Chirinos Appreciation Thread

I know these are generally reserved for players who aren’t resigned or retire but felt the need to do it now. I really hope we can find a way to bring this man back - ideally I’d like to see him retire in an Astros uniform. After watching him this year and getting to know more about him as a player/person, I now see why Rangers fans and his teammates there loved this guy so much. He’s such a like-able guy - I couldn’t be happier we signed him and for his success this year for us.

It would be such a great story if we do hold on and Chirinos wins the MVP. For those not familiar with his backstory, he didn’t stick in the Majors until he around ~30 years old and for a catcher that’s pretty old. He wasn’t a huge prospect so he didn’t get a massive signing bonus and spent 10 years in the minors playing for peanuts...he talks about his experience in the interview linked below.

 

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...-The-relationship-between-Justin-14486087.php

Another great story and a testament to how hard work pays off - it’s awesome to see a great baseball mind like JV have that kind of respect for Chirinos.

 

Likewise - I’ve lived in Dallas for six years now and the knowledgeable Rangers fans (few and far in between) that I’ve worked with around here always talked him up and were really disappointed he signed with us. Now I see why...he brings so much more to the table than just being an above average hitter for a catcher.

 

I agree 100%...he’s too old to be playing as much as we played him this season and I think his decline after his hot start was somewhat related to that. Ideally would be nice to get a left handed hitting catcher to platoon with him.

 

I’m not so sure - I don’t think they look at it as “sacrificing offense” if we don’t bring him back. It’s the intangibles and leadership he brings this team on top of his above average hitting. I can tell you this...if JV is adamant about us resigning him, I think our management will make it a priority, and unless the price is ridiculous, I see him returning. I don’t think they’ll let him walk over $8-$10M for one season.

 

This would be my vote if there isn’t a lefty hitting catcher available at a reasonable price...my guess without looking it up is that’s not going to happen.

 

I would be pretty surprised honestly - he’s got enough left in the tank clearly. His love of the game is apparent, the Verlander article I posted above and the fact he spent 10 seasons in the minors shows that.

Plus, even after getting the 1 year, $5.75M deal we gave him this season, he only has ~$13.5M career earnings and you have to consider how much goes to taxes (also have to factor in state income tax), agent fees, and other expenses. While it’s still probably enough to live very comfortably, it’s not the type of generational wealth where his kids don’t have to work one day. I find it hard to believe he’d pass up at least one more year of $8-$10M...people normally don’t retire when they have an opportunity to nearly double their career earnings by working one more year.

 

Yeah, after looking at his splits he actually was almost the same player in the 2nd half vs the 1st half so perhaps the real answer is he's just a really streaky hitter. His splits show some interesting things...he was a much better hitter against "finesse" vs. "power" pitchers (.825 OPS vs. .727 OPS) and he killed "ground ball" pitchers (.356/.472/.576) this season. I think everyone could have guessed that given his age, but if we are going to bring him back and have someone platoon with him, it probably makes sense to try to find a catcher who can hit better against high velocity guys, if there is even a catcher out there that fits that description as I'd assume most have similar splits as Chirinos does.