Martín Maldonado Is on a Tear for the Houston Astros

The Houston Astros have always believed in veteran catcher Martín Maldonado, and their faith is paying off.

Author:
Leo Morgenstern
Publish date:
Sep 22, 2022 6:00 PM EDT

In this story:

The Houston Astros have gotten a lot of flack this season about their catcher from voices outside the organization. By most traditional measurements, Martín Maldonado isn't have a very good season. The advanced sabermetric statistics haven't been so kind to him either.

Thus, when the trade deadline rolled around, many sources around the league pegged Houston as the perfect landing spot for Chicago Cubs catcher Willson Contreras. They were in the market for another right-handed bat, and catcher seemed to be the most obvious position for an improvement.

But the Astros stood by their man. They love Maldonado's veteran presence behind the plate, his leadership in the clubhouse, and the strong connection he has with the pitching staff. His value to the organization goes beyond what stats can measure.

So instead, they traded for Christian Vásquez, still a solid player, but not the star-level upgrade one might expect for a team like the Astros.

Following the deal, the team made it clear Vásquez was not usurping Maldonado behind the dish, despite his superior numbers to that point. The two catchers would be splitting time, and Maldonado was still Houston's number one guy.

Predictably, the team received some flack for that decision too. On Aug. 2, Vásquez was batting .281 with a 110 wRC+. He was one of the better hitting backstops in the game, and he played solid defense too. Maldonado, meanwhile, was hitting just .175 with a 65 wRC+.

Since that day, however, Maldonado has done everything he can to prove the Astros were right to have faith in him. He is slashing .229/.293/.398 with a 97 wRC+ since the trade deadline. No one is saying those are great offensive numbers, but for a catcher they represent above-average offensive production.

To be perfectly transparent, most of that production has come in the past few days, in which he has gone 7-for-11 with two home runs and five RBI. Before this recent hot streak, he was hitting .167 in 24 games since Aug. 2. Nevertheless, production is production, even if it comes in bunches. Maldonado was the star of the day on both Sept. 18 and Sept. 21, helping Houston win two meaningful games in their quest for the best record in the American League.

Vásquez, meanwhile, has struggled since leaving the Boston Red Sox. His .238 batting average is satisfactory for a catcher, but he has hardly walked and he has only one extra-base hit with the Astros – a double on Sept. 15.

Willson Contreras, for what it's worth, has continued to mash, but Houston isn't looking back in regret. They were happy with Maldonado heading into the 2022 season, they were happy with him at the trade deadline, and they're happy now. The Astros always believe in Martín Maldonado, and their continued faith is paying off.