 (c) Houston Astros |
Seasons: 1979-1989
388 RBI, .252 AVG, 25% CS
Key comments:
|
THE ASTROS ALL-TIME TEAM - CATCHER
Starter: Alan Ashby
|
Runner-up: Brad Ausmus
|
Other mentions : Johnny Edwards
Full comments:
Michael Nash:
Bill McCurdy:
Andy Tomczeszyn:
John Lauck:
Greg Lucas:
Gene Elston: Johnny Edwards & Alan Ashby.
Alan Ashby & Brad Ausmus. Ashby gets the nod primarily based on length of service.
Ausmus clearly a very fine handler of pitchers and great defensive player. Neither guy could hit a lick, though.
Bob Hulsey:
Starter -Alan Ashby (S): He's a gamer who plays solid defense and delivers clutch hits. He was
missed in the 1980 LCS and he went deep in his two other post-season series. Backup - Brad Ausmus (R): Defensively,
the best catcher in team history. Regular catcher on three division-winners. Handles young pitchers well.
Starter: Brad Ausmus gets my vote for his defensive skills and his handling
of young pitchers. Backup: Alan Ashby gets edged by Brad’s arm & intelligence, but I
like this guy for many of the same reasons I chose Ausmus.
Jeff Burk:
Alan Ashby & Johnny Edwards. Ashby is the franchise’s longest-tenured catcher and
its best offensive player at the position (OPS+ 106). Edwards (OPS+ 89) was a better hitter than Brad Ausmus
(OPS+ 83), and his two Gold Gloves and throwing percentage suggest he was a comparable defender.
Alan Ashby, Brad Ausmus. It's not like there was a great selection here, but Ashby gets the nod
for longevity, and for beating out wave after wave of "top prospects" who were basically handed the job every spring training.
Ausmus is the back up here, primarily because he is without a doubt the best defensive catcher the Astros have ever had.
Darrell Pittman:
While his offensive numbers were less than impressive, Alan Ashby displayed a command of the field
defense and deftness controlling his pitching staff that leave no others his equal in Astros history. No other Astros catcher has
caught so many no-hitters as an Astro.
Brad Ausmus & Alan Ashby. A very close competition between these two, but Ausmus rates an edge
over Ashby on both offense and defense. Ausmus has better speed and power than
Ashby had, and Ausmus also has a better arm for catching base stealers, but
both men rank among the best of modern-day NL catchers at calling a game and
doing the often-subtle physical work of catching, such as blocking pitches in
the dirt, and framing pitches in the strike zone for the umpire’s call.
Ray Kerby:
At the position where defense is paramount, Brad Ausmus gets my selection at catcher. The
only Astro backstop to win a Gold Glove (two and counting), Ausmus is backed up by another defensive selection:
Johnny Edwards. Edwards was a Gold Glover for Cincinnati before coming to Houston and played well here, getting
the nod over the Alan Ashby, whose primary qualification is longevity.
Brad Ausmus overtakes my #2 Alan Ashby this year. Ausmus is a superior defensive catcher
and even a little better hitter for average. I always liked John Edwards, too. He led the lead in fielding percentage
three times with Houston, but he was not quite the hitter the other two were, although hitting is not the strong suit
for any of them. All could handle a pitching staff. Had Edwards been here more than he was-- and the club had won
something he might have been able to jump around one or both of those I rank ahead of him.
