Milwaukee Brewers should have kept Martin Maldonado
The Milwaukee Brewers have received very little offensive production from the catcher position during this season.
Milwaukee Brewers general manager David Stearns vastly undervalued the potential of Martin Maldonado. The former Brewers catcher was traded to the Angels for fellow catcher Jett Bandy prior to the 2017 season.
Although it is very rare, Stearns has definitely lost this trade. So far this season, Manny Piña and the rest of the Brewers catchers have been almost non-existent offensively. However, last season Piña looked like a diamond in the rough and Maldonado was an afterthought.
This isn’t an indictment against Piña as I happen to believe he’s among the best defensive catchers in baseball. This is more about what could have been had the Milwaukee Brewers decided to hold onto Maldonado through his arbitration years. Let’s compare the stats Piña and Maldonado have posted since the start of the 2017 season.
Piña- .259/.310/.400 15 home runs 61 RBI .710 OPS 37% caught stealing 178 games
Maldonado- .220/.278/.353 19 home runs 74 RBI .631 OPS 41% caught stealing 222 games
Piña has a definite edge offensively largely due to a strong 2017 season. Piña hit .279 during last season and that has given Brewers fans false hope about his offensive abilities. Prior to the 2017 season, Piña played sparingly in MLB with his only meaningful big league action coming during the 2016 season. He hit .254 during that year and that makes his woeful performance this season even more disappointing.
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Maldonado, on the other hand, has been pretty much what was expected offensively. He’s not somebody that will hit for a high average or post big power numbers. However, Maldy brings so much behind the plate that his offensive production is really just a cherry on top.
Defensively, he is as close to being a Molina as anybody can get without the Molina blood coursing through his veins. The Naguabo, Puerto Rico native has made a name for himself behind the dish and is throwing out runners at a tremendous clip.
This season, Maldy has caught 47% of would-be base stealers. Unless you’re Billy Hamilton or Byron Buxton, testing Maldonado’s arm is a risky proposition. Piña has built a solid reputation defensively for himself as well, but he’s not even on the same level as Maldonado.
Gold Glove catchers are hard to come by and that’s exactly what Maldy is. He was never given a fair shot as the everyday catcher in Milwaukee and has flourished since being given the chance with the Angels.
Next. The Crew needs more from Orlando Arcia. dark
Hindsight is definitely 20/20 but it comes as no surprise to see the success Maldonado is having. Stearns is usually ahead of the curve when making moves. Unfortunately, he missed the mark in trading Maldonado.