He is having a down year but sample size matters. His caught stealing rate dropped from 40% to 25% that's the result of 4.8 over the season. The passed ball rate was slightly higher in 2018. His fldg% and range this year are above his career averages. I think when you deal with small sample sizes the numbers aren't super reliable. There's also a bias due to reputation. Typically only the best base stealers will try against him. Most teams won't risk an average runner... similar issue to cornerbacks in football not being thrown to limiting their stats...
We'd probably be on a short list of places he'd go after Boston. He's contending and is close with Maldonado...
I was raving about 2020. Despite whatever was going on with the baseballs in LA, Dusty uncharacteristically shoved his starting pitchers down the throats of the AL except for that one game he pitched James over Javier with the lead and the A's on the ropes. Batters didn't hit when they needed hits in the ALCS and the Rays played some great defense when they needed defense.
I still expect Maldy to get 65-75% of starts I bet Valdez starts day games after night games and the 3rd game after Maldy has started back to back. Plus pinch hit in 8th/9th when Maldy's spot comes up in game tied or behind. If that happens Maldy starts 18 games and Valdez starts 7 the rest of August. Wasn't it always obvious that Maldy would remain the primary catcher and any new catcher would be insurance and upgrade on his days off? Not any kind of replacement?
Mostly people who paid attention enough to not think Whit Merrifield would be an awesome CF for the Astros, I think. You can look bad through the postseason threads here from 2020 and 2021 if you want more specifics. His moves were near-universally praised - especially on the pitching side.
What does Merrifield have to do with 30 and hopefully not 31 championshipless years. At some point people should start noticing a trend.
