Why Losing Christian Vazquez is Good for the Sox
The Red Sox just released that Christian Vazquez will miss the entire 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery. A lot of people are upset about this because he was our catcher last year. That being said, he was the catcher of the back side of a "Worst to First to Worst" team.
Vazquez hit a measly .240/.309./.617 with only one home run in just over 200 plate appearances. Those numbers are what you'd expect from a catcher and are similar to catchers we have had in the past. The only thing is, we have the number one catching prospect in the MLB in Blake Swihart.
Swihart is a switch hitting catcher who has the ability to put the bat on the ball, keep things locked up behind the plate, and stay on the field (hasn't been injured since '12). There's a tremendous upside to him. The man hit .448/.492/.845 with Team USA as a 20 year old. Scouts around the league see his potential as an every day big leaguer. They know that once he really comes into his own, he could mimmic the likes of Varitek.
The 2015 season will provide answers to many of the offseason's questions, and I hope Blake Swihart is part of the equation.
They want him develop as an everyday player in AAA though, you can't take this kid and have him go from AA to an everyday big leaguer behind the plate.
ReplyDeleteagreed, just wanna see him in the sox uniform at some point this year
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