LA Angels: Max Stassi’s near cycle proves he’s still big upgrade at catcher

Max Stassi has been a true gift to the LA Angels this year.

Stassi has the third-best batting average on the team at .299, the second-best on-base percentage on the team at .377, and the third-best slugging percentage at .526.

His eight home runs in just 44 games is very impressive, and his home run on Sunday showcased something even greater for Stassi.

Max Stassi was just a double away from the cycle for the LA Angels on Sunday.

Max Stassi had a home run, a triple, and a single against the Minnesota Twins. He’s neared the cycle before this year, and he’s stayed consistent.

That’s the best part of his game, and it’s even forcing Joe Maddon to award him more playing time.

I mean, he’s been so much better than Kurt Suzuki this year. Remember those exceptional Max Stassi numbers listed above? Compare that to these Suzuki numbers:

Suzuki has a .223 batting average, a .301 on-base percentage, and a .317 slugging percentage this season. That’s pretty terrible, and Stassi has been pretty great.

Let’s not sugarcoat anything here. Stassi needs to be the everyday catcher, and is absolutely right to be catching Ohtani more often.

Has Suzuki had a lot of nice moments in his career? Absolutely, and I don’t want to take that away from him. He’s realistically a full-time backup on this team, however, and hopefully will be treated as such.

Unfortunately, Stassi has had a tough time staying healthy at times this season, so Suzuki is a solid backup to have. That being said, Stassi seems to never slow down when he’s on the field, and his performance on Sunday really sold that.

Suzuki hasn’t had a three-hit performance since June 11th, which was his only one. Stassi just had his fourth four-hit game of the year. They are not the same.