Yep, he's going to make one hell of a managerial candidate at some point. I hope he comes back to Houston, we don't need the ball player we need the leadership and his feel for the game and players.
Start off as bullpen coach, work it up. If he really wants to do it at some point, same pregame planning and effort he did as a player...he will succeed.
That’s what I mean. The media created that whole pitcher whisperer crap, not the pitchers. Lots of people think Maldy was this great team guy and that quality transcended his actual performance on the field. I think it’s overblown. Also, he was a dick when asked about Diaz in an interview last year and that soured me even further on him. I know Maldy fans have to stand and rely on the mythical stuff when it comes to his value. I’m sure someone will charge in with the fact that he was the catcher on the ‘22 team. I think we win that series with a replacement level catcher.
After he took to social media crying about the Astros looking for a more competent catcher I lost all adoration for the man.
Only reason he has a better cERA than Diaz is because he had all the more established pitchers under his 'guidance'...
I didn’t know that he did have a better catchers ERA last season. I know for a good while, Diaz was handling only the very bottom of the rotation and had the better cERA. Holdover Maldy fans like to think there is a dimension to his game that isn’t visible, on the stat sheet or to the casual fan’s eye test. They see it but we don’t because they are more knowledgeable about the game. That’s basically all it is now. In reality, it should’ve been obvious to everyone that Maldy playing everyday was a stubborn Dusty thing, and not actually the best choice for the team. Some people thought that backing Dusty on his mystery moves, especially the Maldy stubbornness, somehow made them smarter than those who just saw an awful player suck everyday. It was an Emperor wears no clothes kinda thing. Some were just in denial that they had followed crazy Dusty (Col. Kurtz) “off the reservation” and into the jungle like apocalypse now.
Fine if Dusty wanted him to be a regular starter but even starting catchers didn't start that many games percentage wise that Maldy did in this era or even Prime Brian McCann era. Not a single start for Yainer in the postseason at catcher was Dusty's downfall.
I just remember late last year, we needed wins and .170 and king of passed balls Maldy was getting all these starts while a .280 20 HR guy (in half a season) was sitting the bench and a couple of dudes on here trying to say “well Diaz struggles with lefties” . It was comical.
or Ryan Pressly's mom on Twitter defending Maldy when her son did better with Yainer. Or... forcing Maldy on Hunter Brown because Brown needs to get used to Maldy in case Diaz got hurt despite Verlander and Framber never pitching to anyone but Maldy because 'they were comfortable with him.' Also keep in mind that Verlander's best season here came with Chirinos catching him who he only met at spring training...
I'm sorry but I can barely understand half what Maldonado was saying. Throwing the ball into the baseline has always been a risk of throwing it in the outfield. With the amount of fast players these days and the new rules, that's your only choice to throw them out. Especially on non-fastball pitches.
