Boston Red Sox: Christian Vazquez the team MVP thus far
Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez went on a power display in the team’s 4-2 victory over the New York Mets Thursday night at Citi Field.
The New York Mets are tired of seeing Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez, who was every part of the team’s two game-sweep over that other New York team.
A night after helping the Red Sox end a four-game slide in a 6-5 victory, Vazquez continued to power his team offensively Thursday night by belting two home runs against Mets starter Steven Matz in the team’s 4-2 victory behind staring pitch Martin Perez.
With the lineup that the Boston Red Sox have, any offense out of one of the best defensive catchers in the game is a bonus.
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In the case of Christian Vazquez, it has been a season changer as the 29-year-old catcher has carried the Sox back to within one game of .500 and back to looking like a decent team, especially on the mound following back-to-back solid starts by Nathan Eovaldi and Perez.
By calling a good game behind the plate and delivering at the plate, Vazquez further symbolized the high praise he received following Wednesday night’s game as one of the most complete catchers in all MLB.
"“As a catcher, he’s really got to be up there at the top at what they do and the offensive part,” Red Sox manager Ron Reonicke said, as transcribed by NESN. “I know (Buster) Posey has always been one of those guys and (J.T.) Realmuto is one of those guys. And it used to be (Yadier) Molina. So Vazquez has put himself in a category with the best catchers. Defensively we know he does a good job. Offensively, last year, I thought he really stepped it up, showed us what he can do and he’s looking right now like he’s going to be that type of player again.”"
In leading the team with four home runs along with some clutch hits over the past two nights, Christian Vazquez is one of the players carrying the load while players like J.D. Martinez, Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts are off to slow starts.
Most impressively, it has been the timing of his hits. All of his home runs over the last two games have either tied the game or put the team ahead, which is the clutch factor he displayed during his offensive breakout season in 2019 in which he belted 23 homers and delivered 72 RBI.
In all, Christian Vazquez is displaying a veteran leadership that may just spark the 2020 Boston Red Sox into at least a competitive season, especially if he is able to help a starting pitching rotation in search of some consistency.
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It’s only been 7 games of a 60-game season, but the catcher who is displaying that he is the “complete package” is staking his claim as the team’s early season MVP who may have just single handedly saved a season from being a complete disaster.
Now, it’s on to the New York Yankees. Can Christian Vazquez continue his offensive surge in the Big Apple? Well, we shall see.