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That's it, we're done:
- Xander Bogaerts, SS
- Jackie Bradley, OF
- Matt Barnes, RHP
- Rubby De La Rosa, RHP
- Allen Webster, RHP
- Garin Cecchini, 3B
- Henry Owens, LHP
- Bryce Brentz, OF
- Blake Swihart, C
- Brandon Workman, RHP
- Jose Iglesias, SS
- Deven Marrero, SS
- Brian Johnson, LHP
- Jose Vinicio, SS
- Drake Britton, LHP
- Brandon Jacobs, OF
- Anthony Ranaudo, RHP
- Pat Light, RHP
- Manuel Margot, OF
- Christian Vazquez, C
Our last man on is Christian Vazquez. It's often said in baseball that you can never have enough pitchers, but in the prospect game it might be better to have as many catchers as humanly possible. It's no secret that, for possibly the single most important starter, there are remarkably few quality catchers. Those with bats rarely play the position well--a major negative since the catcher is the only fielder involved in just about every single pitch--and those who play the position well often have the worst bats in the lineup.
So with so little well-rounded talent to be found in the league at large, any time a minor league catcher shows any sign of quality, it's worth paying at least a little attention. And Christian Vazquez has earned that notice. There's no question about his glove, as compared to just about every other catcher in Boston's system. Vazquez is a catcher through-and-through. It's the bat which needs to be proven long-term.
In the short term, however, he has produced some nice results at the plate. While his 5'9" self isn't exactly likely to set the world on fire in terms of power, he surprised with an 18homer season in Greenville back in 2011, and had a decent number in Salem this past year while hitting .266/.360/.396. Ultimately his numbers would decline sharply after a promotion to Portland, but that's nothing that can't be written away as adjustment given a decent start in 2013. In the meantime, he's added short but successful campaigns in the Arizona Fall League and Puerto Rican Winter League.
Vazquez is about what you'd expect from the last spot on any list. His potential isn't hugely high outside of the fact that any decent hitting catcher who can play the part is quite valuable indeed. He can take a pitch, and hit a homer, but likely can't do the latter often enough to put the former skill to its fullest use. Still, with his glove being what it is, the bat will need to fall off a good bit for Vazquez not to find himself playing for an MLB team some day.
We'll wrap up the list later on. For now, talk amongst yourselves.