BOSTON — Blake Swihart enters 2015 as the Red Sox’s top-ranked prospect. It’s both an honor and a hurdle.
While Swihart has all the tools to become an impactful major leaguer, the 22-year-old catcher also faces sky-high expectations. Some farmhands might shy away from such pressure, but Swihart is embracing the challenge of developing as a backstop amid national acclaim.
“There’s always going to be opportunities,” Swihart said Friday at the Red Sox Rookie Development Program at Harvard Stadium. “You’ve got to take them in stride and take advantage of them.”
Swihart’s first major league opportunity could come as soon as this season. He’s developed immensely as a player since being drafted 26th overall in 2011, and he’s now on the big league doorstep after reaching the Triple-A level in 2014. It’s been an impressive ascent, especially since Swihart wasn’t even a full-time catcher until he joined the organization.
“Just the knowledge of catching,” Swihart said Friday when asked what he’s learned defensively since being selected in the first round in 2011. “I was new when I first came in, and now that I’m more grown into it, I guess you could say, I’ve developed in an overall aspect.
“I know how to call pitches now, I know how to get chemistry with my other pitchers. That’s what it takes. Just get your chemistry going and get your feet wet and have things run smoothly.”
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of catching is learning a pitching staff. Swihart was forced to pull double duty last season in that regard, as he played at both Double-A and Triple-A at a time when several pitchers made their way through the system en route to major league call-ups.
“I’ve just got to talk to them, get to know them, build a relationship,” Swihart said of building a rapport with the Red Sox’s pitching staff if/when he arrives in The Show. “Once they trust me, then that’s when you know your relationship’s going places. That’s the biggest thing, is building that relationship and that chemistry with them so that I can gain their trust and their respect.”
Swihart, a switch-hitter, also made offensive strides last season. He hit .293 with 13 homers, 64 RBIs and an .810 OPS in 110 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. It’s possible Swihart could develop more power in time — the catcher bulked up to around 200 pounds last offseason after being drafted at 164 and has since added 13 or 14 more pounds this offseason — but there’s already plenty of reason for optimism.
“Each year, he’s become more refined in his entire game,” Red Sox director of player development Ben Crockett said Friday. “At the plate, it’s a lot about consistency, it’s a lot about staying within himself, staying with the approach he needs at the plate to be successful: attacking pitches.
“It’s something I think you saw improvement on over the course of the year in Double-A last year in terms of the pitches he was swinging at and the confidence he had in the box.”
Swihart’s confidence appears to be growing with each new experience in the Red Sox system. He’ll need to exhibit poise this season more than ever.
The pressure is high. Just like Swihart’s drive to succeed.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
