The Boston Red Sox have several candidates to join the American League All-Star team in Los Angeles, but Christian Vázquez is not typically one of the first players to come to mind.
However, Vázquez, who just ended a 10-game hitting streak, has a serious case to join the roster as a reserve option.
“Among AL catchers with at least 200 plate appearances, Christian Vázquez is third in OPS (.756), third in weighted runs created plus (112), fourth in WAR 1.1 and third in runners caught stealing (11),” The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham tweeted Wednesday. “Has a pretty good case for the All-Star team.”
On the season, the backstop is hitting .290 with 15 doubles, four home runs and 31 RBIs in 63 games. Vázquez finished in fifth place of the first phase of All-Star fan voting with 199,010 tallies. He trailed Toronto Blue Jays’ Alejandro Kirk and New York Yankees’ Jose Trevino, who are the finalists to start at the position. Kansas City Royals’ Salvador Perez and Houston Astros’ Martin Maldonado did not make it to Phase 2 but did record more votes than Vázquez.
The Red Sox catcher has not stopped hitting, and his case to make the roster is stronger than it was when Phase 1 ended June 29. This could be the year Vázquez finally gets to attend a Midsummer Classic.
