The Red Sox have big decisions to make about their 2023 catchers. Christian Vazquez, once their catcher until Bloom traded him away at the deadline for prospects, is a free agent. Vazquez likes Boston and Cora likes Vazquez, but Bloom's opinion is the one that counts.
Should the Red Sox sign Vazquez as a free agent? Vazquez rates well at the bat (for a catcher), and his defense historically has been highly regarded. He is aging, however, and Bloom does not seem to think Vazquez is as good as his past reputation. He's not a framing savant anymore (that appears to be Jose Trevino), and his pop times are middle aged. My guess is that Bloom will be bidding for another RHB lead catcher, with McGuire as platoon partner and primary backup. Who is that RHB lead catcher? I ask SoSH.
Reese McGuire looks like a keeper. He hit very well in Boston (.877 OPS), and looks like a good candidate for the LHB half of a platoon at catcher. His defensive numbers look promising, and he should be relatively durable at the most demanding position (ie, as butt of game thread jokes). He doesn't hit LHP very well, but the samples are still fairly small. He doesn't have much power, but he hits many line drives to RF, and should benefit from the ban on shifting. Is McGuire good enough on defense to justify being the primary catcher in a LHB/RHB platoon? I'm thinking: not yet.
Ronaldo Hernandez is out of options in 2023, and still did not merit a late-season call-up. He may once have been Bloom's option at future catcher, but Chaim does not appear pleased with this roll of the dice. My guess is that Bloom will be quick to cut bait.
The honor of the call-up went to Connor Wong, who had a brief power outburst in August, but otherwise hasn't shown much beyond positional versatility to justify a spot on a major-league roster. A McGuire-Wong platoon looks like a shaky foundation for the AL East's worst pitching staff.
Kevin Plawecki rated poorly in 2022 both at the bat and behind the plate. He is unlikely to return in 2023, but I mention him for the sake of completeness. If not Plawecki, Wong or Hernandez, then who?
My number search was cursory, mostly from Fangraphs DRS and framing data. What's the best source for catching defensive data these days?
Should the Red Sox sign Vazquez as a free agent? Vazquez rates well at the bat (for a catcher), and his defense historically has been highly regarded. He is aging, however, and Bloom does not seem to think Vazquez is as good as his past reputation. He's not a framing savant anymore (that appears to be Jose Trevino), and his pop times are middle aged. My guess is that Bloom will be bidding for another RHB lead catcher, with McGuire as platoon partner and primary backup. Who is that RHB lead catcher? I ask SoSH.
Reese McGuire looks like a keeper. He hit very well in Boston (.877 OPS), and looks like a good candidate for the LHB half of a platoon at catcher. His defensive numbers look promising, and he should be relatively durable at the most demanding position (ie, as butt of game thread jokes). He doesn't hit LHP very well, but the samples are still fairly small. He doesn't have much power, but he hits many line drives to RF, and should benefit from the ban on shifting. Is McGuire good enough on defense to justify being the primary catcher in a LHB/RHB platoon? I'm thinking: not yet.
Ronaldo Hernandez is out of options in 2023, and still did not merit a late-season call-up. He may once have been Bloom's option at future catcher, but Chaim does not appear pleased with this roll of the dice. My guess is that Bloom will be quick to cut bait.
The honor of the call-up went to Connor Wong, who had a brief power outburst in August, but otherwise hasn't shown much beyond positional versatility to justify a spot on a major-league roster. A McGuire-Wong platoon looks like a shaky foundation for the AL East's worst pitching staff.
Kevin Plawecki rated poorly in 2022 both at the bat and behind the plate. He is unlikely to return in 2023, but I mention him for the sake of completeness. If not Plawecki, Wong or Hernandez, then who?
My number search was cursory, mostly from Fangraphs DRS and framing data. What's the best source for catching defensive data these days?