Not enough people are talking about this Astros star in the making heading into 2025

The Houston Astros have certainly given fans a lot to think and talk about this offseason. The Alex Bregman negotiations are going to be parsed for years to come, regardless of whether or not he returns.

The Kyle Tucker trade was —along with the Garrett Crochet swap — one of the biggest trades of the offseason. Then there was the Christian Walker signing that finally (hopefully) gave the Astros a first baseman they can rely upon.

With all of the changes the Astros have undergone, it is easy to forget that they have a pretty damn strong group returning. Fans are well aware of what Yordan Alvarez is capable of, and the Astros have a pair of potential frontline starters in Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown, not to mention one of the game's dominant closers in Josh Hader.

Astros' Yainer Diaz deserves more recognition for his breakout performance in 2024

However, one Astros player who doesn't seem to be getting enough credit is catcher Yainer Diaz. The Houston backstop is on the verge of becoming one of Major League Baseball's best young catchers, if he isn't there already.

Diaz showed his potential in 2023 while splitting time with the aging Martin Maldonado, but it was hard to see how well the young catcher would handle primary duties behind the dish. Former Astros manager Dusty Baker just kept running Maldonado's corpse out their behind the plate every day, and only when the Astros finally moved on, would Diaz get his chance at the lion's share of the workload.

Last season offered Diaz that chance, and he made the most of it. While backup Victor Caratini still got significant playing time, Diaz was indeed made the primary catcher while logging 102 appearances behind the plate.

Overall, Diaz appeared in 148 games and posted a 117 wRC+ while accumulating 3.1 fWAR along the way. Thanks to his bat and ability to control the run game, Diaz was ranked sixth in baseball among all qualified backstops with just Cal Raleigh, William Contreras, Patrick Bailey, Austin Wells, and Tyler Stephenson ahead of him.

Diaz is far from a perfect player. His 3.4% walk rate last season is both typical and a significant problem that will limit his offensive ceiling. Among big league catchers, Diaz's framing is near the bottom of the rankings and needs improvement. The latter will be less of an issue once the automated balls and strike challenge system is in place, but it is worth noting nonetheless.

It is a bit odd that Diaz's quick emergence as one of the game's top offensive catchers has gone relatively unnoticed. It's possible that Houston has just had so much going on that observers haven't had a chance to breathe and truly take in what he's been able to accomplish. If Diaz can meet or exceed the standard he set for himself the last couple of seasons, that narrative is going to change in a hurry.

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