Martin Maldonado, Catcher, Houston Astros

Date of Birth: 8/16/1986
Birthplace: Naguabo, Puerto Rico

Martin Maldonado, catcher for the Houston Astros, was first drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2004. He played in the Angels' minor league system from 2004 through 2006. The Angels released him on January 10, 2007, and 14 days later, he signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Maldonado continued playing in the minor leagues for the Brewers from 2007 through part of 2012, finishing with 401 hits and a .236 batting average in 542 games. He played in 3 games with the Brewers in 2011 and in 78 games in 2012.

In 2013, Maldonado played in 67 games with the Brewers, finishing with a .169 batting average. As a catcher, he made 135 assists, 281 putouts, and 1 error in 47 games. He also played 10 games at first base in 2013.

Maldonado played in 52 games with the Brewers in 2014. He finished the season with 26 hits, 32 strikeouts to 11 walks, and a .234 batting average. As a catcher, he made 22 assists, 250 putouts, and 6 errors in 42 games. He caught players trying to steal 31.6% of the time and he had a .978 fielding percentage.

Maldonado hit his first major league walk-off home run in the 17th inning of a game on May 31, 2015. In addition to winning the game for the Brewers, he played defensively behind the plate for the entire game. He finished the 2015 season with 48 hits and a .210 batting average in 79 games. As a catcher, he made 34 assists, 561 putouts, and 9 errors in 74 games. He caught players trying to steal 38.3% of the time and he had a .985 fielding percentage.

In 2016, Maldonado batted .202 in 76 games with the Brewers. Defensively, as the Brewers' catcher in 69 games, he made 39 assists, 486 putouts, and 7 errors. He had a .987 fielding percentage and he caught players trying to steal 40% of the time.

Maldonado was traded to the Angels on December 13, 2016. He finished the 2017 season with 95 hits, 19 doubles, 14 home runs, 38 RBIs, 119 strikeouts to 15 walks, and a .221 batting average in 138 games. Defensively, as the Angels' catcher in 137 games, he made 65 assists, 1,046 putouts, and 2 errors. He caught players trying to steal 38.7% of the time. He won his first Gold Glove in 2017.

The Angels traded Maldonado to the Astros on July 26, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with 84 hits, 18 doubles, 44 RBIs, 98 strikeouts to 16 walks, and a .225 batting average in 78 games with the Angels and 41 games with the Astros. Defensively, as a catcher in 117 games, he made 54 assists, 1,021 putouts, and 4 errors. He caught players trying to steal 48.6% of the time. In the postseason, he had a double and a home run and one RBI in 19 at-bats in 7 games.

Maldonado became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed with the Kansas City Royals on March 11, 2019. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs on July 15, 2019. He returned to the Astros in a trade on July 31st. He finished the 2019 season with 71 hits, 19 doubles, 27 RBIs, 86 strikeouts to 32 walks, and a .213 batting average in 74 games with the Royals, 4 games with the Cubs, and 27 games with the Astros. Defensively, as a catcher in 103 games, he made 35 assists, 844 putouts, and 6 errors, and he caught players trying to steal 25.6% of the time. In the postseason, he had 6 hits, including a double and a home run, 2 RBIs, 6 strikeouts to 1 walk, and a .300 batting average in 20 at-bats in 7 games.

Maldonado became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He re-signed with the Astros on December 23rd. He played in 47 games in 2020, and he finished the season with 29 hits, 4 doubles, 6 home runs, 24 RBIs, 51 strikeouts to 27 walks, and a .215 batting average. Defensively, he was the Astros' catcher in 47 games. In the postseason, he batted .171 with 6 hits in 35 at-bats in 13 games.

Maldonado played in 125 games in 2021. He finished the season with 64 hits, 36 RBIs, 127 strikeouts to 47 walks, and a .172 batting average. Defensively, as a catcher in 123 games, he made 44 assists, 1,049 putouts, and 8 errors. He caught players trying to steal 40% of the time. In the postseason, he had 6 hits and 5 RBIs in 46 at-bats in 16 games.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Martin Maldonado
ESPN - Martin Maldonado