Vazquez feels good, ready to battle for spot
FORT MYERS — Freshly called up from the minor leagues to make his major league debut and replace A.J. Pierzynski as the Red Sox new starting catcher, Christian Vazquez was stuck trying to hit against Chris Sale.
Sale retired Vazquez all three times up to bat on July 9, 2014, but Vazquez went on to have a solid rookie season, hitting .240 while earning strong reviews from the pitching staff and throwing out an eye-popping 53 percent (15-for-29) of would-be base-stealers.
Yesterday, Vazquez arrived at the Red Sox spring training facilities hoping to return to his 2014 form so he can earn a spot on the 25-man roster and have a chance to catch the pitcher he faced in his major league debut.
“Be me. Play hard. Be consistent,” Vazquez said after his first workout at JetBlue Park. “That’s the goal.”
Sandy Leon currently is the expected starting catcher, assuming he has a strong and healthy camp, while the Sox purposely moved Blake Swihart back to the catcher position after asking him to learn outfield last summer.
Without David Ortiz to solidify the lineup, the Red Sox could be looking for more of an offensive presence from the catcher position, even though defense has been the priority in recent years.
Vazquez and Leon are both out of options, so Vazquez will likely need a strong camp to make his case for the Red Sox to option Swihart, move Swihart yet again to a new position or carry three catchers, assuming all three are healthy. The Sox could always decide to trade from the position, but it’s never easy to get full value on players in spring training.
All three catchers are now in camp, with Vazquez the last to arrive after he spent most of the winter competing in Puerto Rico in the Liga de Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente.
He hit just .237 with a .653 OPS during 28 regularseason games. But in the postseason, Vazquez carried his team, Cangrejeros de Santurce, with a .405 average while leading all hitters with six extra-base hits (four doubles, two triples). Santurce lost to Caguas, 5-4, in a nine-game series to finish the playoffs.
“Swing feels great,” Vazquez said. “I was hitting good in Puerto Rico, so I’m feeling great.”
The 26-year-old hit .227 with a .585 OPS in 184 plate appearances for the Sox last year, his first after Tommy John surgery. His rocket arm might have taken a step back, as he threw out 35 percent (8-for-23) of attempted base-stealers.
“My arm is back. It feels great. It feels strong,” Vazquez said. “It felt 100 percent last fall, the last couple games of the season.”
Good Price on Sale
David Price said he’s known Sale for a while, before the trade from the White Sox, and believes he will quickly adjust to pitching at Fenway Park, where the newcomer has a career 3.63 ERA in 2 21⁄2 innings.
“He induces a lot of weak contact,” Price said. But pitching at Fenway is “going to affect him at some point, absolutely. There’s going to be a pop-up that goes off the wall or over the Monster at some point for sure in his tenure at Fenway. But it’s not something you think about. You’re definitely aware of it, but before you throw your pitch, you’re not thinking about the Monster.”
Price also offered enthusiasm for the return of Pablo Sandoval, who missed almost all of the 2016 season and has yet to arrive in camp.
“I know he’s worked hard this offseason,” Price said. “I talked to him quite a few times and he’s ready to go.”
In the works
Carlos Quentin hasn’t taken a major league at-bat since 2014, but it appears the former All-Star outfielder is making an attempt at a comeback.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, Quentin’s attempt will be in a Sox uniform. Quentin is reportedly in agreement to sign a deal with the Red Sox. It would likely be a minor league deal that allows the Sox to take a look at the 34-year-old in spring training.
Quentin is a lifetime .252 hitter with an .831 OPS and last made an All-Star team in 2011 while still with the White Sox.