How future for Houston Astros rookie catcher could look a lot different
A SUPRISING TWIST
24 August 2023
A SUPRISING TWIST
Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker caught a lot of people by surprise this week when he defended his decision to hold back Yainer Diaz's playing time, despite him being one of the best hitters on the team.
Dusty on Yainer: "Everybody wants him to play every day, but it's tough. ... It's much like a young quarterback. How many young quarterbacks come in and take over right away? The way we've handled it, the way I've handled it, he'll thank me, the city will thank me and the…
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 23, 2023
Baker basically said everyone would eventually thank him for how he's easing him into the Astros everyday lineup. One of the reasons he gave for how he's handling Diaz was him being a rookie, and you can't just insert a first-year player on a full-time basis and expect things to go well. He even used a football analogy to make his case.
Funny, they started rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena from jump street last year, and he found himself leading his team to a championship title and was MVP of the ALCS and the World Series.
No wonder Astros fans are pulling their hair out.
But one thing is for sure, Houston needs what Yainer brings to the table. His power bat is far too important to be out of the lineup in the middle of a close division race.
The compromise should be simple, keep using Diaz at first base on a part-time basis, and play him at catcher and DH when Jose Abreu is starting at first.
We mentioned that Dusty said we'll eventually thank him for his patience with Diaz. But will owner Jim Crane thank him for running his 36-year-old first baseman (with back problems) into the ground? With 2 years left on his bloated contract, he shouldn't be playing every day.
Finally, is Yainer Diaz really the catcher of the future?
If Jose Abreu can turn things around and be an average option at first base for the next couple of years, sure. But what if we're a third of the way through next season, and he's still one of the 10 worst hitters in baseball? You can't let a bad contract beat you twice.
If that's the case, the best plan of action could be to make Yainer the everyday starter at first, and let whoever the backup catcher is in 2024 step into a starter's role. They're going to have to sign a catcher anyway, with Martin Maldonado a declining free agent that will turn 38 next season.
Clearly, the Astros don't have a quality first basemen in the farm system, or he would have been on the team while Abreu was hurt. Unfortunately, Jon Singleton just doesn't look like a big league hitter.
By inserting Diaz at first base, you could save his legs and get more out of him over the course of his career. The Astros did something similar with Craig Biggio, and that seemed to work out just fine.
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C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson found themselves in the same spot when they met in Week 2 last season.
Both quarterbacks were top-five draft picks, lost their season openers and seemed to be facing a steep learning curve.
Richardson won Round 1 in Houston, although he didn't finish the game.
Stroud took Round 2 in Indianapolis with the injured Richardson watching from the sideline as Texans clinched the AFC South title and Stroud locked up his runaway selection as NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
On Sunday, each QB begins his second pro season — with a lot still to prove.
“I’m excited. First official game back with my guys and my teammates,” said Richardson, who had season-ending shoulder surgery last October. "I want to win. So, whatever I’ve got to do to do that, I’m going to do it.”
Winning a season opener certainly would be a welcome change for a franchise that last started 1-0 in 2013. The 10-game winless streak is easily the NFL's longest active streak.
But that's just a start for Richardson.
He needs to improve his accuracy after completing a pedestrian 59.5% of his throws in 2023 and must demonstrate he can finish games. He missed 13 last season and only finished one of his four starts because of an assortment of injuries, including the concussion that knocked him out of that Week 2 matchup at Houston after he ran for two scores.
Stroud, meanwhile, is coming off one of the most successful rookie seasons in NFL history.
He became just the third player in a half-century to lead the league in yards passing per game (273.9) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.6 to 1), won a playoff game and made hist first Pro Bowl appearance.
How can he improve on a season like that? By showing last season was a building block — not a fluke. He has a stronger supporting cast, too, with Joe Mixon, a four-time 1,000-yard rusher, and Stefon Diggs, who has four straight 100-catch seasons, now in the mix.
The long journey begins Sunday in Indianapolis.
“I want to just start fast,” Stroud said. “It doesn't have to do with a certain game, just in general this season. Last year, we started off really slow and just kind of had to build our way back. It's not an easy thing to do, so I would say this year we want to start fast.”
Houston receiver Nico Collins had two of his biggest games last season against Indy — catching seven passes for 146 yards and one TD in the Week 2 matchup only to outperform those numbers with a 195-yard day that included a 75-yard TD catch in Week 18.
He could play an even bigger role this time with Indy's young secondary trying to match up not only with Collins but also Diggs, Mixon and tight end Dalton Schultz.
“Nico is a playmaker,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Every time I see him, he’s a true playmaker. So, you just have to get Nico the ball in any way, shape or fashion. Just find a way to get him the ball just to see how explosive and how dynamic he is.”
Injuries and a contract dispute prevented Jonathan Taylor from replicating the form he used to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Starting against the Texans could be just what he needs.
In six games against Houston, Taylor has rushed for seven TDs and 135.2 yards per game — his highest average against any team he's faced multiple times. And in that rematch with Houston in Week 18, he finished with 30 carries for 188 yards, the NFL's highest single-game total all season.
Houston defensive end Will Anderson, last season’s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, will play Sunday after recovering from an ankle injury that limited his training camp snaps.
The No. 3 overall pick in 2023 had 45 tackles, 10 for loss, and 7 1/2 sacks as a rookie. He expects to be even better this season.
“I’m way more comfortable,” he said. “Just going into Year 2 knowing the scheme better, knowing what to expect a little bit more and knowing what’s going to happen gives you more confidence.”
The Colts lost their 2023 sacks leader, Samson Ebukam, with a torn Achilles tendon during training. But they may have the perfect replacement.
Laiatu Latu was the first defensive player taken in April's draft, at No. 15 overall, and he's shown coaches that the moves he used to record 23 1/2 sacks over his last two college seasons can work in the NFL.
“We know that there’s going to be a learning curve there," defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. "We know there are going to be plays that we’re going to come in and say there were some good plays, and there were plays he wishes he had back — we understand that. But just his overall mentality and skill set, we’re very excited to see.”