Astros Young Star Is Still Shining Through Teams' Disappointing Start
Through much of last season, fans and media members alike called for the Houston Astros to give the starting catcher job to Yainer Diaz. It appears to have been for a good reason.
Houston doesn't have a ton of young talent on the roster, but they do have Diaz. The catcher was highlighted as the team's most exciting young player by Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter.
There is a slight sophomore slump for Diaz, but the tools are still there for him to be on pace to become one of baseball's best catchers. It's also hard not to expect his numbers to go down a bit when pretty much everyone on the team could be performing at a higher level.
Last season, he was slashing .282/.308/.538. Those are great numbers that had him receiving a lot of hype entering this season. This year, he's currently at .274/.314/.411. The biggest difference in his game has been the power hitting, there just haven't been as many home runs this year.
The 25-year-old is second in the league in wOBA among catchers with at least 50 plate appearances, though, with an excellent .416. He hasn't hit for as much power this season, which is the reason for a slight dip in OPS, but he has still been good at getting on base.
One thing that has definitely translated from last season -- and even improved -- is that he doesn't strike out very much, also sitting in the top five for K% among that catcher group.
The Dominican Republic native's batting average and slugging are down, but his walk and strikeout rates are up. He's still a smart hitter at the plate and should be expected to find himself back to where he was at some point.
He's the Astros' youngest contributor on offense and second-youngest player overall. For him to still be one of the more reliable players at the plate in a roster that is filled with super stars is very promising as the team starts to enter somewhat of a new era.
As Houston begins to worry about what players are on their way out, the catcher position should be locked down for years to come.
DYLAN SANDERS
Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders