It wasn’t too long ago that Blake Swihart was the number one ranked catcher in minor league baseball and an exciting prospect in the Red Sox system. Swihart was taken in the first round pick in 2011 by the Red Sox. The history books can officially be written on Swihart. He will go down as a bust.
Swihart’s biggest accomplishment in the majors is the fact that he was a third catcher on a 2018 World Series champion. Not a joke. Swihart was part of the Red Sox 2018 championship team and notched 192 total at bats that year as a third catcher. Swihart didn’t really have a place on the roster. He was behind Christian Vazquez and Chris Sale’s personal catcher Sandy Leon. The Red Sox just didn’t want to give up on him and didn’t have any minor league options left.
In 2019, Boston finally gave up on Swihart. He was traded along with International bonus money to Arizona for outfielder Marcus Wilson. It’s hard to say if the trade worked out for the Red Sox because Wilson hasn’t played in the majors yet but is currently on Boston’s 40 man roster. What is clear is that Blake Swihart sucks and the Sox were right to give up on him.
Swihart was traded to Arizona and put together a batting line of .136/.186/.273. He was also a nightmare as a defensive catcher so teams have tried playing him in the outfield. That hasn’t gone well either. Eventually, Arizona cut ties. Swihart signed with Texas in the offseason but apparently he’s been so bad at the alternate site that they released him from the 60 man pool.
It’s officially over. Blake Swihart can be written off as a bust. Maybe another team gives him a shot next year as a minor league catcher. I find that hard to believe because of how bad he is as a defender. Most clubs want a veteran defender that can work well with a pitching staff in the minors. Swihart is not that guy. The run is over and the book is written. Swihart is a bust.
