
Fernando Caldera is the 235th chapter of our offseason-long series.
We’re reviewing each of the 316 players to appear in Houston’s system through 2022.
Fernando Caldera is a five-foot-11, 170 lb. catcher / first baseman from Coro, VZ. Born on October 10, 2002, he signed his first professional contract with the Astros on July 7, 2019. He received his first assignment in the 2021 baseball season, for the DSL Astros in the Rookie-Level Dominican Summer League.
In 42 games as a rookie at the rookie level, Caldera slashed .167/.261/.295 with two long-balls and 10 RBI. For the 2022 campaign, Caldera earned a lateral promotion to the FCL Rookie-level Astros, and split off with the Orange squad, although he did make four appearances with the Blues as well.
On July 8, Caldera finished with his only three-hit game of the season, falling a double short of the cycle and scoring three runs in a 9-7 loss to the FCL Cardinals. On July 16, he hit a pair of two-run home runs for the Orange in a 10-9 loss to the Astros Blue.
In 40 games at the stateside rookie level, Caldera slashed .277/.327/.479 with four home runs and 20 RBI. He also stole three bases in four attempts and struck out 40 times against 13 walks.
Defensively, Caldera played 181 2⁄3 innings at cacher, fielding at a .977 clip and throwing out 28 percent of basestealers. He also played 17 innings at first base and 4 1⁄3 inning in right field, both without an error. After his sustained success at the rookie level, look for Caldera to start the 2023 season with the Low-A Fayetteville Woodpeckers. Thanks for reading.