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Astros Versatile Star Mauricio Dubon Predicted To Win Some Hardware This Season

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Sep 16, 2025 5:45 PM ET

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada has had his work cut out for him this season, figuring out different lineup combinations and what will work best.

Part of the struggle has been plugging holes when injuries occur. At one point, five players from their Opening Day lineup were sidelined at the same time. That led to a lot of movement with the everyday lineup, trying to find who meshed best and which spots.

Espada also had the unfortunate task of figuring out where defensive liabilities would hurt the team the least. Atop that list is Jose Altuve, who has been a negative performer in left field and at second base. The same goes for Yordan Alvarez, who wasn’t as much of a liability as Altuve in the outfield, but would be best served as a designated hitter.

Alas, to keep the offense as productive as possible, it meant a few underwhelming defenders being in the lineup. That is what made the presence of Mauricio Dubon so important to the team’s success. Espada had the luxury of knowing his versatile veteran could be deployed anywhere on the field.

Mauricio Dubon Has Been Star Defender for Astros

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Normally, when a player doesn’t have a spot to play every day, it is because they aren’t good enough to warrant sticking in one place full-time. That isn’t the case with Dubon, who has proven to be the best Swiss Army Knife in baseball defensively. No matter where he plays, he isn’t negatively impacting his team.

That is why he deserves the Gold Glove Award, which Jared Greenspan and Jason Foster of MLB.com have predicted he will win. They made their selections on who will win the award at every spot in both leagues. For the recently created utility spot, Dubon is a no-brainer.

He has recorded +14 Defensive Runs Saved and counting. That puts him in a tie with Wilyer Abreu for 17th in the MLB. Innings have been logged at every inning other than catcher and pitcher and he has been even or made a positive impact at all of them.

His Fielding Run Value on Baseball Savant is +15, which is in the 98th percentile. His Range (Outs Above Average) is at +17, which is the 99th percentile. There isn’t a player in baseball who is making the kind of impact he is defensively while not having one position to call home. No matter what Espada asks of him, he is getting the job done and would be a worthy recipient of the Gold Glove Award for a second consecutive year.