2025 Projection: Victor Caratini
Backup catcher played important role in 2024 and remains an important piece in 2025
An under-the-radar signing by the Astros after the 2023 season, Victor Caratini was solid in his first season in Houston, slashing .269/.336/.408 in 274 plate appearances with 8 home runs and 30 RBI, while starting just over a third of the Astros games behind the plate.
Caratini threw out 19% of attempted base stealers, which was the lowest of Houston’s three catchers and his pop time of 2.02 (10th percentile) was surely part of the issue.
Conversely, Caratini’s blocks above average, caught stealing above average (despite being the lowest on the team) and framing were all in the 71-79th percentile range and overall he was solid behind the plate.
There were several positives to Caratini’s offensive contributions other than average, including batting .333 in 57 at-bats against LHPs, .286 after the All-Star Break in 140 at-bats and slashing .421/.450/.579 in 20 plate appearances as a pinch hitter.
He also hit .283 and had an OBP of .356 when leading off an inning.
Caratini also started 8 games and played a total of 76 innings at first base.
My projections show a regression back toward career averages of .241/.320/.364 in 2025 as Caratini heads toward age 31 (August 17).
Despite this, Caratini remains an important backup and valuable piece of the 2025 equation, projected to contribute more fWAR and Win Shares than Spencer Arrighetti and Bryan Abreu, for example.
Projected fWAR: 1.3
Projected Win Shares: 2.8
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