5. Christian Vazquez
The Sox selected their current catcher, Christian Vazquez, in the ninth round of the 2008 draft. Christian has now been a part of the organization for over a decade, signing at 17-years-old. Going through the farm system, Vazquez finally made his MLB debut for the Sox in the 2014 season, where he showed plenty of potential on both ends.
He appeared in 55 games for the Sox, during his first year in Boston, and recorded an impressive 20 RBI.
Since his original call-up, Vazquez has shown a lot of potential and has developed into a solid catching option. He’s not among the most elite, behind the plate, but he’s always been a good asset when needed.
His offensive game has shown signs of unreliability over the years, but, as this season so far has shown, he can be a very productive hitter. He’s already broken his single-season record in home runs, with seven on the year, thus far, and has shown no signs of slowing down.
If Vazquez can keep his form up, he’ll be a key piece of this Sox team that is finding their feet on the way to a title defense. Sharing time with Sandy Leon, behind the plate, Vazquez has seen his playing time limited.
However, if he keeps on hitting like he has been and continues to be what the Sox need behind the plate, his minutes will continue to increase and he’ll continue to be an important player for this Sox side.