2 Moves Houston Must Make After 2023 Playoff Failure
What moves can the Astros make in their offseason to bounce back from their disappointing 2023 playoff exit
A slow start to the 2023 season could have doomed the Houston Astros, but Dusty Baker’s club bounced back and finished within a game of its fifth World Series appearance in seven years. Despite Baker’s offseason retirement, the Astros will once again be among the favorites to reach the Fall Classic in 2024.
Here are two moves the Astros must make to bounce back from their 2023 playoff failure and solidify their status among the baseball elites in 2024.
Make Yainer Diaz the starting catcher
Martin Maldonado had a four-year run as the primary starting catcher under manager Dusty Baker, but it is unclear what his value was outside of the fact that the pitching staff was comfortable with the veteran behind the plate. Maldonado batted just .191 with an OPS of .623 in 469 games with Houston. Defensively, he was among the best in the league at throwing out potential base stealers, but he was below-average in pitch framing in each of his years with the Astros. Last season was particularly poor in regard to the latter, as Maldonado cost the Astros 18 runs with his framing — the worst in all of baseball.
Understudy Yainer Diaz only made 42 starts behind the plate, but it is already clear that he can be as good defensively as Maldonado was. The youngster threw out 30% of potential base-stealers, putting him in the 86th percentile in pop time and the 81st percentile in caught steal above average. He was also mobile when it came to blocking pitches. Diaz managed eight blocks above average in limited time, placing him in the 90th percentile in that category. His framing still needs work (21st percentile), but the 25-year-old has a strong defensive base to build on.
Offensively, it was tough for Dusty Baker to keep Yainer Diaz out of the lineup even with so many great hitters on the roster. Diaz finished the year with an expected slugging percentage of .546 — the 96th percentile among all qualified hitters and the best among catchers. He ended up with an OPS of .846 while hitting 23 homers and driving in 60 RBI in just over 100 games played. Those stats will decline a bit once Diaz becomes a full-time catcher, but this guy has a chance to be among the best in the league as a full-time starter in 2024.
