2023 Projection - Yanier Diaz & Mauricio Dubon

A bat-first catcher and the odd fit

Yanier Diaz

The Myles Straw trade is still paying off 2 seasons later as Diaz is likely to get a shot at some point this season for an extended Major League stint.

A bat-first catcher, Diaz will likely see some time backing up Martin Maldonado and could see time elsewhere to get his bat in the lineup.  He also played 10 games at first for Sugar Land last season and a few innings in left and right field.

Mauricio Dubon

If there’s one player on the roster I don’t get, it’s Dubon.  Why the Astros gave almost 200 at-bats to someone that compiled a -0.1 WAR and 56 wRC+ last season is beyond me, except Dusty loves him and they can afford to.

At one point Dusty played him in center over McCormick for “defensive purposes”, which is ludicrous, as we saw in the World Series. 

Dubon’s peripherals suggest there could be some offensive improvement, but overall he’s limited and seems like an odd fit for the Astros.