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The Prince and the Pauper: The Differing Fortunes of Robinson Chirinos and Max Stassi

By any measure available, Houston Astros catcher Max Stassi is having a terrible year at the plate. Having started 8 of the Astros’ 25 games this season, he has just 3 hits in 26 at-bats. He is slashing .115/.148/.231. His OPS of .379 is barely higher than teammate Josh Reddick’s .375 batting average. In wRC+, where 100 is league average, Stassi rates an astoundingly bad -3.

By advanced metrics, the Astros’ worst hitter in 2019 has been their catcher. Except it has not been Max Stassi. It has been Robinson Chirinos.

Wait, what?

Robinson Chirinos, who is batting .