How Christian Vázquez Has Provided Value to the Twins

[Hunter McCall]

Despite a slow start at the plate, Christian Vázquez has still found a way to provide value to the surging Twins.

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports

Christian Vázquez would likely be the first to tell you his 2024 season hasn’t started as he would’ve liked. After posting a .598 OPS in 2023, Vázquez went to Driveline looking to improve bat speed and even shaved off a few pounds in preparation for a better 2024. To this point, that glorious future hasn’t materialized at the plate, as he currently sits with a .459 OPS. However, despite his shortcomings with the stick, Vázquez has made the Twins a better team, and it shouldn't go unnoticed.

The defensive gap between Vázquez and Ryan Jeffers in 2023 was minimal. While Vázquez was better in the Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) department (3 for Vázquez, 1 for Jeffers), Jeffers had a much better Catcher ERA Runs Saved (rCERA), which refers to how well a catcher handles a pitching staff (Vázquez was -3, while Jeffers was +3). Not only did Jeffers have a better bat, but they didn’t lose much (if anything) when he was behind the plate.

Jeffers is on a tear at the plate, but less noticeably, Vázquez is on a tear behind the plate. So far this season, he is 11th in all of MLB in DRS, with 6. Maybe more importantly, Vázquez is fourth among all catchers in rCERA (+2). When he catches, Vázquez calls the correct pitches in the right situations, and has helped Twins pitchers continue to be one of the better staffs in baseball. Additionally, he’s in the 84th percentile in pitch framing and the 86th percentile in caught stealing above average. Vázquez has been one of the best defensive catchers in almost every category this season.

Vázquez’s bat won’t stay this bad forever. His career .678 OPS isn’t great, but he’s a professional hitter who should see regression back toward that number. He’s been hitting the ball hard (91.1 MPH average exit velocity), and his expected numbers are much higher than reality, so hopefully, things will take a positive turn soon. If he shows any improvement at the plate and continues his elite-level defense, he could see much more playing time, especially with Rocco's willingness to use Jeffers in the DH spot.

Vázquez has taken his lumps when his turns in the lineup have come. The strikeout rate is high, the walk rate is low, and overall, it’s not gone as planned. The team and the fans shouldn't give up on him just yet. He’s made an impact behind the plate, and makes the pitching staff better when he catches. On top of all of that, he appears to be a great guy who brings positive energy to the clubhouse. If he can make adjustments at the plate and continue to be one of the top defensive catchers, he could be a valuable asset to the Twins as we approach the summer months.

View full article

[VivaBomboRivera!]

His offense is still under his career numbers, but he is contributing on both sides of the ball. Paired with Jeffers, the Twins are as strong at the 2 spot as any other ball club.

[Doctor Gast]

While many disagree in Twinsland, at catching, defense trumps offense. I remember in an interview with Corbin Burns which he says "It takes many months to develop a good working bond with a good catcher". Vazquez has put in the work to establish that & now we see the fruit of it. Thank you Hunter for bringing the importance of his defense to light. Like you said his batted balls will fall in but if it doesn't, his defense will carry him. In many ways he's valuable to the Twins.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I contend Vazquez has surely helped Jeffery become a better catcher. Thank you for writing this wonderful article and pointing out how valuable a good fielding, good framing, smart, experienced, encouraging, hard-working, hustling catcher can be to the pitching staff. I am a huge Vazquez/Jeffers fan. The catching position is critical to helping the pitching staff. Critical ! In fact, just like Falvey and Levine have morphed into "Falvine" , Vazquez and Jeffers have morphed into "Jeffquez". 

[CCHOF5yearstoolate]

20 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

While many disagree in Twinsland, at catching, defense trumps offense. I remember in an interview with Corbin Burns which he says "It takes many months to develop a good working bond with a good catcher". Vazquez has put in the work to establish that & now we see the fruit of it. Thank you Hunter for bringing the importance of his defense to light. Like you said his batted balls will fall in but if it doesn't, his defense will carry him. In many ways he's valuable to the Twins.

Not sure why this always needs to be some kind of divisive allegation. I think most people agree that defense is important, but if you're hitting like Jeff Mathis or Drew Butera you're going to have to save just as many runs as you leave on the field. Everyone groans when he steps up to the plate with runners on. 

The Twins are in a good situation where they can maintain playing playing time for Jeffers using the DH spot. If they had a slugger they wanted to use in that spot, I'd bet we would see more of Jeffers catching. 

[Hunter McCall]

48 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

I contend Vazquez has surely helped Jeffery become a better catcher. Thank you for writing this wonderful article and pointing out how valuable a good fielding, good framing, smart, experienced, encouraging, hard-working, hustling catcher can be to the pitching staff. I am a huge Vazquez/Jeffers fan. The catching position is critical to helping the pitching staff. Critical ! In fact, just like Falvey and Levine have morphed into "Falvine" , Vazquez and Jeffers have morphed into "Jeffquez". 

Jeffquez! I love it! Thank you for taking the time to read and comment!

[saviking]

57 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

While many disagree in Twinsland, at catching, defense trumps offense. I remember in an interview with Corbin Burns which he says "It takes many months to develop a good working bond with a good catcher". Vazquez has put in the work to establish that & now we see the fruit of it. Thank you Hunter for bringing the importance of his defense to light. Like you said his batted balls will fall in but if it doesn't, his defense will carry him. In many ways he's valuable to the Twins.

Correct. On the defensive side, his ability to manage the pitchers and call the game affects every pitcher on the mound's performance, not just throwing out runners or not committing errors. So, he has good value ...

But I do like me a good hitting catcher when you can catch one ..

[VivaBomboRivera!]

11 minutes ago, saviking said:

But I do like me a good hitting catcher when you can catch one

That's what we have Jeffers for.  Never would have imagined when he first came up in 2020 that he would mature into this monster at the plate.

[DJL44]

People talk about Vazquez influence on Jeffers but I wonder about his influence on Pete Maki.

[arby58]

It probably also helps Jeffers offense that he doesn't have to spend so much time behind the plate. Catching is grueling work, and your hands (which are pretty important for hitting) take a beating. That Joe Mauer was able to catch for a decade and put up the offensive numbers he did is not normal for a catcher.

[JD-TWINS]

Keeping Jeffers fresh and able to hit much more often is a big value!

Guiding pitchers and throwing guys out is a big value!

Providing depth & experience just in case something happens to Jeffers health is a big value!

If he hits .220 and his OPS is only .575 I’ll take it combined with the other positives.

Good to point out his value, thanks, as many think he should go away.

[TwinsDr2021]

IMO, Vazquez value comes (at this time) from how Jeffers performs, if Jeffers is hitting like he is than Vazquez is more valuable, if Jeffers is not hitting and Vazquez continues to not than his value isn't as high or could possibly is negative. With that said I hope Jeffers continue to crush it and Vazquez continues to crush the defense and his bat get back to at least last year.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, JD-TWINS said:

Good to point out his value, thanks, as many think he should go away.

I like Vazquez. He's still a good defender and clearly worth a major league roster spot. That said, the Twins are not getting $10M worth of value from him.

[bean5302]

Vazquez has provided value in the same way a AA or AAA catcher promoted to MLB would technically provide value. He's a black hole at the plate, but average-ish defensively. 

[Schmoeman5]

3 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

While many disagree in Twinsland, at catching, defense trumps offense. I remember in an interview with Corbin Burns which he says "It takes many months to develop a good working bond with a good catcher". Vazquez has put in the work to establish that & now we see the fruit of it. Thank you Hunter for bringing the importance of his defense to light. Like you said his batted balls will fall in but if it doesn't, his defense will carry him. In many ways he's valuable to the Twins.

 

3 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

While many disagree in Twinsland, at catching, defense trumps offense. I remember in an interview with Corbin Burns which he says "It takes many months to develop a good working bond with a good catcher". Vazquez has put in the work to establish that & now we see the fruit of it. Thank you Hunter for bringing the importance of his defense to light. Like you said his batted balls will fall in but if it doesn't, his defense will carry him. In many ways he's valuable to the Twins.

So you don't think all teams aren't looking at the same defensive metrics. If catching defense trumps offense the Twins or any team would use that to their advantage. Vasquez gets roughly half of the catching duties. If you let him catch 110 or so like you advocate, do you think his numbers might slip due to wear and tear? You've been beating this drum for a long time. Time to play the B side.

[Blyleven2011]

Defense is the game ...

If your very good at  defense you have a position on this team , for a few years Kepler was lost at the plate and everyone wanted him gone and twins stuck with him ...

Vazquez has good skills behind the plate and a good repertoire with the pitchers , yes I wish he would hit better , I'll take his defense over his hitting ...

Catching is the most important position of the team , or it used to be , catchers  called the game , positioned players in the field  , but today it's more of the dugout that has the control of the game  , so it seems ...

Vazquez is a decent defensive catcher ...

Nice to hear he went to driveline over the winter to try and improve his game  , so those that don't like Vazquez  should be a little more positive that Vazquez is a  team player ...

[Hunter McCall]

37 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Vazquez has provided value in the same way a AA or AAA catcher promoted to MLB would technically provide value. He's a black hole at the plate, but average-ish defensively. 

But... I just laid out that he's not average-ish defensively... He's been really good... That's the whole point.

[TwinsDr2021]

39 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Defense is the game ...

 

Defense is part of the game, not the game IMO.

If you put 8 guys on the field that played defense like Vazquez and hit like him how would that team perform?

Like I said above Vazquez value mostly comes from how well Jeffers is playing, because if Jeffers was hitting like Rortvedt prior to this year we would be screaming about how the Twins catcher duo is bringing the team down. So we should all be hoping Jeffers continues to play this way.

[bean5302]

38 minutes ago, Hunter McCall said:

But... I just laid out that he's not average-ish defensively... He's been really good... That's the whole point.

+1 runs = 0.1 WAR. Let's put that into perspective.

Catcher blocking = +1 or 0.07 per game (ranks 19th BaseballSavant)
Blocks above average Easy +1, Medium +1, Tough -1
He's basically average-ish at blocking pitches/preventing wild pitches.

Caught stealing? 20%. MLB Average = 22%, and teams aren't holding back in trying. When it comes to catching runners at 2B, he's been good (not great) at 33% (Ranks 10th +2 BaseballSavant). The problem is he's missed catching a runner at 2B while runners at 3B were just waiting to steal home... and it's happened multiple times this year resulting directly in runs against the Twins.
He's basically average-ish at controlling the run game. His techniques are good (pop/transition), his arm is not.

Catcher framing he's again, average-ish. He's at +1 (ranks 18th BaseballSavant) or +1.8 (ranks 9th at Fangraphs), having a mix of better/worse than average zones. That's to be expected as Vazquez is short. Unexpectedly, he's not getting the low calls this year. Generally, tall catchers get the high calls, short catchers get the low calls (see Freddy Ferman). Catcher framing isn't particularly repeatable from year to year, either. A big component of catcher framing seems to be related to a catcher's physical size (height).
He's basically been better than average (not close to the top) at catcher framing if you consider it a skill or repeatable.

Game calling. I tend to not care for rCERA. It's not repeatable. Last year, Vazquez was -3 (one of the worst in MLB), this year +1 as of right now 12:01pm at 5/10/24 on Fangraphs.com, though Vazquez does appear to have a trend of being slightly above average. Of the 49 catchers who've caught at least 100 innings this year, Vazquez ranks 9th at +1. Except +1 is from 9th-19th. Meaning the difference between the 9th best catcher and the 19th best catcher is less than 1, which is less than 0.1 WAR. It's just not a relevant stat when it comes to evaluating player value because it doesn't move the needle at all.

Vazquez's minimal defensive value over an dead average catcher doesn't remotely offset his black hole production at the plate.

[sun]

If the Twins wanted a catcher that could hit better then they would have kept Turtle.

[Azviking101]

As long as Jeffers is starting 130 games a year which is what he’s or pace for then I’m fine the way they’re doing it right now 

 

Vázquez is better defensively than Jeffers. I think we can all agree that Jeffers should be playing catcher more often but right now with Buxton hurt and Lewis hurt and Wallner in the minors, who else is going to take up that time at DH? If Jeffers is at catcher more often right now, he’s likely playing less games overall so you’re getting the worse defensive catcher, less games with Jeffers and you’re really only replacing Vasquez with Margo, Kiriloff, Martin, or farmer (all brutal options right now)

 

Until the bench looks better Jeffers and Vázquez should be in the lineup as often as possible as long as Vázquez never DHs  

 

[DocBauer]

I've been a believer in Jeffers for some time. I saw good game handling, good handling of the pitchers, and a ton of offensive potential. When he struggled in 2021-22 he still flashed at times. And I kept saying to give it time, don't ignore the injuries and the limited number of AB/PA he had so far. I wasn't surprised when he broke out in 2023, and I'm not surprised how well he's continued to perform this year.

I do wish Vazquez brought more TO the plate, rather than just behind it. I'm disappointed he hasn't been able to just match his career averages, despite regular but balanced playing time that should keep him fresh. But he's been very good as a caller and receiver and blocker behind the plate. As someone else pointed out, his presence as a quality "backup" catcher allows Jeffers more time to stay fresh and productive and spend some time at DH as well.

I am wondering a bit if next year, only a single season left on his 3yr deal, if Vazquez might be enticing in a trade for someone? Would the Twins feel Camargo and or Winkel...Winkel clearly not ready just yet...would be a solid replacement at a much lower $ than Vazquez? I mean, going younger and cheaper with some offensive upside is appealing,  yes?

But then again, for all the talk about how much Vazquez is being paid, Jeffers isn't very expensive. You're getting a great mix of veteran and younger player, solid defense from both, great offense from one, for only a little over $12M. That's pretty affordable.

[arby58]

5 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I like Vazquez. He's still a good defender and clearly worth a major league roster spot. That said, the Twins are not getting $10M worth of value from him.

Baseball's salary structure is unique - they get absolutely 'killing it' value from Julien, Ober, Lewis (when healthy), SWR, etc., because of the early years pay scale. Thus, $10 million worth of value is different for veteran players when you are getting probably $10 million worth of value from a couple of those guys.

[jorgenswest]

I wonder if there are more unmeasured aspects to the catching than the other positions. Many successful teams have employed veteran catchers with pretty empty bats. Why? The Astros main catcher through much of their success could not hit. They won the World Series two years ago with the tandem of Maldonado and Vazquez. Neither was on the team for their bats. If you try to convert their measured defensive contribution into wins it really doesn’t appear to outweigh the deficit with the bat. There must be critical aspects of their contribution that goes unmeasured. This is the first year in many the Astros have not had one or even veteran catchers. Could it be part of their struggle this year?

I can’t back up the appreciation I have for Vazquez with data, but I don’t think for a moment he could be replaced by an average or even good minor league catcher. I believe he brings value to the team that is simply not captured very well by the data.

[Hunter McCall]

On 5/10/2024 at 12:15 PM, bean5302 said:

+1 runs = 0.1 WAR. Let's put that into perspective.

Catcher blocking = +1 or 0.07 per game (ranks 19th BaseballSavant)
Blocks above average Easy +1, Medium +1, Tough -1
He's basically average-ish at blocking pitches/preventing wild pitches.

Caught stealing? 20%. MLB Average = 22%, and teams aren't holding back in trying. When it comes to catching runners at 2B, he's been good (not great) at 33% (Ranks 10th +2 BaseballSavant). The problem is he's missed catching a runner at 2B while runners at 3B were just waiting to steal home... and it's happened multiple times this year resulting directly in runs against the Twins.
He's basically average-ish at controlling the run game. His techniques are good (pop/transition), his arm is not.

Catcher framing he's again, average-ish. He's at +1 (ranks 18th BaseballSavant) or +1.8 (ranks 9th at Fangraphs), having a mix of better/worse than average zones. That's to be expected as Vazquez is short. Unexpectedly, he's not getting the low calls this year. Generally, tall catchers get the high calls, short catchers get the low calls (see Freddy Ferman). Catcher framing isn't particularly repeatable from year to year, either. A big component of catcher framing seems to be related to a catcher's physical size (height).
He's basically been better than average (not close to the top) at catcher framing if you consider it a skill or repeatable.

Game calling. I tend to not care for rCERA. It's not repeatable. Last year, Vazquez was -3 (one of the worst in MLB), this year +1 as of right now 12:01pm at 5/10/24 on Fangraphs.com, though Vazquez does appear to have a trend of being slightly above average. Of the 49 catchers who've caught at least 100 innings this year, Vazquez ranks 9th at +1. Except +1 is from 9th-19th. Meaning the difference between the 9th best catcher and the 19th best catcher is less than 1, which is less than 0.1 WAR. It's just not a relevant stat when it comes to evaluating player value because it doesn't move the needle at all.

Vazquez's minimal defensive value over an dead average catcher doesn't remotely offset his black hole production at the plate.

He also has 7 DRS ranking 5th in all of MLB. He's also 7th in MLB in Def with 4.9. This is among all fielders. I understand the WAR is low but that's all attributed to how bad his bat has been. If he shows positive regression at the plate he could be a very valuable asset to the Twins down the stretch. Yes, he's average in some analytical categories but he's among the best in the league in others so I think it's justifiable to say he's better than just an average defensive catcher.

[MGM4706]

You may have a couple good points but Rocco needs to pinch hit for him in key situations which he seems to always be coming up in. In close games with runners in scoring position he has been pathetic. Hitting weak ground balls or hitting into double plays. Having an automatic out come up in those situations has hurt the Twins in many of their losing games!

[Mike Sixel]

Vazquez is 50th in fwar among catchers..... So, no. That includes his defense... Imagine if every player on the team hit like him... Yes, defense matters, but you have to score to win. 

[TwinsDr2021]

This article continues to not age well. Vazquez like farmer are black holes in the lineup.

[Mike Sixel]

52nd, negative fWAR. Negative.....

[USAFChief]

86 PAs of .175/.190/.213

 

Yeesh