Christian Vazquez Gets an Odd Shoutout in the New York Daily News

Today's New York Daily News wasn't happy that
Christian Vazquez finished off the Yankees in Boston
Photo Courtesy of the New York Daily News
It’s interesting. When the season started, everyone talked about who they thought was the most important player on the Red Sox. For me, it’s always been Christian Vazquez. We didn’t know when he was going to be able to recover from surgery, but now that he is here, it’s clear he is the gas that makes the pitcher’s start up and go. He is trusted, he has a cannon for an arm, and he gives me optimism for the pitching staff this year, as the Red Sox were one of the worst teams pitching in baseball last April through July.

One of the biggest surprises about Sunday night’s Red Sox game was Christian Vazquez’s monster home run that landed somewhere over the Green Monster and in another zipcode for the win. Something less surprising, however, was the fact that Vazquez’s contribution helped the Red Sox win. Since the Red Sox catcher joined the Red Sox this season, the pitching staff has been more consistent, the wins have been piling in, and the Sox have gone from 4 games back to the top of the AL East. And yet Vazquez is only hitting .225. But, similar to what the Red Sox tried to do last year, if your defense is strong, then you can stay on the field and play, because Boston expects that Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and David Ortiz will keep the bats going. While those three have done their part, Jackie Bradley and Hanley Ramirez have also found their strokes, which leaves Vazquez as the only starter under .250. And that’s ok, as long as he keeps the pitching in check. After all, the defense and leadership is the reason why Christian Vazquez is now with Boston, and Blake Swihart is now at Pawtucket and experimenting with left field.

While I think so highly of Vazquez, it seems New Yorkers think otherwise. In fact, today’s Daily News even mentioned that “someone named Christian Vazquez” hit the game winning homerun to help Boston sweep the Yankees. As long as he continues to do his part, he can go under the radar as long as needed; because Christian Vazquez is finally ready to take over as the next best backstop in Boston since Jason Varitek. 

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