No I am certainly not saying he can sustain the .500 BABIP though he does have a high career BABIP, especially for a catcher. What intrigues me are indications over the past two seasons that he is bringing down the strikeout rate, which has been his main weakness as a hitter over the years.
For his career he has a 31.8% strikeout rate. Last year it crept down to 28.0%, a career low. So far this year (small sample caveat applies) it is 19.7%. Those numbers are backed up by the old eyeball test. He is not chasing as much at the plate, which is great to see. I suspect for the season the strikeout rate is not going to settle below 20%. But if it does settle in the 20-25% range, along with a BABIP of .350 (last year was at .366), then we have a more than serviceable major league catcher.
We hold a team option on him for 2018. If he performs as I'm hoping, the team's decision not to splurge on a catcher this off-season will have turned out well. Also it gives us the option to concentrate resources on picking up a third baseman and starting pitcher over the next year.
He is 31 and does not have a lot of mileage compared to many catchers his age. Being a product of the Braves system and a southern boy, he might be willing to stay with the team on reasonable terms beyond 2018. Assuming that we really do have a late bloomer on our hands.