The Boston Red Sox may need to bank on the future of Christian Vazquez as much as the Cleveland Indians currently keep their faith in catcher Roberto Perez.
The 27-year-old for Cleveland hit just .183 with three home runs and 17 RBIs in 153 at-bats this season; however, his ability to handle his pitching staff as a catcher has been second to none, especially in the postseason. His efforts have greatly helped Cleveland reach the 2016 World Series.
In his newsletter for The Boston Globe called 108 Stitches, Alex Speier mentions, “Perez, a Game 1 hero with two homers, did a fantastic job of pitch-calling and pitch-framing in Cleveland’s fourth shutout of the postseason, which tied the all-time record.”
Speier also noticed some connections between Perez and Boston’s own young catcher, stating that “Vazquez is one year younger than Perez, was also a low-round pick in 2008, made his big league debut one day before Perez in 2014, and his bat has developed just enough to sustain some of his own ‘extended Molina family’ characterizations.”
Speier added that both Puerto Ricans “struggled offensively while returning from an injury this year, but showed signs of offensive life late in the season.”
This comparison begged for further investigation. As the Red Sox have a dilemma on their hands about which of their four MLB catchers they should keep, Perez’s recent success may bode well in Vazquez’s favor.
The biggest knock on Vazquez has been about his bat, or lack of one. In 172 at-bats in 2016, he hit just .227 with one homer and 12 RBIs. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage were not much better, ending with .277 and .308 respectively. Yet, Vazquez looked as good an offensive juggernaut as Perez, who earned a .285 OBP and .294 SLG this year.
Defensively, both men were excellent. Both Vazquez and Perez had matching .996 fielding percentages and almost identical range factors to their game (8.00 to 8.28). As far as arms go, Vazquez has thrown out 44% of the base runners attempting to steal on him in his career, even with Tommy John surgery on his throwing side. Perez was a close second with 43%.
In Perez’s case, the move for Cleveland was easy to make. Perez gave the team the option of using one of their other catchers, Carlos Santana as a designated hitter, while their third catcher Yan Gomes was out with injury. Gomes hit just a bit better last season, but the drop from .231 to .167 would have been enough for a change at catcher even without the separated shoulder and the fractured throwing wrist.
Based on the way that Perez handled the bat against the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the World Series, it may now be his job to lose.
In the case of Vazquez, it could be a very similar decision.
The Red Sox may have been starting Sandy Leon, after his bat roared to a .311 batting average for the regular season, but it took a significant hit in September to hitting just .216. Like Vazquez, Leon’s defensive skills were also pretty good, leaving skeptics to wonder if he can hang with the Puerto Rican or if Leon’s success was a flash in the proverbial pan.
Ryan Hanigan‘s age, contract issues, and .165 batting average has the Red Sox seeing him as nothing more than a sturdy backup catcher. Blake Swihart‘s move to left field before a naggingly persistent injury has kept both his glove and bat quiet on the bench for some time. Neither one seem to be of any real competition for the starting catcher role with the Red Sox, compared to Vazquez and Leon.
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If Vazquez can show that he can handle the Red Sox pitching staff just like his fellow Puerto Rican playing for Cleveland, both men may be showing their defensive talents for the foreseeable future with their respective clubs. Instead of worrying about how good Vazquez can develop his bat, the Red Sox may forgo that thought and push for him to show a stable hand to frame pitches and guide their pitchers to victory.
So far, it’s working for Perez. Maybe it will work for Vazquez, too.