A young catcher for the Houston Astros is mentioned by MLB Insider as a possible breakthrough star for 2024.
There aren’t many questions the Houston Astros need to answer as they prepare for the 2024 season. The Astros might always improve, but unless they make any deals before the season, the same core will probably return.
Houston chose to give Martin Maldonado a walk, making Yainer Diaz the primary candidate to take the position behind the dish. Finally, Diaz, who outperformed Maldonado in 2023, has a large sample size to demonstrate his abilities.
Maldonado used to be a fantastic defensive catcher, but it was disappointing that he couldn’t produce any offense. His season-ending slash line of.191/.259/.348 came after he had struggled at the plate for the majority of his career.
Now that Diaz has this chance, he must establish himself as one of the best offensive catchers in the league.
According to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, Diaz is the Astros’ most likely breakout player in 2024. He points out that if he gets 500 plate appearances, he can hit thirty or more home runs.
With 377 plate appearances, Diaz concluded the 2023 season with a slash line of.282/.308/.538 that included 23 home runs and 22 doubles. According to BaseballSavant, his advanced statistics supported his productivity, with an xSLG in the 96th percentile, an xBA in the 92nd percentile, an xwOBA in the 84th percentile, and a barrel% in the 79th percentile.
While the 25-year-old’s pop time was in the 86th percentile and his blocks were above average in the 90th percentile, he struggled with framing, placing him in the 21st percentile.
Houston made a wise choice in letting Diaz take over as the regular starting pitcher, and he will prove it in ’24.
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