I don't think it's the case that Dusty secretly believes Diaz is a better catcher than Maldy but is hamstrung by the pitchers. Have you ever heard Dusty in interviews discuss Maldy and Diaz? Dusty has probably never said one negative thing about Maldy since he's been here and any about every positive remark he's made about Diaz has been backhanded in some way. He's not shy about communicating who his besties are. The guy literally said this season that HE believes Maldy is responsible for the Astros' winning.
Damn this early start. I have to teach from 6 to 7:30 and was hoping to catch the second half of the game. As is will be lucky to catch a few early innings.
I'd say wrong term. When I think hole in swing, I think of spots in the zone that it is hard for a batter to make good contact versus certain pitches due to their swing. Pitchers will pick up on this and attack that spot. Batter will know what is coming and still can't hit it as if there was a hole in his bat.
His bad defensive metrics are basically all from framing. His other defensive metrics are above average. Diaz is also poor at framing and would have cost about game in framing has he caught full time. It’s possible the Astros just don’t value framing or think the metrics around it overstate its importance. If that’s the case their difference in defensive metrics is small. Offensive is a different story, but again the Astros seem content with whatever game management skills Maldy has (however they are choosing to measure them) to overlook that.
not one person in the organization has one thing bad to say about Maldy. that's the point. It isn't just Dusty
As a whole, other members of the organization don't say negative things about Astros players as much as Dusty. That said, Brown has been hollering about getting Diaz in the game. That said, Dusty generally doesn't outright say players are bad overall.
Well, yes, since framing is the most important skill a catcher possesses it will often make up the bulk of their defensive value. Diaz is not a good pitch framer, but he's not as bad as Maldy and it is possible that he can improve (and indeed he has to some extent this season) with additional experience while Maldy's framing has fallen off substantially almost assuredly due to age related decline. Overall, Diaz provides more value offensively and defensively than Maldy. In addition, Diaz, being pretty raw at the position, has much more upside in developing his defensive skills than Maldy. Moreover, Astros pitchers have generally performed worse with Maldy since has arrived than with other Astros catchers, suggesting Maldy is either poor or mediocre at calling games. There is nothing to suggest in the performance of the Astros pitching staff over the years that having Maldy's butt planted behind home plate provides any advantage whatsoever in terms of added pitching performance.
Verlander never met Chirinos before spring training in 2019, and guess what they worked well together...
On a side note, DeMeco Ryans has completely ignored Dusty's advice about how to play young QBs and so far so good with C.J. Stroud.
I think the arguments about Maldy being some kind of transcendent pitcher guru would have more bite if Maldy was who he is today when he was acquired by the Astros. Instead, Maldy was a fairly good (and cheap) defensive catcher and it has been only with time that he has putrefied into his current state.
I’m not arguing Maldy is better than Diaz. I’ve said repeatedly I wish Diaz played more in the regular season. I’m pointing out on the defensive side that the biggest difference is framing. Outside of 2017, Maldy has always been worth negative runs at framing, yet the Astros have traded for him and re-signed him multiple times. They also acquired a catcher in Diaz who is worth negative runs in framing. So the evidence we have is that the Astros disagree with you that framing is the most important skill for a catcher and do not believe the metrics measure its importance accurately. They have a plus offensive catcher in Diaz and a “game manager” in Maldy. I expect both will be back next year unless Maldy retires. I hope their roles as starter/backup are swapped. I don’t see them making a change in the playoffs, nor do I think they should at this point.
I don’t believe this. He is no. 1 in the league in past balls. I also believe he was below average in throwing out runners. Add in that he is probably the worst hitter in all of the major leagues and it is a trifecta of bad. They need to re-define the Mendoza line to the Maldonado line and set it at 180
