Twins catcher Christian Vázquez hopes offense can ‘pick it up’ after rough season

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Christian Vázquez won a World Series ring with each of his two previous teams before becoming a Twin in December 2022, and in saying, “I can help them bring a championship to this city,” he made it clear at the time he expected to go 3-for-3.

Reminded of those words Friday, Vázquez nodded. “Pick it up,” he said. “Got to pick it up, I know.”

Yes, more production at the plate would make a big difference. Vázquez’s ability to reach base, once one of his strengths when Fenway Park was his home turf, has plummeted during his two years in Minnesota. His on-base percentage was an abysmal .248 last season, among the three worst in the American League.

But Vázquez was signed to a three-year, $30 million free-agent contract, which expires in October, not to reach base at an average clip, but to help Twins pitchers prevent opponents from doing so. And by that measure, the Twins say, the Puerto Rican veteran has been a success.

“His year at the plate, [criticism] is fair. But it’s a conflicting [record], because last year was one of his best defensive years,” said Hank Conger, who coaches the Twins’ catchers. “His first year here, he was good, but last year, if you look at our defensive numbers, he was a top-three catcher in the league. On the defensive side, I would use the word ‘elite.’ I truly believe that.”

Vázquez was signed away from the World Series champion Astros to upgrade the defense after a rocky 2022 season with Gary Sánchez behind the plate. He had a strong reputation for game preparation and for pitch-blocking, but in 2024 ranked among the top 10 by StatCast’s measure in pitch-framing, and Conger hinted that the Twins’ internal measurements are even more positive.

“Pitch-framing is the one part of his game that he took to the next level, as compared to previous years. There are a lot of good catchers out there, but [pitch-framing] is truly an art form,” Conger said. “The way he goes about his work is very specific, and there are very specific adjustments that he makes that help him constantly evolve his game.

“Whether it’s a glove move, working on different angles, subtle movements that make pitchers more comfortable, he works on those little things, and that’s what takes him to the next level.”

Yet few Twins were mentioned as often as Vázquez over the winter as a potential trade commodity, though never by the team itself. That was largely a function of his contract — that $10 million he’s owed represents the Twins’ fourth-highest salary this season, behind Carlos Correa, Pablo López and Byron Buxton. With the Twins trying not to increase payroll because of declining TV revenues, Vázquez appeared the most expendable expense.

But he’s still here, and happy about it.

“It’s a business. I’ve been traded once already, and that was from an organization [Boston] where I spent 16 years. So I know it’s nothing personal,” Vázquez said.

How certain is he that he’ll be here all season?

“I don’t know that. That’s a topic they keep inside” the front office, Vázquez said. “They don’t talk with [players] until the day it happens. But I feel great here. It’s awesome to be part of this organization, that’s why I chose it.”

About that contribution on offense, though …

“Yeah, yeah. I’m better than that. I’m disappointed in last year,” Vázquez said of his seven-homer, .575 OPS season at age 34. “But I’m better than that this year. I’ve lost a lot of weight, put my body in better position to succeed. My swing feels very good because of it. I’m more flexible.”

His manager is optimistic, too.

“I’d expect his offense to come back from where it was last year,” Rocco Baldelli said. “And he expects the same thing. His preparation, game-calling, receiving all were pretty damn good. His strengths are still helping us in a big way.”