No one around the Houston Astros would ever question the leadership of former catcher Martín Maldonado.
Even as his skills at the plate declined, his prowess behind the plate in defense, game calling and pitch framing kept him in former manager Dusty Baker’s lineup most days, even as fans questioned why he wasn’t playing Yainer Diaz more often.
Well, Diaz is the starter for the Astros this season, with Victor Caratini set to serve as the backup. Diaz is an offensive upgrade. But he has big shoes to fill in other areas.
Maldonado signed a contract with the Chicago White Sox this offseason and he’s clear across the country from the Astros in the Cactus League playing in Arizona.
His leadership was on full display after a recent White Sox game, per USA Today.
In a recent game Maldonado failed to run hard on a slow dribbler near the mound. No one had to call him out. He did it himself. He later apologized to the entire team.
“It’s important just to make sure that we’re on the same page as a team,” Maldonado said. “We have some goals to accomplish. I didn’t come out of the box the way I should have come out of the box. I want to lead by example.”
He did that every day he was with the Houston Astros.
Maldonado spent six seasons with the Astros (2018-23) and in each season the Astros went to, at minimum, the NL Championship Series. They also reached the World Series in 2019, 2021 and 2022, with the Astros winning the title in 2022. His last season with Houston ended in the ALCS with a seven-game loss to the Texas Rangers.
Maldonado was known best for his defense and his ability to handle the pitching staff. But his bat was a liability. In his last five seasons with the Astros he never batted better than .212 and his five-season average was .191.
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