Holy cannoli. Look, guys, I get that you are in love with Christian the Framing God. But being fascinated with Vazquez's run-prevention potential is one thing. Letting it lead you into revisionism on Swihart's run-prevention potential is quite another.
Swihart does not "profile as average defensively." He was already a league-average framer this year by the numbers, and that's a skill that we can count on a good athlete with a good work ethic to get better at. As far as everything else, here's mlb.com's take in naming Swihart the best catching prospect in the game over the 2014/15 offseason, according to this OTM article: "While his defense alone could make him a big league regular, Swihart offers offensive promise as well." (Note carefully the framing of that sentence.) Or here's what SoxProspects has had to say: "Consistent sub 2.0 pop times, typically between 1.8-1.9. Athletic behind the plate with quick feet and lateral movements. Frames well, and athleticism provides mobility for excellent blocking skills on balls in the dirt. Future plus defense with plus athleticism." Al Skorupa at BP, May 2015: "Plus defender." Chris Mellen at BP in July 2014 rated him a 55 for his glove and a 65 for his arm, which he described as "plus-to-better."
In short, you will have to look a while to find any experienced observers who looked at Swihart over his last year or so as a prospect and didn't think he was going to be a good-to-excellent defensive catcher. There's a reason why he was a consensus top-20 prospect heading into this season, and it's not just because he has a nice hit tool.
Swihart does not "profile as average defensively." He was already a league-average framer this year by the numbers, and that's a skill that we can count on a good athlete with a good work ethic to get better at. As far as everything else, here's mlb.com's take in naming Swihart the best catching prospect in the game over the 2014/15 offseason, according to this OTM article: "While his defense alone could make him a big league regular, Swihart offers offensive promise as well." (Note carefully the framing of that sentence.) Or here's what SoxProspects has had to say: "Consistent sub 2.0 pop times, typically between 1.8-1.9. Athletic behind the plate with quick feet and lateral movements. Frames well, and athleticism provides mobility for excellent blocking skills on balls in the dirt. Future plus defense with plus athleticism." Al Skorupa at BP, May 2015: "Plus defender." Chris Mellen at BP in July 2014 rated him a 55 for his glove and a 65 for his arm, which he described as "plus-to-better."
In short, you will have to look a while to find any experienced observers who looked at Swihart over his last year or so as a prospect and didn't think he was going to be a good-to-excellent defensive catcher. There's a reason why he was a consensus top-20 prospect heading into this season, and it's not just because he has a nice hit tool.