Plus: Relive the Astros' championship season
After showing interest in free-agent catcher Willson Contreras, who signed with the Cardinals, and A's catcher Sean Murphy, who was traded to the Braves, and with Christian Vázquez agreeing with the Twins, the Astros appear to be content heading into 2023 with Martín Maldonado as their starting catcher once again. Prospects Korey Lee and Yainer Diaz will battle for playing time in a backup role. Maldonado made 110 starts at catcher in the regular season and started 11 of the Astros' 13 playoff games, battling through a broken right hand and a sports hernia injury that required surgery after the team won the World Series. He posted a .600 OPS with a career-high 15 homers and 45 RBIs while guiding the best pitching staff in baseball to an incredible postseason run. The Astros should be in good shape behind the trusted Maldonado, who will be in the final year of his contract in 2023 and will be at the bottom of a deep lineup. The club could still be in the market for a lower-level free-agent catcher to protect itself if Maldonado gets hurt early in the season, much like it did by signing Dustin Garneau before the 2020 season. But the 2023 season will be a big year in the development of Lee, the team's No. 7 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and Diaz (No. 3). Diaz made his Major League debut last season, going 1-for-8 with a double, while Lee went 4-for-25 over 12 games in his debut season last year. "You've got to figure out which young catcher that you're going to groom to possibly take Maldy's spot -- which is a pretty good situation, when you've got an older catcher and then a younger couple of catchers that have been groomed to take his job," Astros manager Dusty Baker said. "You don't know if one of those guys could be the next Johnny Bench or anything. You just don't know. They have the skill, I think, in the near future to possibly be an impact player." There are those in the organization who like Diaz more than Lee because of his bat. Diaz can also play first base in addition to catcher. He was acquired from the Guardians in July 2021 and slashed .306/.356/.542 between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Sugar Land last season. Lee has a tremendous arm but is behind Diaz offensively after slashing .238/.307/.483 with 25 homers and 76 RBIs last season at Triple-A. |
THIS WEEK IN ASTROS HISTORY |
Astros legend Craig Biggio turned 57 years old on Wednesday, which should make us all feel a little bit older. No matter how Biggio celebrates his birthday this year, it probably won't stack up with his 30th birthday in 1995, when he signed a four-year, $20 million contract extension (with a fifth-year option) to remain with the Astros. Biggio, who started the All-Star Game at second base for the National League in '95, was coming off a season in which he hit .302 with 123 runs scored, 22 home runs, 77 RBIs and 33 stolen bases. Biggio had received offers from the Astros, Rockies, Padres and Cardinals, who offered $25 million over five years. He chose to remain in Houston and wound up playing all 20 seasons with the Astros. |
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When the Astros played their first game in the American League on March 31, 2013, against the Rangers at Minute Maid Park, who was the designated hitter?
A.) Carlos Pena
B.) Brett Wallace
C.) Jason Castro
D.) Rick Ankiel |
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WORLD SERIES MOVIE RELIVES ASTROS CHAMPIONSHIP |
If you're looking for a great holiday gift idea for the Astros fan in your life, Shout! Factory has you covered with two home entertainment collectibles: the official film "The 2022 World Series," available on two-disc Blu-ray+DVD combo pack and DVD only, and "The 2022 World Series Collector's Edition: Houston Astros," an eight-disc complete game collection available on Blu-ray. Narrated by Astros fan and rapper Bun B, the World Series film takes fans through all the memorable moments from the team's run to the 2022 World Series title. The film was edited together from original, cinematic hi-def game footage and includes a compilation of 2022 walk-offs, clinching moments, features on "How They Got There" and Baker's 2,000th win as a manager. The eight-disc Blu-ray set includes the official film and all six games of the Fall Classic, as well as a bonus disc including the pennant-clinching ALCS Game 4 vs. the Yankees. Each World Series game includes four audio options, allowing home audiences to watch the games while listening to the television broadcast, the Astros and Phillies radio networks or a Spanish-language version of the broadcasts. |
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A.) Carlos Pena He went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts in the Astros' 8-2 win. |
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