Boston Red Sox discussion point predictions for 2019 season
By Rick McNair
In 2018, the Red Sox catching collaborative displayed about as much offensive success as a five-year plan in the former Soviet Union. The catchers did have one remarkable statistic in that they led the American League at the position in steals. Even more remarkable considering their OBP was about the pulse rate of a resting biped. The rest? Quite forgettable. The good news when one drills through the statistical minutia are they are above average defensively.
If Betts gained 82 points on his average, Christian Vazquez gave it all back with an 83 point drop from his surprising .290 in 2019. Can Vazquez recover? Will Vazquez even be here? Rumors abound that the Red Sox are looking at a paradigm shift at catcher by reducing one from the mix of Blake Swihart, Sandy Leon, and Vazquez.
Everyone has certain qualities they look for in a player and with catchers, it is an arm that attracts my attention, but not just the capability of throwing hard, but with accuracy. Leon has that ability but it pales in comparison to Vazquez who can intimidate. Is there a statistic that has intangibles buried somewhere? Is there a metric for keeping a runner locked on first out of fear of being cut down like a wheat harvest? Vazquez has that ability.
As if you had not noticed I am a “Vaz Guy” since he came up to the bigs and blew out his arm. He’s back as the catchphrase goes, but the back is just the arm and an offense does not live by arm alone and with Vazquez, his 2018 bat was decorative only. Expect that to change and change for the better. Unless the Red Sox have a new Carlton Fisk buried in the system expect Vazquez to get the bulk of the starts.