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Houston Astros: Assessing the Catcher Situation

By Cody Poage |
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Hank Conger is now calling Tampa Bay home, the Houston Astros now need to address the catcher position.

Oct 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Houston Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers (43) chats with catcher Jason Castro (15) during the fifth inning against the Kansas City Royals in game four of the ALDS at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Whatever course of action the Houston Astros decide to do at the position may have both short- and long-term implications when you also consider that Jason Castro is a free agent after next season. And don’t forget that the team traded who was regarded as their top catching prospect, Jacob Nottingham, to Oakland as part of the Scott Kazmir trade this past summer.

The need for another catcher is real for the Astros, and any decision could also hold long-term implications when considering the uncertainty surrounding the Castro situation heading into next season.

But there a few options, external and internal, who could step in 2016 and beyond as the Houston  Astros front office look to strengthen the catcher position.

Next: Option 1

Option #1: Max Stassi

Max Stassi (Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

Along with right-hander Brad Peacock, catcher Max Stassi remained with the Astros after coming over with Chris Carter from the original Jed Lowrie trade to Oakland in 2013. But thus far in his Astros career his primary purpose has been that of an insurance policy in case of injury on the major league roster.

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With Conger now out of the picture, though, you have to think that the Astros front office is willing to give the 24-year old backstop a chance of sticking on the 25-man roster in 2016. He does, in fact, have major league experience, albeit brief. The pitchers on the staff should be familiar with him by now considering his time catching them in the minors and multiple years of spring training. And he has had time to learn how to utilize better pitch framing, a practice that the Astros like for their catchers to utilize.

Stassi would also assuredly be a better option regarding throwing out would-be base stealers than Conger, who had a notoriously difficult time in that facet of the game in 2015. In fact, Stassi threw out 26% of would-be base stealers compared to just 2% for Conger this past season.

The primary issue with Stassi could be his bat and how consistent he would perform at the major league level. In 2015, the 24-year old catcher only slashed .211/.279/.384 with 13 HR and 43 RBI. So basically in 328 plate appearances Stassi only had a 73 wRC+, which is well below average. It was the same story in 2014 when only had a 72 wRC+ in 425 plate appearances.

Conger was the best offensive catcher that the Astros had at times last season. And considering Castro’s struggles at the plate in the past two seasons, Stassi will need to step up to the plate to help the offense. But as long as he provides solid defense and timely hitting, then the Astros will probably have no qualms heading into the 2016 season with Castro and Stassi as their two primary catchers.

Next: Option 2

Option #2: Tyler Flowers

Aug 15, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs shortstop

Addison Russell

(22) slides safely under the tag of Chicago White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers (21) to score a run during the fifth inning at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Now time for an external option: recently non-tendered and now former Chicago White Sox catcher, Tyler Flowers.

At first glance, the idea of signing a 30-year old catcher seems like an odd move for the Astros to make. But his offensive contributions (.239/.295/.396, 15 HR, 50 RBI in 2015) would appear to be an upgrade over Castro and Stassi in that facet of the game.

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Flowers is also another catcher widely known for his pitch framing abilities, which is what the Astros value mostly from their backstops. In fact, Flowers actually finished second in baseball with an RAA (Runs Above Average) of 22.5, only behind Francisco Cervelli of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Castro and Conger finished seventh and fourteenth in that same category with an RAA of 12.9 and 8.2 respectively. Flowers also finished the 2015 season eighth in oStr% (9.9). And for those that do not know, oStr% is the percentage of pitches called outside the strike zone as a strike.

The former White Sox catcher will be figured to come with a bigger price tag than Conger’s projected 2016 salary of $1.8 million. In fact, Flowers’ salary in 2015 was $2.7 million, which was more than double than Conger’s 2015 salary of $1.1 million. But I don’t think trading Conger had much to do with his projected raise. Considering the long-term questions about Castro and Stassi, the Astros may need to spend more too, in theory, improve their offense behind the plate but also the defense as well.

Next: Option 3

Option #3: Tyler Heineman/Alfredo Gonzalez/Trent Woodward/Roberto Pena

Jul 16, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Canada catcher

Kellin Deglan

(22) is thrown out at home plate in the fifth inning as Puerto Rico catcher Roberto Pena (10) tags him out during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Ajax Pan Am Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Barring an unexpected injury or trade, the probability that any out of this quartet of Astros catchers makes the 2016 major league 25-man roster seems slim. However, they are still options that the organization may consider before acting on acquiring any outside help.

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Tyler Heineman and Trent Woodward are currently listed on the Astros AAA affiliate, the Fresno Grizzlies, the roster as the two primary catchers. So, in theory, this would lead us to believe that they are the most likely to earn a major league promotion first. And even though Alfredo Gonzalez is the lone player of the four listed on the 40-man roster, the organization does have the roster flexibility to ensure that either Heineman and Woodward would be the next catcher from within the system to be placed on the roster.

Out of the two, it appears that Heineman is the closest to a major league promotion while Woodward has yet to receive significant playing time above the Class A level. Barring an unforeseen issue, both catchers will probably need more time in Fresno before the Astros are ready to promote the pair to the major leagues.

Roberto Pena, however, is often regarded as the top defensive catcher in the Astros system. Currently, he is on the Corpus Christi Hooks roster and could actually be selected by another franchise in the upcoming Rule V draft. But his lack of offense during his time in the minors may be the only issue holding him back.

The wildcard on the 40-man roster from the catcher position is Alfredo Gonzalez. He has been in the Astros system since 2011, but recently had his best offensive showing in 2015. In fact, between stints at the A-, A+, and AA levels in 2015, the 23-year old prospect slashed .321/.409/.378 with 2 HR and 35 RBI. He also had a cumulative caught stealing percentage of 47%, which was a career-best so far in his professional career.

So there are options in the minor league system for the Astros. But each of the four mentioned above may still be at least one to two years away from contributing to the major league squad.

Next: Drew Storen: Why Houston Astros fans should hope for him

And the organization may feel the need to target a free agent or trade for a catcher to help bridge the gap for a season or two while waiting for more prospects to rise through the system.

**Statistics are provided by Fangraphs.com, Baseball Reference, & Statcorner.com**

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