A lighter Vazquez hopes to put a heavier workload on his plate
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Christian Vazquez came into spring training this year a bit lighter. Vazquez changed up his diet during the offseason by shedding 15 pounds, a necessity in his eyes.
“I want to improve everything. From hitting to my body,” Vazquez said Friday. “I want to catch as many games as I can. I feel better and I’m moving better behind the plate.”
Vazquez slashed .283/.344/.457 with seven home runs and an .801 OPS last season. Vazquez’s swing underwent a complete overhaul during the 2018-19 offseason. It was too steep, resulting in little lift and just 10 homers in his first 999 plate appearances. Vazquez, who was known as a defense-first catcher, emerged as an offensive threat in 2019, slashing .276/.320/.477 with a careerhigh 23 homers in 521 plate appearances.
His bat got much of the recognition over the course of the last two seasons, but winning a Gold Glove is still something he hasn’t earned after entering the league with those expectations. Vazquez, who is from Puerto Rico, grew up idolizing Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez and St. Louis Cardinals catcher and future Hall of Famer Yadier Molina, both of Puerto Rican descent.
The Gold Glove has been dominated by great catchers from the island of Puerto Rico. But the award extends beyond just those two. A new generation of Gold Glove winners from Puerto Rico has emerged, with Cleveland Indians catcher Roberto Perez taking home the award the last two seasons and Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonaldo winning it while a member of the Los Angeles Angels in 2017.
“I knowfor a fact that [Vazquez] takes it personally because Martin, he has a Gold Glove. Roberto has two,” said manager Alex Cora, who is also from Puerto Rico. “It’s a position that, since 1986 when Benito Santiago got called up with the Padres, we’ve been so consistent behind the plate, and wehad so many good ones. And he wants to be in the conversation, too. Sometimes those awards are hard to come by. Hopefully, people can recognize him this year. And he can get one. I know he wants one.”
This year is just Vazquez’s third season as the Sox’ full-time catcher. The Sox have shifted their collective organizational thinking since chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom took over for former president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski in fall 2019. With that comes roster turnover — particularly to the pitching side. Bloom leans heavily on depth across the roster, and at the catching spot, it’s imperative for Vazquez to know all of his pitchers. Vazquez has used this spring as the beginning piece of that process.
“I try to see them first in bullpens,” Vazquez said, “see their actions, their pitches. Then if I I have any questions I go to the video guys and they can send me some stuff. We have a great staff of
Cora takes fresh approaches to defense
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Red Sox coach Carlos Febles used a pitching machine like an artist late Friday morning, adjusting the angle so he could fire baseballs at infielders to simulate throws coming to a base.
It was a way to practice slapping down a quick tag and Febles had the machine on high, the ball coming in so hot that Bobby Dalbec missed three in a row.
A few feet away on Field 3, another coach was throwing balls in the dirt near first base so Yairo Munoz could work on scooping them up.
A series of small orange cones were lined up near second base as middle infielders worked on their footwork approaching groundballs.
There were 15 players on the field between the three stations and the pace was fast.
Manager Alex Cora said later it was the best day the team has had so far in spring training.
Catching up with Varitek: Jason Varitek, the catching coach, became a catcher again when he put the gear on to catch in the bullpen. The Sox employ Mani Martinez and Mike Brenly as bullpen catchers but with so many pitchers throwing, they needed an extra hand. Or, more precisely, an extra glove. “It was cool to see him behind the plate,” Cora said. “The willingness to do anything for us, that’s what makes him special.”
Sawamura on the way: The Red Sox added righthander Hirokazu Sawamura to the roster on Feb. 16. He remains in Tokyo and is going through a throwing program as he waits for a travel visa. Cora predicted Sawamura would arrive within a week. ... The Red Sox hope to activate Kevin Plawecki off the COVID-19 related injured list soon. Getting cleared requires some extra steps. Franchy Cordero, who is also on the COVIDlist, is asymptomatic and is getting closer to his return. analytics and they have all the information I need and that we’ll need in the season. They’re going to make my job easier behind the plate catching games.”
If you ask Vazquez, he wants to catch every game, which is part of the reason he shed the pounds. Cora will challenge him, much like he did during the 201819 season, but also expressed that the team will take care of him behind the plate. Nevertheless, that won’t change Vazquez’s outlook whenit comes to being available for his team. In an age when teams try to manage their catchers’ workloads, Vazquez prefers the old-school approach.
“I take pride in going to the ballpark and being in the lineup every day,” Vazquez said. “I like to be on the field. I need to be dead to be on the end of the bench.”