Christian Vázquez Stats
- Height / Weight
- 5' 9" / 205 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 8/21/1990 (33)
- Experience
- 9
- College
- None
Christian Vázquez Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Christian Vázquez News
Minnesota Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said on Saturday that he expects catchers Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez to split playing time close to evenly this year. The Twins signed Vazquez to a three-year, $30 million deal last winter, but the 33-year-old veteran had the worst season of his career, hitting .223 (73-for-327) with six homers and 32 RBI, while Jeffers batted .276 (79-for-286) with a career-high-tying 14 homers and 43 RBI. As a result, the 26-year-old Jeffers became the team's starting catcher for the postseason. Vazquez worked hard on his swing and body this offseason, but Jeffers earned more playing time with a strong second half in 2023. At this point, the younger Jeffers has more offensive upside, but with an even timeshare expected, neither catcher is all that attractive for two-catcher leagues in fantasy.
Minnesota Twins veteran catcher Christian Vazquez has improved bat speed and is more fit in spring training this year as he looks to bounce back from a disappointing 2023 season after signing a three-year, $30 million deal with the team in December of 2022. Ryan Jeffers took over the lead duties behind the dish over Vazquez later in the year when Vazquez slumped and finished with a .598 OPS in the worst season of his career. The 33-year-old struck out more than ever last year and had the second-lowest slugging percentage of his career. Vazquez got a late start to his offseason workouts last year after playing in the World Series in 2022 with the Astros, and he thinks the lack of preparation affected him in his first year in Minnesota. A bounce-back is possible, but it could be more difficult with Vazquez expected to split time evenly with Jeffers in 2024.
Minnesota Twins catcher Christian Vazquez is not in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the wild-card series on Wednesday against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Instead, Ryan Jeffers will catch right-hander Sonny Gray and bat eighth against Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios. Jeffers has started the first two games of the postseason behind the plate for the Twins and he went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in the Game 1 victory, which snapped an 18-game playoff losing streak for the Twins, dating back to 2004. Jeffers will be looking to turn things around against Berrios, as he's gone 0-for-5 against him in his career to this point with four strikeouts.
Batting Order
1 | Ryan Jeffers |
2 | Byron Buxton |
3 | Manuel Margot |
4 | Jose Miranda |
5 | Carlos Santana |
6 | Willi Castro |
7 | Christian Vázquez |
8 | Kyle Farmer |
9 | Austin Martin |
Christian Vázquez Stats
Last 10 Games
Batting Order
1 | Ryan Jeffers |
2 | Byron Buxton |
3 | Manuel Margot |
4 | Jose Miranda |
5 | Carlos Santana |
6 | Willi Castro |
7 | Christian Vázquez |
8 | Kyle Farmer |
9 | Austin Martin |
The emergence of Boston Red Sox catcherChristian Vazquezin 2019 has helped add some depth to a position that offers very little in fantasy. Vazquez didn't have any fantasy relevance until two years ago, when (at 28 years old) he hit 23 homers in 138 games with a solid .276/.320/.477 slash line. Any concerns that 2019 was a fluke year were muted after a very similar statistical year in the shortened 2020 season when Vazquez hit seven homers in 47 games (equal to 19 in a 162-game season) with a .283/.344/.457 slash line. Vazquez also chipped in with four steals in each of the last two seasons and now has 19 career stolen bases in the last four seasons (364 games), so he offers a nice bonus of stolen bases at a position that historically provides very little. Vazquez was a regular fixture in the fifth and sixth spots of the Red Sox's lineup last year, adding solid run and RBI numbers (88 runs and 95 RBI combined in the last two seasons) to his stat line. Only two other catchers have had more plate appearances than Vazquez in the last two seasons, so he also offers accumulation along with good production. There's little upside to be had from Vazquez, but he's displayed a nice floor, and with an ADP around 156 (seventh among catchers), he's an ideal option at a very thin position.