Fantasy Baseball 2018 Bargain Bin: Christian Vasquez
Burned by poor play behind the dish in 2017? Are you scraping the bottom of the barrel for a catcher? The Boston Red Sox may have the answer for you in Christian Vasquez.
Who stole the third-most bases for a catcher in 2017? You should have answered Christian Vasquez who finished just behind Yadier Molina and J.T. Realmuto with 7 stolen bases. While not a lot, those steals are usable as Vasquez shed his .227 BA in 2016, and blossomed into a capable bat in 2017.
He finished this year with a .290/.330/.404 slash line with 43 runs scored and 32 driven in. That .290 BA is second among catcher with at least 300 PA (behind Buster Posey).
Only hitting five home runs, Vasquez’ power is a clear flaw for anyone looking to save by diving into the bargain bin. His power trends were positive in 2017. His FB% increased greatly from 15.2% in 2016 to 28% this season.
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Those 12.8 percentage points came almost directly out of his GB% which dropped to 47.1%. His HR/FB ratio remains low thus capping his home run potential.
However, this shift in batted ball profile provides more evidence to believe that the batting average is sustainable in 2018.
Vasquez’ .348 BABIP reflects Buster Posey’s .347 BABIP. The two catchers also have similar sprint speeds at 25.6 mph. While the two have different skill sets, at least from a broad perspective, Vasquez’ BA is sustainable.
A .290 batting average will help offset the lack of power by allowing your team to roster a player with high power upside and low contact skills like Steven Sousa Jr. without hesitation.
Fantasy outlook
Vasquez projects to be the starting catcher for the Red Sox, who have scored the fifth-most runs in the MLB since 2015. This should give him ample run-scoring opportunities as well as chances to drive in runs. His seven career MLB home runs limit his value but with five of the seven coming in 2017, he’s trending in a positive direction.
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On one hand, Vasquez doesn’t pose much risk. The .290 BA and run-scoring/driving opportunities could slightly offset the risks of other players. Most catchers have glaring flaws that make them hard to roster, but Vasquez’s lack of power shouldn’t deter anyone. The current landscape of the MLB has a lot of high power/low BA players that could pair nicely with Vasquez on your roster.