Red Sox catcher Kevin Plawecki is capitalizing on his opportunities

Kevin Plawecki joins the Red Sox in free agency

One of the big storylines for the Red Sox during the 2019 season was their catching situation. They were going into the campaign with Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon, and Blake Swihart all vying for spots on the 40-man roster. That would soon change as Swihart was sent to Arizona and the duo of Vazqy and Leon was set.

During this past winter, Boston would trade Leon to the Indians, leaving Vazquez as the last man standing. As the offseason progressed the Red Sox would sign Jonathan Lucroy and Kevin Plawecki to create another three-man squad. It was clear that Vazqy had the starting job secured so the battle for the backup would come down to Lucroy and Plawecki. Despite strong efforts from both, it would come down to Plawecki getting the nod as Boston’s second catcher.

Plawecki has spent most of his career with the Mets while making a short pitstop in Cleveland before making his way to Boston. He signed with the team for just this season and a cool $900K, but it’s the action that matters. Since becoming the backup catcher things have been going pretty damn well for the Weck-Man. Though he only gets a few starts here and there, he’s more than capitalizing on every chance that Ron Roenicke gives him.

Kevin Plawecki is more than repaying the Red Sox

Big Weck is one of those guys that has the reputation of being a clubhouse guy. Anytime someone that’s played with him is asked about the catcher, it’s all positivity. I don’t think I’ve ever heard or read a single negative word said about him. So far during his time in Boston, he’s more than lived up to his reputation.

As far as his offense is concerned he’s a career .224/.309/.338/.646 hitter with 17 homers and 6 RBI. Since coming to Boston though his bat has been hotter than ever and he’s been one of the few Red Sox players to show consistency at the plate in 2020. For those wondering, this season Plawecki owns a .474/.524/.579/.1.103 line and is fast becoming the team’s MVP.

Considering Chaim Bloom spent what would be considered a drop in the bucket to bring Plawecki to Boston, he’s more than repaid that investment from the organization. I think we would be hearing even more about how great of a teammate he is if the squad was actually able to spend time together in the clubhouse. Thanks to COVID-19, the players have been separated into two-man suites and the clubhouse atmosphere is long gone.

He’s only played in six games but in that short time, he’s caught, played first, and even pitched. That’s right, Red Sox Nation. Our pitching staff if so bad that we even trotted out a backup catcher to throw the old ball around. Though to be fair, he does have a better ERA than, well, the entire Boston pitching staff, so there’s that.

What is Kevin Plawecki’s future with the Red Sox?

Like I said above, Plawecki is only signed through this year. However, Boston doesn’t really have any other options to back up Vazqy going forward. Connor Wong showed some serious promise in spring training but he’s still a year or two away from getting a callup while fellow prospect Juan Centeno may be closer to the Majors.