How terrifying the idea of adding such swagger back into this Stros bullpen must be for an opposing team...
I understand the knock on him as a player, but I'm curious as to what it is on which you base this take?
No problem. Personally, I think he'd be great in the clubhouse for myriad reasons, not least of which being preparation in the pitching game and general vibe from the locker room to the dugout.
A player that successfully pressured the team to play him out of seniority will be the sympathetic to the same approach as a coach. He would advocate for underperforming players to get more playing time just because they are buddies regardless of performance. This is NEVER good for an organization.
Maldy wasn't much of a coach last season. He's not a mentor type and he split the locker room last season.
How exactly is it Maldy's fault he got what literally every single professional athlete in the history of sport has wanted - to start? And what sort of weird logic is it that he would automatically adopt whatever loyalty policy Dusty might have had, based on loyalty itself?
Link to Maldy splitting the locker room? I was on Team Play Diaz Way More literally all last year, but that doesn't have anything to do with how good of a coach I think he'd be.
Altuve asked to be put lower in the batting order when he struggled in the 0 for forever start several yrs back in the playoffs. Biggio willingly moved to the OF at the signing of Kent rather than whine about it to the media. Pressly accepted his setup role this past season. Chas knows he sucks now. If Moldy wasn't self aware as a player, how do expect him to have situational awareness as a coach?
In not one of those examples did any of those players not want starts. Maldy didn't force Dusty into starting him, mang. Place the blame where it's due.
This year showed that Maldy prep was overhyped, and he shouldn't have played much last year. Pitchers are just as good, if not better than last year with him as the catcher. Framber is better this year than last, and so is Hunter. Oh, and better defense with fewer passed balls. Astros don't need him as a coach, they're doing even better at catcher this year than the last 2 years. So why mess with it?
Maldy gave multiple sound bites where he said he was the starter over the offseason. It has been reported by many credible people that he pouted and froze out an inarguably better catcher when the Astros finally traded for one. Also reported he and Dusty blocked another trade for a better catcher. When the team put out a tweet congratulating Diaz it mysteriously was deleted. Whenever a pitcher started doing well (eg Brown), Maldy took over 100% of catching despite risk of injury or need to build rapport with other catchers. Whether all of the above was due to Maldy directly or due to people worried about his feelings, either way it shows an insecurity and self-centeredness that is not a promising sign for a coach. then, of course, there is zero evidence his “pitcher whispering” was of any value. The ERA when he started was worse despite better pitchers, and they have continued to shine without him this year. There is nothing to demonstrate an ability to unlock superior performance as a coach. I want nothing to do with him in Houston in any fashion.
So now we've convinced ourselves that Maldy wielded authority to veto trades? How dare a professional athlete have the audacity to reveal his highly competitive nature and display confidence by believing in his abilities. Unheard of. What an evil person!
I am OK if Maldy joins the Astros as a minor league coach. BTW Neris signing rocks. He should add depth to the Astros 7-9 bullpen death row
Convinced ourselves? Dude you must not come on here much. This has been beaten to death. I mean seriously beaten to death. His value as a player and as a mentor were greatly over romanticized. You aren't the first person to come in here trying to blow that mythical Maldy sunshine up our asses because you like the story. The story is fiction though.
You guys all REALLY need to ****ing move on. Martin Maldonado isn't here any more; he can no longer hurt you.
I'm not gonna post about it incessantly like other posters....but I'll never get over it. Every f**king time I have to see that banner in South Oklahoma knowing we lost a close series while starting one of the worst players in baseball every damn game. Him not being here is only making it worse seeing how perfectly fine our pitchers are without the "game calling virtuoso"
I am blowing no such ass, my friend. Ironically, the only stories being told here are by those taking the stance in opposition to mine - the one about Maldonado blocking a trade being the most absurd but not only one among them. I can respect an argument made on facts or simply the disagreement with my assessment based on perception, but it's very odd and possibly even revealing subtextually that so many of those standing in opposition to mine seem to feel the need to base their arguments either on over-complicated and outrageous claims for which they provide zero evidence, or unnecessary ad hominem attacks on me. Literally all I have done - other than to ask for clarification on replies to me - is speculate on him being a good coach. Zero stories told. Maldonado blocking a trade is a story. Painting me as some insane MOF is a story. Neither of which can you provide a single shred of evidence to support. The fact that y'all so aggressively insist on going through all that nonsense when you could just say "yeah I disagree and don't think he'd be good at coaching" sort of comes across as more personal than anything to do with baseball, which may not be helping people like me who want to understand your perspective. Go 'Stros.
