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Boston Red Sox: Blake Swihart’s Demotion Creates More Opportunities

By Nick Fustor

Sep 29, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart (23) rounds the bases on his two run home run during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Boston Red Sox won 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 29, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart (23) rounds the bases on his two run home run during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Boston Red Sox won 10-4. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Red Sox have demoted Blake Swihart, and may be considering a position change for their highly regarded catcher.

The decision made over the weekend by the Boston Red Sox to demote touted catcher Blake Swihart to the minor leagues while bringing Christian Vazquez back up to the major league roster has come with plenty of controversy.

While it may be best for Swihart to continue progressing as a hitter in the majors, gaining more experience behind the plate can yield great results.  But the Red Sox seem to think Vazquez has a very bright future as the team’s catcher, so Swihart will begin taking reps in left field with Triple-A Pawtucket, per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe.

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The transition to the outfield may be necessary given the struggles of Rusney Castillo in the past two seasons, and Swihart may get acclimated to the new position rather quickly.  Before becoming a top prospect in the Red Sox system, Swihart began his career as a third baseman and outfielder – so his jump back to left field could go relatively smooth.

After hitting .274/.319/.392 in just 84 games last season, the Sox were plenty pleased with Swihart’s success in the majors after only playing in Triple-A for 38 total games between two seasons.  Given that Brock Holt is currently the every day left fielder for the team, Swihart can take on a role like Kyle Schwarber did with the Chicago Cubs last season and jump between catcher and the outfield.

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    • While Swihart’s potentially potent bat is more valuable behind the plate, Vazquez seems to have made strides in his hitting while recovering from Tommy John Surgery.  In 55 games with Boston in 2014, Vazquez hit .240 with a .617 OPS and 20 RBI – but since his return from Tommy John this season, the 25-year-old looks like rejuvenated at the plate.

    During five games in Triple-A this season, Vazquez managed a .462/.650/.538 slash line with a 35 percent walk rate – and since he was promoted to the majors, he’s gone 3-for-7 with two runs scored.  Sure, it’s a ridiculously small sample size – but with Swihart gunning for his job back, a little extra motivation can push Vazquez over the edge.

    Arguably the biggest reason Vazquez was promoted so quickly, though, is his defense.  While he’s never been regarded as a top prospect, his defensive skills kept him in the conversation as one of the best players in the Red Sox farm system.  In 458.1 innings in 2014, Vazquez managed a 5 DRS while also throwing out 15 runners attempting to steal.

    Swihart, on the other hand, has a long way to go in order to catch up to Vazquez defensively.  Although the 24-year-old hasn’t been bad behind the plate, his -9 DRS in 2015 is considerably worse than what Vazquez managed.  This season, Swihart infamously botched the catch on a foul ball in a game against the Baltimore Orioles, which led to a home run from Mark Trumbo just a few pitches later.

    Despite his defensive miscues, Swihart is among the most athletic catchers in the game.  Case in point, here.

    With more seasoning behind the plate, Swihart can become a potentially elite backstop for years to come.

    For now, though, much of his fate will rely on the success of the current Red Sox outfield, most notably Castillo and Holt.  In an ideal world, Holt would be back to playing every position around the field and Castillo would be, at the very least, a platoon partner with Chris Young.  If Swihart manages to play solid on the outfield and get hot at the plate, a call-up within the next month wouldn’t be out of the question.

    Before the team moved Hanley Ramirez to first base, there was talk that Swihart would be moved there upon Vazquez’ return – and while that’s not out of the question, Ramirez and his exorbitant contract will likely be at first base for at least this season.

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    The Sox have stressed that keeping Swihart as a full-time catcher is their priority, but with Vazquez in the mix it and Castillo’s struggles, it seems as if Swihart’s best path to stardom with Boston is as an outfielder.

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