What Kind of Name is Blake For a Catcher Anyway?

[The X Man Cometh]

So what do we have in Blake Swihart? 
 
On one hand, he looks like an outfielder in the batter's box and running the bases.  He's also hit a lot of line drives. He got close to a homer at one point. He's thrown out "only" 5 out of 20 base-stealers, but the throws have been strong and it looks like that can be a part of his game over time. You can tell why he's such a highly regarded talent.
 
On the other hand, he's struck out a ton, and looks generally overmatched when it comes to approach.
 
Is anyone worried about this early promotion stunting Blake's development at the plate long-term? Or is the consensus that he should be ok?

 

[The Talented Allen Ripley]

Maybe that would be better addressed in a new Blake Swihart thread, as opposed to one about Ryan Hanigan?

 

[The X Man Cometh]

Maybe that would be better addressed in a new Blake Swihart thread, as opposed to one about Ryan Hanigan?

 
Point noted. Maybe the mods can break it out and give it a high quality snarky title?

 

[Joe Shlabotnick]

I would submit that the same could be said for the name Carlton.

 

[OCD SS]

The only reason Swihart is up is because the Sox lost both Hannigan and Vazquez to injury. He looks like someone who should be refining his game at AAA struggling in MLB. The question to me is do they bother sending him back down next year when Vaz comes back, or just keep him up to build his relationship with the staff.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

The only reason Swihart is up is because the Sox lost both Hannigan and Vazquez to injury. He looks like someone who should be refining his game at AAA struggling in MLB. The question to me is do they bother sending him back down next year when Vaz comes back, or just keep him up to build his relationship with the staff.

 
More to the point do they send him down when Hannigan comes back next month? I think this is the probable outcome

 

[Corsi]

I think we're beginning to see signs that Blake is getting comfortable.  He's batting .333 / .385 / .333 over his current 7-game hitting steak.  The 8 hits are all singles, but I don't recall many being cheapies.  
 
During the same period, he's drastically cut down on the strikeouts.  Over his first 14 games, his strikeout rate was 35%.  During his 7-game hitting streak, he's cut that number to 15%.
 
He's also walked twice during the hitting streak, while only walking once in his first 14 games.

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

 
More to the point do they send him down when Hannigan comes back next month? I think this is the probable outcome

 
I think it depends on how he's doing at that time.  Leon is no great shakes, if Swihart is doing everything defensively that they want and keeping his OPS above .600, then why send him down?  Unless you want him to work on another position, let him get 4-5 starts/week and Hannigan get 2-3 starts/week and thank Leon for his time.

 

[OCD SS]

 
More to the point do they send him down when Hannigan comes back next month? I think this is the probable outcome

That's a good point; for some reason I was thinking Hannigan would be out longer. I wonder if Swihart's development at the ML level is an issue vs what Leon might supply.

 

[terrynever]

Yogi was a great name for a catcher.

 

[iayork]

For what it's worth, Swihart came with a decent reputation as a framer, but really hasn't lived up to that here yet.  It's too soon to have much confidence in the numbers, but StatCorner shows him as a net negative with a loss of 1.08 strikes per game relative to the average catcher.  My own estimates put him somewhat better, almost exactly neutral.  
 
Hannigan over the last few years has been good, but not excellent (0.78 and 0.72 extra strikes per game in 2013 and 2014 respectively) (explained more here).  Leon's numbers are sparse, but he seems to be about the same as Swihart -- nearly neutral.  (Of course, Vazquez has elite framing skills; second-best in baseball last year.)  So whether Swihart goes or Leon does, Hannigan's return, hopefully, will at least slightly improve the number of calls that Sox pitchers get.

 

[Buzzkill Pauley]

I don't get the OP question. 'Blake' is a great name for a catcher.

For the for pitches in the dirt, he can be aka "Block"....after age 30, he'll likely become "Bleak" if he stays behind the dish. If he develops the yips, then the can be "Blech"

And if he never lives up to the prospect hype and ends up a JAG, you can just call him "Bloke".

 

[E5 Yaz]

If he continues to suck, he may forever be known as Bad Blake.

 
Elaborate please on why you think he sucks.

 

[Hee Sox Choi]

I thought they cancelled the NESN Comedy All-Stars.

 

[P'tucket rhymes with...]

For what it's worth, Swihart came with a decent reputation as a framer, but really hasn't lived up to that here yet.  It's too soon to have much confidence in the numbers, but StatCorner shows him as a net negative with a loss of 1.08 strikes per game relative to the average catcher.  My own estimates put him somewhat better, almost exactly neutral.  
 
Hannigan over the last few years has been good, but not excellent (0.78 and 0.72 extra strikes per game in 2013 and 2014 respectively) (explained more here).  Leon's numbers are sparse, but he seems to be about the same as Swihart -- nearly neutral.  (Of course, Vazquez has elite framing skills; second-best in baseball last year.)  So whether Swihart goes or Leon does, Hannigan's return, hopefully, will at least slightly improve the number of calls that Sox pitchers get.

Two years of Hannigan data versus twenty games of Swihart data is a patently unfair comparison.  The only vaguely fair comparison here--and you don't have enough data for either player to make it--would be between Swihart and Hannigan this year.  This crew of starting pitchers as a group haven't demonstrated anything close to the command you need to expect borderline calls from the umpires. 

 

[Saints Rest]

If he continues to suck, he may forever be known as Bad Blake.

I would go with Blaking Bad.

 

[Max Venerable]

I've been very impressed with Swihart's approach at the plate.  He is still getting dominated at times, but he seems to go about each at bat with a lot of tenacity, and appears to have the ability to use the whole field that you see in the game's better contact hitters.  There still may be some holes in his swings and some catching up to to before he is actually a consistent offensive player, but its pretty clear that he has got chops.

 

[Mike F]

I would go with Blaking Bad.

That only applies if he's caught with meth.

 

[MakMan44]

 
More to the point do they send him down when Hannigan comes back next month? I think this is the probable outcome

Well this is the million dollar question. I'm with Corsi/Lose, I think he's shown enough improvement in the last couple weeks that he should keep the starting gig but I wouldn't be entirely surprised if they sent him back down. 

 

[mauidano]

Yogi was a great name for a catcher.

Pudge wasn't a bad name either.

 

[pokey_reese]

That only applies if he's caught with meth.

You're probably thinking of Jon Denney.
 
Promising so far from a kid who I don't think many people thought would be ready yet. Of course, he may not be, but he seems to have an idea of the strike zone, and is good at fouling pitches off looking for one he can hit hard. Like any young prospect learning at the ML level, he looks bad sometimes on breaking balls away, but he certainly doesn't look completely lost at the plate, regardless of his numbers so far.
 
Behind the plate, I know he hasn't thrown out many runners, but he moves well and blocks balls in the dirt with some athleticism, even if he hasn't gotten totally fluid yet. Game calling seems fine, and while the numbers might not show him as a great framer back there, at least he isn't stabby like AJP. He is still learning the position, just like he was at AAA, it's just now that when he has "teachable moments" they are all on television.

 

[mt8thsw9th]

That only applies if he's caught with meth.

Or catching the top setup man and closer.

 

[Sprowl]

I don't get the OP question. 'Blake' is a great name for a catcher.

For the for pitches in the dirt, he can be aka "Block"....after age 30, he'll likely become "Bleak" if he stays behind the dish. If he develops the yips, then the can be "Blech"

And if he never lives up to the prospect hype and ends up a JAG, you can just call him "Bloke".

 
Blake sounds like a chip off the old block.
 
I like what I see of the first small sample -- very nimble behind the plate, quick pop time, with a strong and accurate arm. His receiving looks a little 'busy', but maybe I've been spoiled by Vazquez, who managed to create the illusion of immobility that umpires love without realizing it.
 
On the other hand, I also remember Salty's inability to frame the low pitch, Martinez' noodle arm and Tek's prolonged physical decay, and it's nice to have a real athlete behind the plate.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Not that batting average is the end all that be all in judging hitters but he is hitting over .300 the last two weeks. Whatever metric you use its probably going to show that he isn't struggling anymore. I think he keeps the job for the rest of the year and Leon gets DFAed once Hanagan is ready.

 

[Hee Sox Choi]

 
maybe I've been spoiled by Vazquez, who managed to create the illusion of immobility that umpires love without realizing it.

 
Are you saying he's got calm thighs?

 

[Sprowl]

Are you saying he's got calm thighs?

I dunno about calm, but they squat better than most. Most human bodies revolt against the abuse of playing catcher, starting from the knees. Christian Vazquez looks like he was born squatting, has a left hand like a vice, and had a cannon for a right arm. I can't speak to the third, but the first two should survive 2015 intact.