The Boston Red Sox have had what can only be described as, for the most part, a very heartening offseason. After finishing in last place in the AL East last season, the Sox essentianlly rebuilt their team; the rotation is entirely new, aside from Joe Kelly, who joined the team in the second half of 2014, and long-time incumbent Clay Buccholz. They also beefed up the lineup with the additions of Pablo Sanoval and Hanley Ramirez, and nabbed uber prospect Yoan Moncada. The additions seem to be paying off, at least in spring training, and the team’s chemistry is reminiscent of that of the 2013 championship squad. However, on Thursday, the team had to swallow its first real piece of bad news: starting catcher Christian Vazquez needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire season.
While the loss will not affect the offense too severely (Vazquez hit just .240 in 54 games last season), the Red Sox will sorely miss what the young catcher brings behind the plate. Heading into his first full season behind the dish, Vazquez is already considered an elite defensive catcher. Despite his offensive shortcomings, scouts think so highly of his defensive abilities that he was still rated as the No. 12 prospect in a stacked Boston farm system. In limited playing time last season, he put up a defensive WAR of 1.1 while throwing out 51.7% of baserunners.
The Sox will also miss the field general-like quality that Vazquez brings. Its the same quality that made pitchers come to love working with former Sox catcher Jason Varitek. Earlier in spring training, various members of the pitching staff raved about Vazquez’s work ethic, preparation, and ability to control the pace of a game. Trust is key in the pitcher-catcher relationship. When pitchers trust their catcher to call the game, it simplifies things. Its easier to focus on the next pitch when you aren’t second-guessing every call the catcher makes. Vazquez’s knowledge of opposing hitters and of his own pitchers established that level of trust, and that will a difficult quality for the Sox to replace.
Is there a contingency plan in place? There are two other catchers on the roster right now: Ryan Hanigan and Sandy Leon. One, or both in a platoon-type situation, could step up to take his place, and that is likely to be the case, at least during the early stages of the season. However, neither is a particularly appealing long-term solution. Leon is hitting just .189 over his three years in the major leagues, and while Hanigan has been better over his career (.256 average), the veteran hit just .218 last season and .198 the year before.
The solution should be to call up top catching prospect Blake Swihart. While not the defender that Vazquez is, Swihart would represent an enormous offensive upgrade. He owns a .284 career minor league batting average, and a .768 career OPS. Last season, playing for both double-A Portland and triple-A Pawtucket, Swihart drove in 64 runs and belted 13 home runs, while providing solid defense (.990 fielding percentage). Swihart did struggle somewhat in the few games he played in triple-A, so he could probably use more time there before getting the call to Yawkey Way. However, expect to see his name penciled in as the starting catcher by the end of June at the latest.
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