Astros Utilityman Receives Much-Warranted Praise for Defensive Performance

The Houston Astros have a legitimate weapon with their utilityman to deploy defensively.

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The Houston Astros have run into a rough patch recently, but it hasn’t cost them any ground in the American League West standings because the Seattle Mariners have been playing just as poorly.

Injuries have decimated the Astros, and at points look to finally be catching up to them. But they have been getting some key players back from the injured list and are trying to stay afloat. One of the reasons the team hasn’t completely bottomed out is the versatility some of the players on the team provide.

It is a luxury for manager Joe Espada to have someone of Mauricio Dubon’s caliber on the roster. Historically, utility players occupy this role because there isn’t one position where they excel enough to be an everyday player. That isn’t the case with the Houston veteran, who gets the job done regardless of what is asked of him.

Mauricio Dubon Is an Elite Defensive Player

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He has played all over the field for the Astros this season. Over the year, 300 innings have been logged at second base, where he has received the most playing time defensively. 154.1 innings have been played at shortstop and 153 innings in left field. He has surpassed triple-digits with 141 innings at third base as well. 64 innings have been played in center field, with 13 at first base and 18 in right field.

Regardless of where Dubon is playing, he gets the job done with the glove. His +14 Fielding Run Value is in the 98th percentile in baseball. He has a +15 Defensive Runs Saved mark, which is tied for 12th in the MLB out of 1,414 players.

Dubon’s standing in those rankings is arguably the most impressive because he is doing it while playing so many different positions. He is elite at second base and left field with +6 DRS despite his limited innings. His DRS is either even at zero or positive at all seven positions he has logged innings at thus far this year.

That kind of versatility should be recognized. That is why Grant Brisbee of The Athletic (subscription required) likes the Gold Glove Award for utility players so much. The impact he is providing cannot be understated, especially with some of the hurdles Espada has to overcome with his defensive alignment. In this week's MLB power rankings, Brisbee's selection for an end-of-season award for the franchise being a second Gold Glove for their glue guy.

Mauricio Dubón makes a GREAT throw to get José Ramírez and Colton Gordon loved it!

(Cut4 x @CoronaUSA) pic.twitter.com/kQRE0fdz2o

— Cut4 (@Cut4) June 6, 2025

Jose Altuve is a negative no matter where he is deployed. Having strong defenders around him to mitigate him is imperative to the team's finding success. Dubon is one of the players who can be deployed as a late-inning defensive replacement anywhere around the diamond to help alleviate those issues.

That is as important as anything if the Astros want to make a deep run in the postseason. Dubon may not make many headlines with his play, but he is a key component to the team finding success on the field.