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| Blake Swihart (FenwayNation Photo) |
The Red Sox organization enjoys a rich vein of talent at the catching position these days. One of the best of that group was in attendance at last Saturday's
New Stars For Young Stars event to benefit the Jimmy Fund.
Blake Swihart is regarded as the top backstop in the system—and is ranked as the #5 Red Sox prospect
overall by the authoritative
SoxProspects.com. Along with
Ryan Lavarnway,
Christian Vazquez,
Dan Butler, and
Jon Denney, Swihart comprises a group that makes Boston the envy of other MLB teams behind the plate. While
A. J. Pierzynski and
David Ross will get the lion's share of action,
any of these young guns can step into the fray if needed. We had a chance to speak with Swihart at the Jimmy Fund event and asked him how he views this abundance of catching talent.
"We all just know that we have to go out and play and prove we can do the job—no matter what level we're at. It's a good group, we don't really butt heads with each other. We actually teach each other and talk to each other all the time." Chances are one or more of this group will eventually be dealt somewhere other than Boston. But the
attitude displayed by Swihart will undoubtedly allow
any of them to succeed wherever they go.
