Who Will Win the Postseason Playing Time Battle at Catcher for the Twins?

[Hunter McCall]

With the 2024 postseason fast approaching, how should the Twins handle catching duties in the playoffs--assuming they get there?

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

When the Twins won the AL Central Division and secured a trip to the playoffs in 2023, there was no debate on who should handle the catching duties as the calendar changed to October. Although Christian Vázquez got the big offseason contract and was a better defender, his .598 OPS was unplayable compared to Ryan Jeffers’s .859--especially as the latter surged through the later months of the season, posting a second-half OPS of .928. Almost a year later, there’s a much more competitive battle between the two for who gets to be the backstop come October, should the Twins punch their ticket again.

As was the case in the 2023 campaign, Vázquez has been a far better defensive catcher than Jeffers. While Vázquez ranks in the 90th percentile in Fielding Run Value, according to StatCast, Jeffers is in the 8th percentile. In terms of Defensive Runs Saved (DRS), Vázquez leads the Twins with +9, while Jeffers comes in third-to-last, with -8. The difference between the two defensively is as extreme as in 2023. Last year, the Twins could look past the defensive disparity, because Jeffers’s bat was a weapon the team couldn’t afford to remove from the lineup, especially compared to how abysmal Vázquez’s bat was. Is that still the case in 2024?

Vázquez had a shaky start to the season, which skews his season-long numbers. On the season, he’s hitting .231/.258/.355. However, since the All-Star break, he boasts a .333/.368/.524 slash line. Vázquez has made some necessary adjustments at the plate to help with his timing, such as adding a toe tap into his load, which has helped him come on strong since the weather began to warm. Although Vázquez doesn't possess the same "home run at any moment" power that Jeffers does, he has found ample ways to help the Twins at the plate over the last couple of months.

Jeffers hasn’t been a slouch at the plate, but he’s been very streaky throughout the season. The good news is that he appears to be on the rise at the moment. After posting a .470 OPS in June and a .645 OPS in July, Jeffers has posted a very nice .925 OPS in August. When things are going well for Jeffers, he’s a weapon for the Twins. Having a catcher with the skills to hit in the middle of the lineup is a luxury not many teams have. Unfortunately, when things aren’t going well at the plate, the team has to deal with a bad defensive catcher who also can’t hit. As the postseason approaches, if Jeffers can show some consistency, it will be difficult for the Twins to deny his bat, even if Vázquez continues hitting the way he has been.

The Twins have a tough decision, but having this problem is a good thing. Many teams in MLB can’t find one valuable catcher, let alone two. Both guys have provided value to the team. Jeffers has a 1.9 fWAR, compared to Vazquez's 1.1. The best move for the team is to wait until the playoffs and go with the hot hand. If both guys continue to hit the ball well, they could split duties, as they have throughout the regular season. If the team is healthy, it is unlikely that the DH spot will be available for the Twins to play both, but whoever isn't playing would make an excellent pinch-hitting option off the bench. Both guys have something to bring to the table that makes them valuable to the team in October. It should be a fun situation to keep an eye on during the final month of the regular season.

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If the postseason started today, who would you pencil into the catcher's spot for the first game? Let me know in the comments! Go, Twins!

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[Whitey333]

Wow tough question.  First with the way the Twins are playing it is very possible they won't make the playoffs making the catching question irrelevant.  Plus Rocco will probably have them both scheduled for a day off for the first playoff game lol. I like Jeffers but I sure wish he played better defense.  He has trouble with passed balls and not blocking bad pitches.  The Twins as a whole give up way too many stolen bases.

[mikelink45]

I go Jeffers.  The playoffs demand concentration and that often brings our the best in a player.  I think Jeffers will rise to the occasion. 

[chpettit19]

They'll start Vazquez game 1, Jeffers game 2, and then repeat until they're out of games to play.

[Craig Arko]

This may be even below the least of my concerns with this team.

[LambchoP]

We have to GET to the playoffs first. 

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

They'll start Vazquez game 1, Jeffers game 2, and then repeat until they're out of games to play.

This would be my decision. The rotation should continue but I expect it to be Jeffers followed by Vazquez.

This is a poll type question.

[Patzky]

36 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

We have to GET to the playoffs first. 

Cue Jim Mora.

[dberthia]

Isn't this more like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?

[Doctor Gast]

I disagreed with the Twins' decision to go with Jeffers over Vazquez. In my book catching defense trumps offense (this isn't 1B) plus World Series Championship experience trumps everything.

He stayed with Boston into the 2022 season, highlighted by being part of the 2018 World Series championship team. Vázquez was traded to the Astros during the 2022 season, and helped Houston win the World Series later that year. He caught the Astros' combined no-hitter in Game 4 of the World Series.

Players react differently to the postseason. One gets up, the other freezes. With Vazquez's superiority in defense and his leadership from postseason triumphs, he couldn't do much worse than Jeffers regarding his offense. Going with Jeffers in the postseason over Vazquez IMO was a slap in the face. 

Going into this postseason I'd go with both but lead-off with Vazquez.

[Karbo]

Until the league adopts a robo-ump Vasky is by far a better defensive player. Jeffers is bad at framing, and lately teams are running at will against him. As a sidenote, next spring the coaches really need to work more with the pitchers to hold runners better.

[HarmonK03]

4 hours ago, Karbo said:

Until the league adopts a robo-ump Vasky is by far a better defensive player. Jeffers is bad at framing, and lately teams are running at will against him. As a sidenote, next spring the coaches really need to work more with the pitchers to hold runners better.

Actually the numbers say they are pretty equal in getting run on-Vasqy has thrown out 9 of 53 runners-17%, Jeffers has thrown out 8 of 55 runners-15%.  The pitchers need to hold runners on, but the organizational philosophy is that stolen bases are not important in the analytics world so they don't emphasize holding runners on or to steal bases on offense.  So the criticism of Jeffers I think is not completely fair.

[insagt1]

Jeffers is in that camp I don't like much...that is HR or strikeout. The K's are very damaging.

Vazquez is probably better defensively and he can hit a bit. My guess like many here says Rocco platoons them. Twins are no lock to make post season...unless they wake up pretty soon

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, karcherd said:

The pitchers need to hold runners on

Correct, Twins pitchers allow baserunners to get HUGE jumps.

[DJL44]

This article is about a month too early.

[USAFChief]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Correct, Twins pitchers allow baserunners to get HUGE jumps.

The Twins don't really have pitchers hold runners beyond a token toss once in a while,

 

they don't have pitchers use slide steps,

catchers set up to receive pitches, not to throw out runners,

 

and I'm pretty sure they haven't pitched out even once in Rocco's tenure.

 

They have decided, for better or worse, that concentrating on the hitter and ignoring runners is beneficial. 

If the concern is controlling the running game, it doesn't matter which catcher is in the game. 

Neither will. By design. 

[Twins GFP]

8 hours ago, Craig Arko said:

This may be even below the least of my concerns with this team.

You beat me to it.  The Twins catchers is basically top 3 in baseball this year offensively (among teams catching positions).  Why would they do anything different then what they have been doing? 

[JD-TWINS]

6 hours ago, karcherd said:

Actually the numbers say they are pretty equal in getting run on-Vasqy has thrown out 9 of 53 runners-17%, Jeffers has thrown out 8 of 55 runners-15%.  The pitchers need to hold runners on, but the organizational philosophy is that stolen bases are not important in the analytics world so they don't emphasize holding runners on or to steal bases on offense.  So the criticism of Jeffers I think is not completely fair.

It’s about blocking balls and keeping pitches in front of you, as a catcher. Vazquez is superior.

I think it may come down to whom the organization want each guy to hit against (history, LH v. RH, etc.) ……they’ll both play unless Vazquez regresses deeply in September……who starts the first game doesn’t really matter in the play-offs as each game is essentially a must.

[bean5302]

It's always interesting watching how people explain phenomenon.

Vazquez is a poor hitter who had even worse luck out of the gate. His luck is reversing. It's not like he's hitting balls harder or something. The "toe tap" might have helped a little, but it hasn't changed him.

Jeffers is an average hitter who had things really go his way out of the gate. He's definitely changed his approach in a manner similar to Larnach. Swinging more than ever has cost him a 30% reduction in walks, but Jeffers is making dramatically more contact high in the zone. Overall, he's an improved hitter.

[gman]

Right now I'm thinking they split the time equally. Half of nothing is still nothing.

[ashbury]

Last year's postseason catching choice was a mistake.  I hope they don't repeat it.*

 

* No, I don't hope they fail to reach the postseason.

[RpR]

IF he Twins get to the Postseason, Vazquez will see the most time behind he plate.

[MGM4706]

Jeffers!!

Vasquez has far too many "Half-Swings" & weak roll overs on breaking balls. Automatic outs. He needs to at least have a full swing in case he hits it!

[LA Vikes Fan]

On 8/29/2024 at 11:34 AM, DJL44 said:

Correct, Twins pitchers allow baserunners to get HUGE jumps.

I think that is part of the price we're playing 3 rookies in the rotation. Holding runners on is a skill that develops over time. 

[Riverbrian]

My prediction is that if Ryan Jeffers is healthy. He will get the majority of playing time. If not all playing time in the playoffs.