As of early January, the Astros' two big-league catchers project to be Robinson Chirinos and Max Stassi. If J.T. Realmuto does not enter that mix, then it would seem likely Stubbs will throw his hat into the ring at some point in 2019. The 25-year-old has not yet reached the majors, but his production last year at Triple-A was promising. He led Pacific Coast League catchers with a .310 batting average and 120 wRC+. Additionally, his 26.3% line-drive rate was the ninth best mark among all PCL hitters with at least 300 PA. He gets rave reviews for his makeup and is reportedly a pretty good defensive backstop. At just 5-foot-10, 175 pounds, he may not hold up under a 120-game workload, but if he were only asked to start 90-100 games per year, that could be doable. The main selling point is that Stubbs has the potential to hit for a high average and get on base at a high clip while qualifying at a position where almost nobody does either of those things.

Stubbs put up fantastic numbers across stops at Lancaster and Corpus Christi last year, showing off a superb approach and potentially plus hit tool. Of course, Lancaster has propped up mediocre hitters before, but Corpus Christi skews more neutral and Stubbs was actually better after his promotion to Double-A, posting a 14:11 BB:K in 137 plate appearances. Stubbs' slight frame doesn't fit the prototype behind the dish but he is pretty athletic, grades out well as a pitch framer and has a good enough arm to not be a liability in the running game. He also has exceptional makeup, so there are signs that he could stick at catcher. The Astros have Brian McCann under contract for two more seasons, so Stubbs won't be rushed to fill a need. If he were larger, then there would be those who would label him as a top-100 prospect in the game. Instead he lingers on the periphery as a potential starting catcher with a plus hit tool, excellent approach and sneaky 10-15 homer pop.