Comments on: The Exceptional Framing of Christian Vazquez

By: Dustin Palmateer

Dustin Palmateer — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 19:06:23 +0000

I guess my point here is: why would Boston start the season with Swihart if they knew his defense was going to be so costly they’d have to switch to Vazquez just a week or two into the season? Why not either go with Vazquez right away (if he was ready) or let Hanigan start and sign/call-up a backup type until Vazquez was ready? Why mess with Swihart’s development by sending him down so early?

And I actually think it’s a good move, and agree that Vazquez makes the team better right now. I just wouldn’t have had Swihart start the season as the everyday catcher before playing six games then being demoted.

By: Dustin Palmateer

Dustin Palmateer — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 19:01:30 +0000

Agree with your general point that it’s hard to find good comparisons, but I still think there are subtle signals in each GIF that point toward Vazquez’s superiority. But maybe we’ll give this another review when Swihart gets more major-league reps behind the dish.

By: Laocoon

Laocoon — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 12:39:17 +0000

All of this talk of “bad process” is hooey. While this move might have come as a surprise to the general public, it’s a certainty that it didn’t surprise any of the principals involved. Swihart knew his defense was costing the Red Sox, even if many fans and commenters want to gloss over his defensive deficiencies. Given Hannigan’s contract status and Vazquez’s rehab timetable, Swihart had to know a demotion was a possibility, something management likely made sure he was aware of. Vazquez makes the Red Sox a better team today. Swihart learning some defensive versatility doesn’t tank his value, it increases it. The teeth gnashing over this roster move is misguided.

By: jwbbslo

jwbbslo — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 01:18:37 +0000

The problem,as you stated, is that is is difficult to find identical pitches for comparison. MGL is correct on the 1st pitch & the 2nd pitch to Swihart is in the opposite batter’s box & the pitch to Vasquez is a near strike. On the 3rd example, the breaking ball to Swihart is loopy & clearly a ball out of the pitcher’s hand & the breaking ball to Vasquez has much less break. Just proves your point on the difficulty of comparison. Probably not enough data(based on theses 3 video comparisons) to differentiate between Swihart & Vasquez.
JW

By: Dustin Palmateer

Dustin Palmateer — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 23:32:48 +0000

MGL,

That’s fair. One thing that limited me somewhat is that I was trying to find pitches in very much the same location, and when I was doing this, Vazquez had only caught two games so far this year. So there wasn’t much to choose from.

I still think there are a couple of subtle things in the first two that separate them, but you’re right that Swihart looks mostly fine in those two. I did note after the first pair of pitches that this is more Vazquez being really good than it is Swihart being demonstrably bad.

But good points anyway, and thanks for the comment.

By: MGL

MGL — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 21:21:52 +0000

I don’t doubt that Vasquez is the much better framer and the last GIF is a good example, but to be honest:

Swihart looks very good in the first two GIF’s.

In the first pair, the pitch with Vazquez is ever so slightly lower which makes all the difference in the world, because umpire strike zones are rounded at the corners.

In the second pair, the reason that Swihart doesn’t get the call and Vazquez does is because of the movement of the pitches. With Swihart, the pitcher is a righty with arm-side movement on his fastball which cases the pitch to break around the plate even though both pitches end up in the same location.