: "Brian and I had a job in high school at Bunten Road Park. It started out we were supposed to drag the fields. After the first two days, they had us doing landscaping. In 100-degree heat, I'm on the side of a hill, digging a ditch for a tree. I packed my stuff up and left."
• A sport I'm awful at is: "Golf."
• The last thing I cooked: "Steaks."
• The last book I read: "Jose Canseco's ['Juiced']. I started it, but it was hard for me to believe all those guys were on steroids. It made me mad he was ratting guys out."
• I have a secret talent for: "I put together our TV stand and Jeff's dresser."
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http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/sports/highschool/stories/0302gwxmccann.html
Brad McCann timeline
1997
Georgia Tigers 14-year-old team, with brothers Brian and Brad McCann, won the state championship and finished fifth in the Continental Amateur Baseball Association national tournament.
1998
At the 15-and-under level, McCann helped the Tigers place fourth in the CABA World Series. He won the tournament gold glove award at shortstop.
1999
In high school season, Duluth sophomore infielder made second-team all-county. That summer, the Tigers finally won the national championship, going 8-2 in the CABA World Series.
2000
Junior hit .374 with 10 home runs for Duluth.
2001
Senior hit .411 with 13 home runs and had a pitching ERA of 0.88.
2002
Freshman hit .259 with four homers and 23 RBIs in 39 games at Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla.
2003
Sophomore third baseman led Clemson with a .347 average and 67 RBIs.
2004
Junior led Clemson in batting (.379), RBIs, hits, runs, walks, slugging and on-base percentage and was second on the team with 16 home runs in 63 games. ... Drafted by the Florida Marlins in the sixth round and played 28 games with the Jamestown Jammers of Class A.
2005
Named Marlins minor leaguer of the year for his season with the Greensboro (N.C.) Grasshoppers of Class A. He led all Marlins prospects with 28 home runs and 106 RBIs in 123 games, hit .295 and led Greensboro with 141 hits, 35 doubles and a .552 slugging percentage.
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