Astros: 2 future catching contenders sit in Corpus Christi

The future behind the dish is brewing in Corpus Christi.

Martin Maldonado and Jason Castro are currently the backstops for the Houston Astros. Among others on the 40-man roster, only Garrett Stubbs is available to sit behind the dish, and while burning through his minor-league options, we don’t know how much longer he could stay with the team.

Stubbs has versatility with his showings at second base and in left field, but what is brewing in Double-A Corpus Christi? Recently, the Astros traded Triple-A catcher Lorenzo Quintana to the Miami Marlins for cash considerations, which flew heavily under the radar. The right-hander, now 32-years-old, was slashing .311/.372/.340 with the Sugar Land Skeeters and had been with the organization since 2018.

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While they free space near the top of the farm, the Astros also promoted 2019 first-round pick Korey Lee to Double-A. The right-hander had a .330/.397/.459 line in 109 at bats in High-A with the Asheville Tourists. The former California baseball player has been very sought out as the future of the Astros’ catching room, and with Martin Maldonado extended through 2022 and Castro signed through 2022 as well, we could see this new era of catchers make an impact by 2023.

Other than Lee, the Hooks have Tyler Krabbe, who was promoted recently, and Scott Manea, who doesn’t have the best line (.225/.287/.438) over a month into the season but has been deemed a “sleeper catcher” by MLB.com. C.J. Stubbs, brother of Garrett, was among this group but was demoted to Asheville to make room for Lee and Krabbe

By the way of recent contracts, the Astros are looking to retool there lineup with in-house products come 2023. Other than catchers, Michael Brantley will also be a free agent, and we will see more moves among the pitching staff whenever free agency roles around after the ’22 season.