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3 hours ago
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While the Houston Astros aren't a great team, they've done what they’ve needed to do in the early stages of the campaign, sitting at 36-29 and 6-4 over their last 10 games.
The Astros are in first place in the American League West, holding a 2.5-game lead over the Seattle Mariners.
The Astros have had some bright spots, but after moving some of their top players during the offseason and allowing others to walk, they weren't expected to be as good as they're currently playing.
If the Astros win the division again, it'll show that this organization continues to be one of the best in baseball.
Sure, the Astros aren't great, but they're finding ways to win games, and that matters.
However, the Astros are in a strange spot with players on their roster, including Yainer Diaz, who was expected to be one of the better players on the roster.
Diaz hit .299 a year ago, after hitting .282 in his first full season in the big leagues in 2023.
One of the better offensive catchers in baseball in 2023 and 2024, he hasn't been great this season, posting an 83 OPS+.
Some have suggested that Victor Caratini could take over as the starting catcher, but according to a report from Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Astros aren't prepared to do that. He added that while Diaz hasn't played well, it's important to remember what he's done defensively.
“Diaz has been a disappointment, Ryan, but the Astros aren’t yet prepared to make such a drastic decision. That Diaz has caught almost all of the innings thrown by Houston’s co-aces can’t be overlooked. Nor can the relatively low workload Caratini has logged throughout his nine-year career,” he wrote.
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Giving up on Diaz this early in the season would be a very questionable decision from the Astros' perspective. Sure, he hasn't played well, but he’s a career 281 hitter with 47 home runs in just about two and a half seasons.
For a catcher, that typically does the job.
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