Garrett Stubbs Plays Big

Garrett Stubbs is small by catcher standards (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

HOUSTON—Garrett Stubbs is no stranger to comments about his size. He is 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, which for an infielder would not raise an eyebrow.

But for a catcher?

“I don’t really take any offense to it or anything like that,” said Stubbs, 23. “I try to use it to my advantage because guys see me back there and say, ‘Wow, that catcher’s small.’ I try to play bigger than what they see.”

Regardless of his physical stature, the Astros are high on Stubbs, their eighth-round pick in 2015 and their closest-to-the-majors catcher prospect. The Southern California product broke out in 2016 at high Class A Lancaster and Double-A Corpus Christi, hitting a combined .304/.391/.469 in 86 games and could enter the big league picture as early as 2017.

More likely, though, Stubbs is on the Astros’ radar for 2018. He earned a ticket to the Arizona Fall League, and Houston has him on a strength and conditioning program this offseason. He hopes to report to spring training at about 185 pounds.

Stubbs speaks of taking advantage of what was given to him in regards to his build. He is faster and quicker than the average catcher, so last season he made it a point to steal more bases, swiping 15 in 18 attempts.

On the flip side, he controlled the running game exceptionally, throwing out more basestealers (27) then he allowed (26).

“That’s always something I’ve taken pride in,” Stubbs said. “In college I (did the same thing).”

Stubbs caught about four times a week in the prospect-laden AFL. He valued the experience of working with pitchers for the first time and “getting a feel for what all different kinds of pitchers are like,” he said.

“I’ve always put defense first and wanted to be the best catcher that I possibly can be for my pitcher. My job is to make him feel as comfortable as he can and have the most success that he possibly can out on the mound every time he goes out there.”

SPACE SHOTS

• The Astros on Nov. 5 added hard-throwing lefthanded reliever Reymin Guduan to their 40-man roster, ensuring he would not become a minor league free agent.

• Outfielder Ramon Laureano played his final AFL game on Oct. 29. He left early so that he could split his offseason between the AFL and the Dominican League.