The catch for Mccormick: Starting job still up for grabs
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The catch is one chapter of another championship, an indelible moment during this dynastic run of Astros baseball.
The man who made it still marvels at his 3-month-old accomplishment. It made Chas Mccormick a Houston hero and Philadelphia pariah, pitting allegiances to his actual hometown against his adopted one.
Mccormick might never make a more meaningful play in his baseball career.
His leaping catch in center field rescued Houston from a ninth-inning collapse in Game 5 of the World Series at Citizens Bank Park. The imprint he left on the warning track dirt is still found on T-shirts and Twitter memes across the sport.
Minimizing Mccormick’s moment is impossible. Moving on from it feels mandatory.
One great play guarantees nothing. Baseball demands consistency, and Mccormick must prove he is capable of it.
He started all but one of Houston’s postseason games in center field last season, the benefactor of Jake Meyers’ precipitous decline and Jose Siri’s departure at the trade deadline. Anointing him the full-time starter and stopping the team’s two-year center field carousel seemed a logical next step.
Dusty Baker is not ready to deliver such a declaration. During Baker’s first day in spring training, the manager said Mccormick and Meyers are in “competition” for time in center field, injecting some intrigue into a camp without much of it.
“He’s right. I have to earn my spot,” Mccormick said. “I haven’t proved myself as a starter yet. I’ve been platooning my first two years, and he’s right. There’s a lot of competition and a lot of good outfielders in this organization.
“He’s going to do what he wants to do, and I have to be consistent. I think over the time I’ve been a little inconsistent, and that’s a goal of mine this year to be more consistent.”
Baker never has been bullish on Mccormick, who rose through Houston’s organization as more of a corner outfielder. His defense
hasn’t been a glaring issue, although Meyers is thought of as a far more natural center fielder.
Mccormick’s biggest leap must come at the plate.
He took 212 plate appearances against righthanded pitching last season and posted just a .630 OPS. Righties abused him with sliders and attacked him inside, causing him to ground out. Mccormick chased outside the strike zone 29.6 percent of the time, and his 32.2 percent whiff rate exceeded the major league average by nearly 10 percentage points.
Mccormick said he spent the winter improving the direction of his swing. Last season, he sometimes bemoaned that his flat swing could not catch up to anything thrown on the inner half of his strike zone.
“Swinging at the right pitches and just kind of being a more consistent hitter” became a focus of his offseason.
“Obviously, my defense is going to be my defense,” Mccormick said. “I take a lot of pride in my defense, and I’ll be ready to go on the defensive end, but I really wanted to become a better hitter. We have a great lineup, and I want to be able to contribute as much as the other guys.”
Neither Meyers nor Mccormick will be mistaken for an offensive force, but Mccormick’s approach and swing are built for Minute
Maid Park, where he utilizes the short dimensions in right field for a few opposite-field home runs.
The punch Meyers showed during his minor league career has yet to consistently take hold in the majors, though last season he faced daunting circumstances he didn’t create.
After Meyers underwent labrum surgery in November 2021, the team thrust him back into the major leagues during a June series at Yankee Stadium. Baker thought Meyers needed more minor league rehab games but said he was “overruled.”
Meyers’ miserable season might have proved Baker correct. He struck out 54 times in 150 at-bats, managed just nine extra-base hits, and could not throw with any confidence.
“It was an interesting experience, and I learned a lot from it,” Meyers said Tuesday before Houston’s first full-squad workout. “I have no clue how to tell how much of (the injury) impacted what, because the game of baseball is tough.”
Meyers’ malaise seemed to sap his confidence, even if he continued to say things to the contrary.
A demotion to Triple-a Sugar Land in August allowed him time to clear his head. The team brought him back in September, but Baker played him sparingly. Meyers earned a start in Game 2 of the
American League Division Series but never appeared again during the World Series run.
“That was the second year in a row that happened, having to watch from the bench and hoping I was out there,” Meyers said. “It definitely is an interesting situation, but man, I was so stoked for our team and our guys winning that World Series. That was so much fun and an experience I’ll never forget.”
Meyers’ wife, Maddie, gave birth to the couple’s first child, Ava, in December. He is curious to test the “dad strength” theory once Grapefruit League games start Saturday.
Mccormick had a life milestone of his own, proposing to girlfriend Courtney during a vacation in Cabo. The question capped a chaotic three months that started when he skied into the air that November night at Citizens Bank Park and stole what seemed a sure hit from J.T. Realmuto.
“I watched it a couple times, I’m not going to lie to you,” Mccormick said. “It was a good feeling. It was a really good feeling, and I’m happy we were able to win. I’m happy I was able to contribute.
“But it was three months ago, it’s in the past, and it’s the start of a new season. I have to fight for my spot, and I have to earn it.”