Maldy stopped calling for as many low breaking balls because he knew he couldn't block them... so even that became a problem.
Yeah it just irritates me when people still think starting Maldy over Diaz was an actual baseball strategy.
Once again, I agree with you about Maldy and what he was. But the reason he was playing had nothing to do with who was starting against them, and (reportedly) several Astros pitchers specifically wanted him and asked for him. It was about the Astros pitchers not the opponents pitchers. I don't think my view is very controversial or debatable.
I disagree that the players were asking for Maldy. I believe that story was also exaggerated . Yes it is very debatable because A) he sucked and B) there was no strategy involved not even for our own pitchers, like you say. Diaz flat out shoulda been the starter. I am pretty sure the pitchers woulda been ok with it. Not their decision anyway. Dusty was not doing what he did for wins.
Verlander said the one time in his career he requested a catcher was for Chirinos for the final start of his Cy Young season.
If memory serves, Verlander is the one that made it crystal clear he did not want Stassi to eat a sandwich within 100 feet of him much less catch for him. So while it may be true he has only explicitly requested a catcher one time, I have a hard time believing his preferences aren't known.
Yep. Maldy was probably the worst first string catcher we have ever had in my watching lifetime. We woulda won in ‘22 if JR Towles was our catcher.
Ok well Stassi sucked but with Diaz it’s like sorry Justin, Diaz is your catcher. he gives us by far the best chance to win.
Stassi caught him for 9 games for 56 IP... with a 2.88 ERA... so sometimes, getting something you didn't want pans out.
Ok. I give up. You win - the opposing pitcher was just as much a factor as the Astros pitcher when Dusty was deciding which catcher started last year.
Give up if you want, you aren’t making your point. I am telling you that Dusty did not factor anything when choosing Maldy to catch. I never said it had to do with the opposing pitcher. I never said that once. What I said is that there was no baseball strategy being used by Dusty in starting Maldy over Diaz. He wasn’t doing it to increase the teams wins he was doing it out of spite. He did it even more down the stretch and in the playoffs. I will say it once again and maybe you will get it this time. Dusty did not pick Maldy because he was better for our pitchers or because he thought Maldy was better for our pitchers. There was no strategy involving the other teams starter or our starter. Dusty went rogue and did what the **** he wanted to and gave the front office the finger. There was no strategy or baseball reason whatsoever for Dusty doing this. It wasn’t our pitchers driving the decision. It wasn’t the other team’s pitcher driving the decision. If you still feel the need to give up, go ahead but I cannot get more direct that this. Dusty did not start Maldy over Diaz for any reason other than his own stubbornness. It had nothing to do with anything else. This is all beimg proven this year by the way. Most of us knew this anyway.
My theory has been that he wanted Myles Straw still and made Chas ride the pine (Straw traded to give him and Jake playing time) and Yainer out bc of that trade.
...and yet not once in 2019 while Chirinos was being over-worked. On Stassi sucking at the plate that year, it is possible that being treated as the biggest suck that ever sucked may have carried over to his batting performance.
Good way to bury the lead that there won't be any (metaphorically speaking since it is banned) rocking the baby with Luis Garcia this year.
And Alex Presley's mom. Don't forget she had an opinion about how awesome Maldy was and how her son shouldn't have to throw to Diaz. And this is while he had a 0.00 era throwing to Diaz at the time. I wanted to strangle a baby when that came out in July or August.
