Boston Red Sox: Grading the team after their fast 2021 start

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BOSTON, MA – APRIL 17: Kevin Plawecki #25 of the Boston Red Sox takes batting practice as he wears the Nike City Connect clothing before a game against the Chicago White Sox on April 17, 2021 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

Red Sox catching remains a solid plus

The Red Sox catching duo of Christian Vazquez and Kevin Plawecki has an assortment of interesting statistics. They have the highest batting average in the American League at .255. They have also mastered the art of stealing a base with a perfect record of four in four attempts. The best in the AL.

The duo has also produced just two home runs out of the catching position. The good news is they have produced runs, leading the AL backstops in runs with 21 and have accounted for a comfortable 16 RBI. Not so comfortable is an 85 wRC+.

Plawecki has been mired in an inability to cut down runners who have succeeded 11 times in 12 attempts. Defensively, they have managed a quite respectable 5.5 UZR/150. In the ever-exciting category of pitch framing Vazquez ranks ninth.

The results noted best is the current status of the pitching on the team. Certainly an improvement over the disaster of 2020. Just how important a contribution rests on those with the “tools of ignorance?” I’d certainly be willing to give the catchers their share of kudos.

GRADE B

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