Red Sox vs. Indians 2017 Roster Breakdown: Infielders

Catcher

Much attention has been focused this offseason on Boston’s catching dilemma. Stuck with three imperfect options in Sandy Leon, Blake Swihart, and Christian Vazquez, a final decision has yet to be reached on which two will enter Spring Training as the definitive starter and backup. That makes a comparison a little muddy, but it remains that no permutation of the three is particularly dominating.

Leon probably has the most two-way upside for 2017 as long as he can prove that his late-season drought was a fluke rather than his four-month rampage that resulted in his .845 OPS.

Swihart, on the other hand, has a lot to prove defensively but can provide high on-base numbers (.365 OBP last season) at a premium position.

Vazquez is the polar opposite: a defensive stalwart behind the dish with exceptional pitch framing and game calling abilities that are difficult to learn. He also comes with a cannon of an arm, throwing out an exceptional 44% of would-be base-stealers. Problem is, he swings an invisible bat, sporting a career .602 OPS across 112 games. Yes, his bat has shown up more throughout the minors, but it can’t be counted on until it has shown itself in the bigs.

The Indians come into 2017 with a much clearer picture behind the plate in terms of roster construction, but not production.

After battling a dislocated shoulder and a broken wrist throughout a disappointing 2016 campaign, Yan Gomes will look to reclaim his starting role. When healthy and hitting, he’s one of the most valuable catchers in the game, posting a combined 8.1 WAR from 2013-2014. Just two years removed from bashing 21 homers with a 117 OPS+, Gomes has the potential to be an impact bat, although it’s been dormant since, slashing just .205/.240/.365.

It’s reasonable to believe that health has been a key contributor to his recent struggles, and a return to 2014 form would be huge for Cleveland, but it’s far from a sure thing. His defense is a constant presence, however, as Gomes is another excellent pitch framer and nabs a decent 35% of potential base-stealers.

This is a difficult conclusion to reach, given that Gomes likely represents the much higher ceiling than any of the three Boston options, but also has the lowest floor. It’s not that Gomes has the ability to be that much worse than whoever Boston throws out there, but Cleveland would likely be willing to wait out Gomes’ struggles in anticipation of his breakout longer than Boston would. With an unclear picture in Boston and little way of predicting what Gomes will do in 2017, the catcher position is declared a tie.

Advantage: Tie