There are 73 catchers in the MLB with more than 50 PA. Here is this group sorted on WAR. The Astros catchers are the orange lines in this list. You will notice Maldonado is at the bottom of this list.
Ten of these 73 were on the MLB roster for a team and DFAed this season. Four of the ten are now playing for another team in the MLB. Four of these are playing in AAA. Two are free agents.
How do the ten DFAed MLB catchers compare to the Astros catchers?
Value/WAR
Of course, all ten have delivered more WAR than Maldonado. More precisely, partly due to playing time all of them have destroyed less WAR than Maldy has. Let's sort the WAR on a per 100 game basis.
All but two have been better per WAR on a per game basis.
Hitting/ WRC+
Per wRC+ four of them have hit better than Maldonado. Two have hit on par with Maldonado.
Defense/ Def WAR
I set this on a per 100 G basis too. All but one of these has been a better defender than Maldonado.
Age
Maldonado is older than ALL of the other DFAed catchers.
So, to summarize vs. TEN other catchers who have ALREADY BEEN DFAed this year, Maldonado ranks
WHAT are the Astros waiting for?
This morning I promised to provide the few things I think can be done to save the season.
This is the first of these critical decisions.
None of them will be done unless Jim Crane actually steps back and asks what happened to the Astros. Are they truly #Ready2Reign Jim?
IF Dusty would stick with the platoon with Maldonado and start him ONLY against LHP, the Astros would not have to do what I am about to suggest. He won't and they must.
IF they want to actually make the postseason this team MUST start with the most obvious impediment to team performance. They should realize that if the other 10 catchers in this analysis have been DFAed then, it is time that the Astros should do the same with Maldonado.
The Astros COULD sign either of these catchers today IF they DFAed Maldy.
Both are better or the same than Maldonado batting and defensively. Both are younger. I would actually sign Barnhart today and make him Diaz's backup/ closer catcher.
Critical Step 1 to Save the Season- DFA Maldonado.
I am well aware that they will not do this. Are you aware that they will not repeat?
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