Christian Vazquez’s second stint with the Astros has not looked like a long-term arrangement, and the late-season push from catcher C Jason Schiavone only makes that clearer.
Vazquez, 36, came back to Houston late in spring training after first arriving with the club at the 2022 deadline, the move that preceded the Astros’ championship run. He opened the year well enough to raise hopes after last season’s .189 mark and .545 OPS with Minnesota, finishing April at .327 with a .389 OBP and a .920 OPS.
That early burst didn’t last. Vazquez wasn’t expected to carry the catching load, but Yainer Diaz’s oblique injury on May 4 changed that, and Diaz didn’t return until June 16.
In that stretch, Vazquez’s bat fell apart. He hit .185 in May with a .520 OPS, then slid to .146 in June with a .196 OBP and a .384 OPS.
The Astros were getting healthier and winning more by then, which softened the blow a bit, but the numbers themselves were rough.
July brought a modest rebound, with Vazquez batting .219 and posting a .601 OPS. August dipped again to .194, though two solo home runs - his only two RBI that month - pushed his OPS to .652.
He has started September 1-for-11 with a single. Even after Diaz returned, Vazquez had continued to get a fair share of the catching work, but that has begun to change as his offense has remained stuck in neutral.
He has also not given the Astros an edge in controlling the running game. Vazquez’s 23.0% caught stealing rate is actually lower than Diaz’s 23.3%, and the league average is 23.1%.
While Vazquez’s role has shrunk, Schiavone has surged. The 23-year-old catcher wasn’t even in the Astros’ Top 30 prospects last season, but a massive year has vaulted him to No. 6 in the organization. He was promoted to Triple-A Sugar Land last week after leading all of MiLB with 31 home runs - 17 at High-A Asheville in 128 at-bats and 14 at Double-A Corpus Christi in 283 at-bats.
The bat is the headline, but it’s not the only reason Houston is intrigued. Schiavone has shown enough plate discipline to keep his OBP strong at both stops, hitting .289 at Asheville and .233 at Corpus Christi while posting a .452 OBP at Asheville and a .357 OBP at Corpus Christi.
He has also added another wrinkle with his legs, stealing 29 bases in 38 attempts. For a catcher, that power-speed combination is rare.
There’s still not much time left to evaluate him at Triple-A. The Space Cowboys’ season ends September 20, and they are 5 GB Oklahoma City in the second-half PCL standings, making a postseason run unlikely. That means Schiavone’s stay in Sugar Land should be short.
Even so, the opportunity matters. His performance should earn him a Spring Training invite and a chance to compete for a job. If he doesn’t win one then, a midseason call-up would still be in play.
At this point, one thing looks pretty clear: Schiavone’s rise is going to push Vazquez out the door.
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A recent misplay that opened the door to four unearned runs only sharpened the concern, because it put a spotlight on how quickly things have slipped. The Astros still need Pena to be a stabilizing force in the final stretch if they want to keep their playoff push on track, and they do not have much margin for a continued downturn from one of the players they count on most. [Read more 🡒]
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Astros Offense Has Become A Real Problem At The Worst Time
The Astros lineup has hit a rough patch at exactly the wrong time, with the offense offering little margin for error as the stretch run tightens. Even with strong individual work from players such as Alex Bregman and Yainer Diaz, the club has struggled to string together quality at-bats, and the contact profile has looked far too soft for a team trying to hold its place in a crowded division race.
Strikeouts have only added to the problem, especially in games where the lineup has piled them up and come away short. Houston has been unable to create much separation in the standings, which leaves every quiet night at the plate feeling more expensive as the schedule winds down and the pressure keeps building. [Read more 🡒]