Losing Martín Maldonado could be a bigger deal than Astros fans think

Miller Huggins once said that the catcher is like the quarterback, the lead dog, the pulse taker. In other words, the catcher wears many critical hats, including those off the field that the fans don’t see. Martín Maldonado is no exception, and his teammates made that known via social media upon the Astros’ promotion of Yainer Diaz and two-year signing of Victor Caratini. Losing Martín Maldonado could be a bigger deal than fans think.

The 37-year-old veteran faced a great deal of criticism from fans throughout the 2023 season for his .191/.258/.348 slash line (via Baseball Reference), however, in his six seasons in the space city, the Astros made it to the postseason every year, with three World Series appearances, and one trip to the White House in 2022.

While there is little to defend Maldy’s below-average play at the plate, his play behind the plate and in the clubhouse is what fans are undercutting, but his teammates are quick to back.

Martin Maldonado's presence with Astros was bigger than stats

Ryan Pressly expressed via ESPN Houston 97.5 and 92.5 FM, his great appreciation for the work the veteran puts in off the field.

Where do I start? We’ll be on a plane, the entire plane is dark, but you see one light on. He’s got a computer on one side, he’s got another laptop on this side, and he’s got his notes right in front of him, and he’s looking at your OPS, he’s looking at what you do in this situation, in that situation. Are you more aggressive with guys on second? Not just that, but he can read your swing when he’s behind the plate, so we can have this entire scouting report, but then you get on the mound and he can change it like that. There are just certain things that he can see that we can’t.

Alex Bregman took to his Instagram story to call Machete a leader, while Kyle Tucker, Luis Garcia, and others shared a special tribute for their beloved teammate.

Astros’ hitting coach, Álex Cintrón shared a photo via his Instagram story with Maldonado with a caption that included the words, “one of the best catchers ever seen.”

The Astros will roll out the 2024 season with their 1-2 punch of Diaz and Caratini, while Maldonado will take his leadership and postseason experience to the south side of Chicago after signing a one-year, $4 million dollar deal with the Chicago White Sox.