ARLINGTON, Texas — On Sunday afternoon, before his team struck seven singles, scored one run and suffered a sweep-clinching loss against the New York Yankees, Dusty Baker detailed the “tough situation” he encounters every day. His team is whole again, but center field is still unsettled, forcing him to choose from among three players for what sparse playing time remains.
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“It’s easy if you got a Julio Rodríguez, you just put him out in center field,” Baker told reporters.
Baker does not boast anyone with Rodríguez’s generational talent, but does have someone authoring a similar offensive season. Chas McCormick entered Wednesday with an OPS 50 points higher than Seattle’s superstar center fielder, though in 38 fewer games. McCormick has a higher batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, and defensive metrics even put the two in the same general range.
Yet nothing about McCormick’s playing time this season suggests any of that. Six Astros have taken more plate appearances than him. Seven have appeared in more games. His sporadic playing time is a constant source of frustration for some within the organization, who spoke on background because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Curiosity remains as to why McCormick doesn’t play more, with few answers to be found and the issue seemingly one that goes beyond just matchups and defensive alignments. This week, four people with knowledge of the team’s inner workings said that McCormick’s weight has become a talking point for Baker.
On Wednesday, before starting another game on the bench, McCormick said he has not spoken to Baker about his playing time this season. Asked to characterize his relationship with Baker, McCormick replied, “Right now, we’re OK. It’s really all about winning each game here on out (with) no distractions. We’re good.”
Asked on Wednesday whether McCormick’s weight is a concern for him, Baker replied, “No, why (would) you even ask that?”
“That’s something that you’re always aware of, you know what I mean,” Baker continued. “As long as it doesn’t affect your performance, then it’s not really that much of a concern.”
Baseball-Reference lists McCormick at 6-foot, 208 lbs. He acknowledged on Wednesday he is playing heavier this season, but by design. McCormick said Baker has not confronted him directly about his playing weight, nor has any member of the team’s staff.
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“I feel stronger. I like being this heavy,” McCormick said. “I guess if I was a little lighter it’d be easier, but easier to move a little better. I feel stronger. I feel healthier. I feel I can do more being at 220 (lbs). Usually I’m at 216. When I’m 210, I’m too light. I was 214 last year, I think, and I felt too light again. I kind of like being where I’m at right now, at 220.”
McCormick said most of his weight gain arrived after his stint on the injured list. He is slashing .292/.372/.526 in 331 plate appearances since being activated on May 8. McCormick is covering 28.1 feet per second when he sprints, down slightly from the 28.6 clip he boasted last season.
“Usually, I vary. I’ve been 218. I’m at 220 right now,” McCormick said. “Usually I’ll lose a lot of weight in the season, but I’m kind of happy I haven’t lost a lot of weight … This year I’m pretty happier about being heavier at the end of the year. I just feel healthier. I feel I can do more. I feel like I won’t get hurt as easy.”
Only two Astros hitters awoke on Wednesday with a higher OPS than McCormick: Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez. According to Baseball-Reference, only three were worth more wins above replacement: Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker. McCormick is not a superstar, but is authoring a breakout season and has morphed into something more than a complementary piece of Houston’s superteam.
Yet Baker clearly sees him as a cut below those other contributors. Wednesday, McCormick began on the bench before entering in the seventh inning and delivering a ninth-inning home run.
“He ain’t a big boy yet,” Baker said before Wednesday’s 12-3 bludgeoning of the Rangers. “It’s hard to be a big boy right out the gate. What is this, Chas’ third or fourth year? The big boys are Altuve, Bregman, Tucker, those are the big boys. The other boys are approaching big boys.”
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To suggest McCormick doesn’t play at all would be disingenuous — he’s started 42 of Houston’s 50 games since the All-Star break, taken 186 plate appearances and boasts a .970 OPS — but the questions persist about why he isn’t playing more from those inside and outside of the team, and the recent lag in time does invite questions about where he fits now that this team is at full strength, even for McCormick.
“I’ve been with (Baker) for a couple years now so I know his agenda. I know that he likes to play everyone. Obviously I want to be out there every night. But he does a good job — obviously you want Yainer Diaz to play all the time, he hits the crap out of the ball — but I think he does a good job of sporadically putting in the best matchups,” McCormick said.
“I think that’s what he goes off, the best matchups and how he sets things up. I haven’t really spoken to him. He’s the manager. He does what he wants. I don’t think I have any right to ask what his deal is. He’s been in the league for a while and has a good plan,” he continued.
Championship teams have depth. For so much of this season, Houston did not. Baker routinely referred to his bench as the least experienced he’d ever managed. Starting lineups without Diaz or McCormick always draw outside ire, but having both of them available off the bench does afford the team an advantage it has not had for most of the season. If Houston’s lineup hits the way it did this week against the Rangers, most of Baker’s lineup decisions won’t draw near the current intrigue.
“It’s not all about OPS. It’s not all about hitting,” Baker said. “And I’m a hitter, but this is a total game if you’re going to win, you know what I mean? You want to give yourself as many options and categories to win the game. Now, hitting wins the game, usually. But other areas of the games is what loses you one-run games or don’t-do-this or don’t-do-that. I know everybody wants Chas to play.”
Diaz has already hit 21 home runs in his rookie season, but can’t find consistent time because of the team’s commitment to veteran catcher Martín Maldonado and struggling first baseman José Abreu. McCormick is limited to three positions: left field, center field and designated hitter. Michael Brantley’s recent return from a 14-month absence makes him a factor in both left field and at designated hitter, alongside Alvarez.
Throughout his Astros tenure, Baker has demonstrated loyalty to veteran players. That he would prefer the lefty-hitting Brantley to McCormick is not surprising, especially for a lineup that can tend to get too right-handed. Baker values Mauricio Dubón’s throwing arm and overall defense in center field, too. That Dubón entered Wednesday’s game with a .929 OPS in his past 86 plate appearances only furthered Baker’s desire to slot him in center field.
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“Michael Brantley coming back has something to do with it,” Baker said, again denying McCormick’s weight is making an impact. “Dubón’s play in center field has something to do with it. We’re trying to win ballgames. This ain’t about any particular guy except the big boys on this team.”
It’s never been more apparent who those are.
(Top photo of McCormick gesturing to Baker: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
