They enter this year with the following five guys on their 40-man roster (according to: http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/roster/_/name/bos/boston-red-sox).
61 Dan Butler C R R 27 5-10 210 Phoenix, AZ N/A
20 Ryan Lavarnway C R R 26 6-4 240 Burbank, CA N/A
40 A.J. Pierzynski C L R 37 6-3 235 Bridgehampton, NY $7,500,000
3 David Ross C R R 36 6-2 230 Bainbridge, GA $3,100,000
79 Christian Vazquez C R R 23 5-9 195 Bayamon, Puerto Rico N/A
Their 2 main catchers are Ross and Pierzynski. Ross is a very good defensive catcher who played well in the World Series. Pierzynski is still an above-average hitter, and they make a nice L-R combo behind the plate.
But they're old. 36 and 37 years old, respectively. They are not the future.
Many of us thought that Lavarnway was the future behind the plate. Good power, and improving defensive skills, it does appear that he has lost the confidence of Sox' brass to be behind the plate. He's played some at 1b this spring, which may simply be to improve his chances of being a MLB contributor (if you can play multiple positions, that's a good thing), but the reality is that they seem disinclined to pursue Lavarnway as a catching option.
See here for an interesting article on that: https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/03/04/ryan-lavarnway-taking-first-steps-first-base/hW5jT5pZbEkHpFXzY7uuJN/story.html
I don't know much about Dan Butler, but at 27, I can't see him being the future behind the plate either. Although he did have a pretty good year in AAA in 2013: .262/.350/.479/.829, with 14 homers in just 282 at-bats. So he has a little pop and might end up being useful.
The future appears to be Vazquez and Swihart.
Vazquez (2013): 345 ab, 5 hr, 48 rbi, .287/.375/.391/.766, and is a tremendous defensive catcher with a cannon for an arm. 23 yrs old.
Swihart (2013): 376 ab, 2 hr, 42 rbi, .298/.366/.428/.794, and is solid behind the plate. 21 yrs old.
Each has tremendous upside. The question is when will they be ready for the majors? Vazquez' defensive ability may make him ready to go as soon as 2015. Swihart is further behind. Could the Sox go with Ross and Pierzynski this year, and then Vazquez and another veteran (re-sign Pierzynski?) in 2015, with the idea being Vazquez and Swihart starting in 2016? And what of Lavarnway?
61 Dan Butler C R R 27 5-10 210 Phoenix, AZ N/A
20 Ryan Lavarnway C R R 26 6-4 240 Burbank, CA N/A
40 A.J. Pierzynski C L R 37 6-3 235 Bridgehampton, NY $7,500,000
3 David Ross C R R 36 6-2 230 Bainbridge, GA $3,100,000
79 Christian Vazquez C R R 23 5-9 195 Bayamon, Puerto Rico N/A
Their 2 main catchers are Ross and Pierzynski. Ross is a very good defensive catcher who played well in the World Series. Pierzynski is still an above-average hitter, and they make a nice L-R combo behind the plate.
But they're old. 36 and 37 years old, respectively. They are not the future.
Many of us thought that Lavarnway was the future behind the plate. Good power, and improving defensive skills, it does appear that he has lost the confidence of Sox' brass to be behind the plate. He's played some at 1b this spring, which may simply be to improve his chances of being a MLB contributor (if you can play multiple positions, that's a good thing), but the reality is that they seem disinclined to pursue Lavarnway as a catching option.
See here for an interesting article on that: https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2014/03/04/ryan-lavarnway-taking-first-steps-first-base/hW5jT5pZbEkHpFXzY7uuJN/story.html
I don't know much about Dan Butler, but at 27, I can't see him being the future behind the plate either. Although he did have a pretty good year in AAA in 2013: .262/.350/.479/.829, with 14 homers in just 282 at-bats. So he has a little pop and might end up being useful.
The future appears to be Vazquez and Swihart.
Vazquez (2013): 345 ab, 5 hr, 48 rbi, .287/.375/.391/.766, and is a tremendous defensive catcher with a cannon for an arm. 23 yrs old.
Swihart (2013): 376 ab, 2 hr, 42 rbi, .298/.366/.428/.794, and is solid behind the plate. 21 yrs old.
Each has tremendous upside. The question is when will they be ready for the majors? Vazquez' defensive ability may make him ready to go as soon as 2015. Swihart is further behind. Could the Sox go with Ross and Pierzynski this year, and then Vazquez and another veteran (re-sign Pierzynski?) in 2015, with the idea being Vazquez and Swihart starting in 2016? And what of Lavarnway?