Yainer Diaz Among Best Houston Astros Catchers of All Time by bWAR

The current Houston Astors catcher could separate himself from the rest of the group with continued success.

Sep 10, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz (21) flips his bat after hitting a solo home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning to win the game at Rogers Centre. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

There may be no harder position in baseball for a team to nail than catcher. The Joe Mauers and Buster Poseys of the world are far and few between, and some teams struggle for a long time to find a long-term catcher. That has somewhat been the case for the Houston Astros.

When looking at the best players by bWAR at the position in franchise history, the list is topped by Craig Biggio and Bob Watson. One a Hall of Famer and the other a 13 and a half year Astro. However, neither of them played catcher for very long. Biggio played less than 500 games at the position and really only played it for the first three and a half seasons. And Watson only played 10 career games.

With the two of them taken out of consideration for that reason, the list of catchers really shows the difficulty in nailing that position. Yainer Diaz could reach the double digit bWAR mark soon, but no one else on the list has.

1. Jason Castro, 9.2 bWAR

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Castro was a steady presence behind the plate during the Astros early-2010s rebuilds when they were consistently losing 100 games. On a young team, Castro was one of the leaders as the everyday catcher.

He made his big league debut in 2010 and was pretty bad at the plate. In 67 games, Castro posted a 58 OPS+ and -0.3 bWAR and missed the entirety of 2011 with a torn ACL.

After rehabbing, Castro returned to have a breakout season at the plate, hitting six home runs and posting a .735 OPS and 1.2 bWAR in 87 games.

On a team devoid of talent, the breakout of the catcher was huge for roster construction. The following season in 2013, Castro had a career year. In 120 games, he set career highs around the board.

The 26-year-old made his lone All-Star team in 2013, setting a career high in bWAR (4.2), doubles (35), home runs (18), RBIs (56), OPS (.835) and OPS+ (130). He led the entire Astros roster in bWAR that season.

Although he was never the same offensively, he continues to be a reliable backstop, posting 1.2 bWAR or higher over the next two seasons. He left for Minnesota in free agency after the 2016 season, but returned at the end of his career. In 66 games during the 2021 season, Castro has a 118 OPS+ and eight home runs. He last appeared in 2022.

2. Yainer Diaz, 9.0 bWAR

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Diaz just finished his third MLB season and he's become one of the better catchers in the game already. As a rookie in 2023, he proved himself as one of the premier power hitters at the position, hitting 22 doubles, driving in 60 runs and posting career highs in OPS (.846) and OPS+ (128).

His offensive stats have gotten incrementally worse over his three full seasons in the big leagues. In 2024, he posted a 3.3 bWAR, his best so far, and drove in a career high 84 runs. However, his OPS fell to .766. It fell even further to .701 in 2025.

Even still, the power is still there for Diaz. He hit 20 home runs once again in 2025 and posted 2.7 bWAR, which was still top 10 amongst catchers. It's likely that he is more of a .700+ OPS player, but if he can consistently hit 20 home runs a year, that's valuable in its own right.

Diaz isn't a great defensive catcher and has gotten worse in that aspect, as well. The future for him is something to keep an eye on, but he could pass Castro by next season.

3. Alan Ashby, 7.9 bWAR

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Ashby's career began in 1973, and he spent the final 11 years of his 17-year career with Houston. The Astros acquired him via trade in 1978, and he eventually re-signed with Houston twice in free agency, ending his career there.

He was not the power hitter that Diaz was, but instead was a reliable, league-average hitter. He never played more than 125 games in a season, but he was there every year and posted a 98 OPS+ in his career with the team.

He got off to a rough start to his Astros tenure, posting a 51 OPS+ and -1.0 bWAR in 108 games, but bounced back in 1980 to become what he ultimately would be for a decade. He raised his OPS+ to 93 that season and came back even stronger for 1981, one of the best years of his career.

In 1981, Ashby hit .271 with four home runs, a 111 OPS+, and 2.2 bWAR. In 1982, he hit 12 home runs, his first time crossing double-digits, and for the next four seasons was around a league-average hitter, playing less than 70 games twice. In 1985, he had his best offensive season, posting a career-high 813 OPS and 130 OPS+.

Ashby's final, really good season came in 1987, when he hit a career-high 14 home runs and drove in a career-high 63. His 2.4 bWAR that year was also the best of his career.

4. Joe Ferguson, 6.2 bWAR

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Ferguson spent by far the least amount of time on the Astros than anyone else on this list, but had such an impact that he moved his way into the top five. He played just 183 games with Houston, but was great at the plate in such a short time.

Acquired by the Astros in 1976 for franchise legend Larry Dierker, Ferguson had an excellent year in his lone full season with the Astros in 1977. In 132 games, the catcher hit 21 doubles, 16 home runs, drove in 61, and had an OPS of .814 and OPS+ of 127.

Ferguson had 4.7 bWAR that year, which was tied for 6th best among all catchers that season, behind three Hall of Famers. His 16 home runs were also in the top 10 at the position.

He started the next season hot as well, posting 1.5 bWAR and a 116 OPS+ in 51 games, but was later traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers that July.

5. Cliff Johnson, 5.8 bWAR

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Johnson had a long and successful 15-year career, and although he transitioned to first base and DH, he began his career as a catcher for the Astros. On the team for parts of five and a half seasons, Johnson only had two seasons of more than 100 games played with the team.

He debuted in 1972 but only played in 12 games in his first two years. He saw the field more in 1974, when he played 83 games and hit 10 home runs and drove in 29 with a 127 OPS+.

He had his breakout season as a 27-year-old in 1975, when in 122 games, he posted 2.8 BWAR and hit 20 home runs, 16 doubles, and had a .876 OPS and 151 OPS+. The power took a hit in 1976, but with 21 doubles and 10 home runs, he still had an above league average OPS+ at 125.

Johnson's final season with the Astros came in 1977, when he was traded after 51 games and a 1.2 bWAR.

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