He couldn't hit the side of a red barn with a brickbat for most of last season, BUT he did get hot in the playoffs. The Astro's goofed up by not signing a catcher during the off season. Big mistake.
They've never invested in a catcher and it's never been a problem, they are on the greatest stretch in the history of the franchise. Getting worked up about having a marginally better 9th hitter makes no sense to me.
He was 6/29 with a double and 2 BB last year. That’s a BA at 200, slugging 241. He did get hit by a pitch 2X for an OBP of 303. That’s a 544 ops. Even by his putrid standards a 544 ops cannot be considered “getting hot” in the post season. his career playoff ops is 517. He’s been awful in the playoffs both last year and for his career. he’s quite possibly the worst everyday player in the league, and lately his defense even sucks. His “calling a game” has always been overrated as it’s never shown up in any advantage with him catching. If he performed some magical or mystical intangible service back there that couldn’t be measured it would at least show up as a result. It does not. Whoever said he’s a blanky for pitchers on the staff had it right. He shouldn’t be playing at all, but if you want to keep him around because he’s popular in the clubhouse then 40 starts as a backup catcher is appropriate. He’s a sub replacement player by every measure.
They traded for Maldy when he was a better hitter and his framing was worth 10-20 more runs per season. Most catchers are not just marginally better hitters than Maldy is now (and if they are only marginally better hitters, they frame a lot better now than Maldy [i.e., like Maldy framed back when Astros traded for him originally]).
We didn't sign a catcher because we have two exciting prospects in Yainer Diaz and Korey Lee. But neither are getting playing time! Someone please make it make sense.
I am not saying Maldy and Abreu have been good so far - they haven't. But it's not the end of the world - there is still 133 games left. 82% of the season. The Astros won the World Series last year. Maldy was playing just as much as this year- he had a .426 OPS in April. This year it's. 485. Gurriel was the 1B and he had 4 RBI in 69 PAs in April which is a 36 RBI pace. Abreu has 13 in 124 PAs which is a 73 RBI pace. ( I use RBI because that's Abreu's job in this lineup. If he drives in runs he has done his job regardless of any other stats) It's a long season and as bad as they are, both catcher and 1B are better than they were this time last year. We all need to relax and enjoy Astros baseball and not b**** about anything that looks like the sky is falling.
I think Maldy being a Silver Slugger finalist last year speaks volumes about the state of catcher hitting across the league. Not a huge difference this year either: 2023 AL Catcher average OPS (.666) 2023 Martin OPS (.485) The Astros have made a conscious decision to invest in other areas of the club and take the zero at catcher until Lee or Diaz are ready to take over. As others have stated, this has not impacted them at all in the regular season or playoffs. I don't necessarily agree that his intangibles compensate for his terrible hitting. I think the Astros will look in another direction at the trade deadline or more likely after his contract expires at the end of the year. Having him as a backup with a cheaper contract next year won't be the worst option.
I think this is the case, but that the Astros front office expected Lee or Diaz to be ready by now. Brown said he hopes Diaz will end up with 300 ABS this season. Also, the front office tried to trade for Contreras last season and was listed as the number 2 FA target behind Abreu this offseason. The Astros FO has tried to improve the position before going in other directions as either they or Crane have not been willing to pay the cost.
They brought in Castro and paid him about the same as Maldy even though the playing time between them didn't reflect that. They also traded for a starting catcher at the deadline rather than go into the post-season with only Maldy. They also pursued Contreras both as a trade and as a FA. I think if Click hadn't gotten fired they would have signed a catcher this off-season but that was a bridge too far with a decapitated FO.
The offseason was basically done by the time Brown was hired. Newly hired executives frequently wait to observe and learn before making changes. Brown basically had no choice but it's a reasonable and effective philosophy. Most GMs want his own manager in place and I'm sure that's the same for him. He may like and respect Dusty, but they do not have the same roster usage philosophy. Dusty uses veterans until he has given them absolutely every opportunity and he has no choice but to bench them and leaves young players on the bench expecting them to produce in the sporadic opportunities they are given before giving them more playing time. Brown wants young players to get a chance to shine, move on from the ones who don't perform, and sign the ones who do to extensions and keep them 10+ years instead of 6. On a team that expects to compete for World Series titles every year there needs to he a balance between them. However I think the GM and manager should agree on those points. I think this is likely Dusty's last season and I am rooting for him to go out a back to back World Series champion. I expect Brown to hire someone who will play the young guys more next season. Also, Maldy and Abreu were here before Brown, so he has no skin in their game. I fully expect him to bring in short term help at those 2 positions at the deadline if they don't improve. Then he can look at giving the young catchers the opportunity he expects with his chosen manager next season. 1B may take more time to change out because of the investment and time commitment.
The double in the gap and the awesome throw to cut down the runner in the 4th inning just sort of pisses me off.
he cut down two attempted steals today. Elite pop time and absolute lasers. Diaz’s average velocity is No2 in MLB according to the broadcast tonight. at least let the man catch Bielak
Results on the field don't matter at catcher for us. He doesn't study or prepare hard enough, therefore the lesser player who does will play everyday. Don't argue with me, thems the rules.
I trust the Astros player development people and scouts. They have been critical of Diaz’ effort and preparation. However, the talent is undeniable and it is on both sides. The bat is legitimate, it’s a Carlos Santana type bat that has emerging power too. However the skills on the defensive side are far better than expected. The arm was always a plus when he is interested - but it looks like his mechanics are straightened out now. He blocks the plate better than Maldonado and he has quicker reflexes. I don’t know what he says to the pitchers and I don’t know his game planning — but at some point you play someone that has the potential to be a top 3-4 catcher in the league. Also, I understand he had some issues with coaches in the minors but he played Winter ball like he was asked to. He came to ST having lost weight and was the second guy there. He worked out all over the diamond… he is actively working with the hitting coach to not swing and hit balls outside the zone… he is working with the Astros coaches on his catching mechanics… and he is working with Maldonado on game prep. Honestly it sounds to me like he is doing what he is supposed to right now. Someone called Diaz a minimal improvement with the bat and I don’t see that at all. Diaz has his OPS up to nearly .700 and and Maldonado has an OPS under .500… that’s a massive difference, and I am confident that if Diaz plays a lot, his OPS will finish closer to 800 than 700.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees all this. His game calling clearly hasn't been an issue thus far either. I've been hard on Maldonado, but it's not as if I think he needs to be mothballed. Given all the evidence I believe that he has an extremely important role on the team and with the pitchers. But telling me he should start 80% of the games at catcher over Diaz right now, GTFO with that.
Guys, it doesn't matter how good Yainer Diaz is. We could have 20 year old Ivan Rodriguez on the roster and Maldy would still catch 95% of games. We utilize a seniority-based system for determining playing time. And the lower Maldy's batting average and OPS go, it simply indicates that he's allocating his resources more towards his elite pre-game preparations. The quality of this game prep is unmeasurable and therefore unquestionable.
