Evan Gattis has gone from battling anxiety to substance abuse to working odd jobs as a janitor and ski-lift operator while out of baseball for five years to hitting a home run in his first major league game off a legend in his own Roy Halladay. El Oso Blanco would be the biggest story in baseball and perhaps sports if he played for the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox. It's just a shame that the major networks outside of Atlanta are ignoring his story.
Gattis aka "El Oso Blanco" (The White Bear nickname he got in the Venezuelan fall league after leading in slugging percentage) is already a mythical figure in the ATL. With his tremendous power and his insistence on not wearing batting gloves he looks like a throwback to the golden era of baseball. Gattis is country strong and make no mistake he belongs in the majors after just two minor league seasons in which he dominated after roaming the Western United States for over 4 years working odd jobs while trying to find some spiritual purpose in his life after quitting baseball during his freshman season at Texas A&M.
He's basically the new Josh Hamilton without all the tattoos. And after hitting a home run while his father was being interviewed live in his first major league game he has become a folk hero. Viva El Oso Blanco!
Buy the official El Oso Blanco shirt here while helping a great cause in the American Cancer Society.