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2016 AL East Rankings by Position: Catcher

By Nate Wardle

Jun 20, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin (55) is unable to tag out Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13 ) during the sixth inning in a game at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 20, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin (55) is unable to tag out Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado (13 ) during the sixth inning in a game at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 18, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart (23) throws away a ball that got past him and allowed Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin (55) to score from third base in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 18, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart (23) throws away a ball that got past him and allowed Toronto Blue Jays catcher Russell Martin (55) to score from third base in the sixth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Boston Red Sox – Blake Swihart, Ryan Hanigan, Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon

Speaking of teams going young, the Red Sox planned on that until Christian Vazquez got hurt last year toward the end of Spring Training. He is expected to be ready to start Spring Training in 2016, but likely won’t be 100 percent to start the season. That leaves the starting job in the more than capable hands of Blake Swihart. It is a shame Swihart is so low, as he is only 23 years old and has a lot of promise.

Swihart hit over .270 last season, despite only having five home runs in 83 games. So while he won’t be a power hitter, Swihart will be a solid contributor with the bat.  His catching last season was a bit below league average, but that is not too surprising for such a young player. I expect him to be the main starter for the Red Sox, with Hanigan also seeing a lot of time.

Hanigan has a reputation of being a defensive catcher, but he did see better offense numbers in 2015. He will likely see around 40-50 starts again in 2016, unless he is supplanted by Leon, as I anticipate the Red Sox letting Vazquez get healthy and spend most of the year in AAA. Sandy Leon is a guy who is most certainly not known for his defense, but is known to provide some pop at the plate.

Next: Whose at catcher?

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