Red Sox duo of Sandy Leon, Christian Vazquez is catching on

The Boston Red Sox have some excellent stability with offense and defense at catching thanks to the consistently positive production from Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez.

There is nothing remarkable about the Boston Red Sox catching in regards to offense.

The Red Sox catchers generally float in the middle of the 15 American League teams regarding catching offense with a 0.7 fWAR. What does get some attention is a rather healthy .272 batting average. For those so inclined to look for the ultimate positive, our catching duo leads all their AL brethren in stolen bases with three. They are also collectively second with a .329 BABIP.

Both Sandy Leon and Christian Vazquez have surprised me. Just when I assumed Leon would return to what he has always been with the bat he goes on a tear. The switch-hitting Leon packs somewhat of a punch with five home runs and his average has climbed to .248. Partner Vazquez is hovering around .300 after a slight slump. Neither will win any batting titles or home run titles.

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Catching is usually a confusing operation as all too often you have one receiver with a good bat and another with a good glove. The secondary catcher is generally noted for his history of defensive accomplishments such as a David Ross or Ryan Hanigan. The best case is a combination of the two, but Buster Posey plays 3,000 miles away.

Defensively is difficult to determine just how capable catchers are. If you use various defensive metrics the Red Sox are third in the American League. Looking at making the base paths as pristine as possible, both Leon and Vazquez have a very nice 41% caught stealing versus a league average of 28%. After watching A.J. Pierzynski that is most certainly a stark improvement.

Pitch framing is another statistic that has been developed and is in the constant flux of refinement. Vazquez is ranked sixth and Leon 17th among all major league catchers. When I had last looked Leon and Vazquez were flip-flopped.

Just how is the symbiotic relationship between catcher and pitcher determined? Baseball has long used the concept of a “personal catcher” as certain pitchers are more comfortable with certain catchers. Sometimes it is a situational issue with a knuckleballer like Tim Wakefield relying on Doug Mirabelli to contain the fluttering pitch.

What I do know is the Red Sox are ranked number one in pitching in the American League with a 12.2 fWAR. Their starters are number one (8.7 fWAR) and the relief group is fifth (3.9 fWAR). The staff – starters and bullpen – have been in a tumultuous situation for the season with primarily injuries causing a starter Du Jour situation all too often.

Despite the rash of injuries and the placing of pitchers – most notably the bullpen – in unexpected slots they have been more than equal to the task. A catcher or catchers have to be considered a key ingredient to the surprising staff performance.

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Just who is number one as a catcher? Leon was originally the top of the catching food chain until a May slump arrived. Then Vazquez took over and now it does not seem to really make much difference. Both have performed better than expected and thankfully have avoided injuries. Going forward the catching appears to now be both a defensive and an offensive plus.