Houston Astros: Three players who need to be protected on the 40 man roster
By T.A. Mock
Garrett Stubbs, C, #15 prospect
The Houston Astros selected Garrett Stubbs in the 8th round of the 2015 draft out of USC. Stubbs was a good collegiate catcher who looked like he had the potential to develop into a solid man behind the plate. The only issue is Stubbs is pretty small for a professional backstop, standing a 5’10” and weighing in at 175.
However, the MLB seems to be bucking the trend that catchers need to be these monstrosities behind the plate and that just maybe the smaller, more athletic guys can get the job done. So, if this trend continues, Stubbs value could continue to increase.
Stubbs has been a middling prospect his entire time in the Astros farm system. He had a decent cup of tea the year he was drafted but really showcased his potential in 2016, hitting above .300 across two different leagues while playing some decent defense.
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This performance earned him an invite to the 2016 Arizona Fall League but that didn’t quite go as planned. He struggled mightily against other surging prospects, only managing a .171 batting average while playing decent, not good, defense behind the dish. Those struggles continued into the 2017 but he began to turn it around and earned a call-up to AAA.
2018 was a great coming out party for Stubbs. He once again showcased his abilities to be an elite hitter out of the catcher position, which is quite the rarity. He hit .310 and was able to pile up a .836 OPS. He’s in the vein of a Joe Mauer-esque hitter, not a ton of power but a tremendous ability to get on base. Stubbs also played very good defense from behind the plate, throwing out 45% of base stealers.
The Houston Astros need to protect Stubbs on the 40 man roster because of this potential he’s showcased at catcher. They currently only have Chris Herrmann and Max Stassi at the catcher position, who don’t exactly incite fear. If the team acquires a long-term, elite solution at catcher this offseason Stubbs could become a trade chip but they shouldn’t let him get away for nothing.