Christian Vazquez is Becoming the Starting Catcher
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| (April 10, 2017 - Source: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images North America) |
Contributing Writer
Since coming to the Red Sox, Christian Vazquez has never been able to find his groove at the plate.
Last year, Vazquez struggled at the plate, hitting a measly .227 with one home run. Vazquez was supposed to be the starting catcher at the beginning of 2016, but a scorching hot summer at the plate for Sandy Leon prevented that from happening.
This year, the roles are reversed.
Leon has begun this year with a .180 batting average in 51 plate appearances. Leon is also hitting a terrible .094 against righties this year. To go along with this, Leon has let the last five opposing base-stealers be successful.
On the other hand, Vazquez has been spectacular thus far. He has continued his defensive dominance by throwing out three of five runners to attempt to steal against him.
The cherry on top has been his offensive success.
Vazquez is currently in the midst of a 6-game hit streak and is batting .452 in April. He has been red-hot since the start of the season and easily deserves the starting job over Leon.
Vazquez is known for his acute game-calling ability and to have him behind the plate for the majority of games going forward will definitely help a Red Sox starting rotation that ranks 20th in the league with a 4.20 ERA.
And if he can continue to rake, it will add a little something extra to an ailing, powerless Red Sox offense.
Follow Evan Marinofsky on Twitter (@emarinofsky) for all of his Red Sox thoughts and opinions.
