Why I appreciate Martin Maldonado

It's been a bad year for Maldonado. I know we look at the lineup cards everyday and hate seeing the automatic out. What makes it worse is his defense fell off a cliff this year, and while our pitchers trust him more than anyone else, his framing stats are also really really bad. It's only right to be critical of Maldonado this year and there has been plenty to cry about.

That being said, Maldonado is fucking awesome. I will stan for him any day, and I'm going to list some reasons why. Please understand that these examples are being taken from past seasons as well and they are not intended to excuse his performance this year or justify the number of games he's started this year. I have my complaints too, but the reasons I am going to list mean more to me than his lackluster 2023 season.

• Putting together tough at bats in big moments. Yes, we've all seen the three-pitch strikeout swinging at every pitch. But I can think of so many moments in games where we really needed to turn the lineup over and Maldonado came through with patient at-bats. Go back to the 6th inning of game 6 of the 2022 World Series: Maldonado started it all with the hit by peach he leaned into just enough to avoid being called out for it. And if you recall the inning where Pena hit the 3 run homer in game 4 of the 2022 ALCS – Maldonado put together an epic at bat for a walk that set up Pena's heroics. Sure any major leaguer can do this, but Maldonado has often come through with grind-em-out at bats that pay dividends, especially in the postseason. Think these are just outliers? Maybe, but I've heard our radio announcers (who I listen to for almost every game) say the same thing about how Maldonado often puts up really good at-bats in clutch spots.
• Showing emotion on the field and being a vocal team leader. Since Correa left, Maldonado has been that guy for me who leads from the front. I mean just look at Maldonado ripping of Altuve's shirt: Pulling off Altuve's shirt in the 6 run comeback from 2021. He wanted to make a point that Altuve ain't no buzzer boy. To me, this moment speaks volumes about how he cares for his teammates. This is easily my favorite regular season Astros moment, and Maldonado ripping off Altuve's shirt has great significance for me. With the quiet leaders we have on this team like Altuve and Brantley, it's always refreshing to see his fire and I think brings a much needed balance to our leadership style.
• Preparation and game plan. This is basic big-league catcher stuff, but Maldonado is one of the best in the league at devising game-plans. I was listening to MLB network radio and Mike Stanton was on explaining that Maldonado puts in 4 hours of work before every game devising a pitching plan for that specific day. He has fantastic relationships with the pitchers. Again, these are just normal catcher duties, but my sense is that Maldonado's attention to detail when it comes to devising a gameplan against the opposing offense is pretty special. There is so much to be said for having a good line of communication between your catching battery and the pitching staff, and it always feels like everyone is on the same page, even when the plan does not work out. Even on days that Diaz is catching, Maldonado is putting in the same amount of work. It's something that we as fans don't see as easily and is therefore hard to appreciate.
• Defense. Admittedly, his defense has objectively not been good this year, but he absolutely was one of the best catching defenders in the game in 2021 and 2022. I won't lean on this one too hard since this year has obviously been a different story, and even his defensive advanced stats from '21 and '22 don't turn heads, but in my viewing experience it's been a pleasure to watch him behind the plate the last 4 seasons (again, not as much this season unfortunately). Just gonna throw this clip here for some clutch defense: Strike 'em out throw 'em out double-play, 2021 ALCS Game 6 I mean look at that fucking throw, and the emotion shown afterward! I'm sure folks will come in here saying how he was also bad defensively from 2020-2022, but as a fan it's memories like this that speak louder than stats.

Look, I hear the detractors and the counterarguments from folks coming. I even heard them in my own head as I typed this! We can bring up how Maldonado wanted playing time and that's why we didn't get Contreras last year (didn't need him btw, and he's an awful game caller – personally glad we didn't do that. Anyone watch how the Cardinals pitched this year?). Some could see this as being a bit selfish and egotistical. He does feel that he's owed the lions-share of starts this year, and he has Dusty's ear and Dusty agrees. We could have used more Diaz games this year, but Diaz will have his time in the coming years. Diaz is already a great hitter – but right now, I do see the logic in maining Maldonado this last year you have him so that Diaz can learn from one of the best when it comes to preparing for a game and being a good communicator with the pitching staff. I know we all want to see Diaz hit more bombs instead of Maldonado strikeouts, but this is just one of those instances where for me the stats just don't do his role on the team justice.

While I'm looking forward to being led by Diaz in the future, I still appreciate Maldonado's role on this team. I know that's crazy to say given his stats, but IDGAF. Maldonado is that gritty vet that glues the team together, and my memories and impressions of him will always be of those gritty at-bats and intangibles, not his stats.