The depth catcher is called into action
Who is he, and where does he come from?
He is Blake Sabol, a seventh-round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019 who attended the University of Southern California. He came to the Red Sox by way of the San Francisco Giants, with whom he saw major league time in 2023 and 2024, in exchange for international bonus pool space. Sabol has split time between catcher and left field during his time in the majors.
With Connor Wong breaking his pinky finger against the Blue Jays on Monday night, Sabol has been called up to the big leagues after beginning the year in Worcester.
Is he any good?
Using the baseline of backup catcher to define “good”, Sabol has some positive traits with the bat. While he spent most of 2024 in the minor leagues, Sabol hit 13 home runs with 44 RBI in 2023 with the Giants, slashing .235/.301/.394 which isn’t bad at all. It did come with a 34% K-rate, and his contact% of 65.8% was 11th worst in baseball (of 293 hitters with 300+ plate appearances). He also stole four bags that year, and had 11 steals at Triple-A in 2024, despite a 30 speed grade on Fangraphs. Last year, in a limited 11-game sample, Sabol’s plate discipline was better, with a 13.2/23.7% BB:K ratio.
You can live with that at the plate from a backup catcher, assuming that he can handle the responsibilities defensively. Considering the bar to clear is Reese McGuire and Danny Jansen, Sabol’s profile with the bat is fine, provided that he stays out of the Dollar Tree parking lot. Unfortunately, Sabol’s defense leaves something to be desired. He was passable in the outfield, with -1 OAA but it doesn’t seem like he’s being acquired to play in the outfield. As a catcher, Sabol is 7-for-55 (13%) in throwing out runners at the major league level. On Statcast, his framing and throwing grades are middle of the pack, but his pop time and blocking skills are poor. In 2023, Sabol was dead last of 68 qualified catchers in blocking.
Baseball Savant
I wonder if the Red Sox could consider hiring Austin Schultz to work on some catching drills with Sabol.
TL;DR, just give me his stats:
2023: 110 G, 344 PA, .235/.301/.394, 13 HR, 44 RBI, 36 R, 4/6 SB, 7.0 BB%, 34.0 K%, 91 wRC+
2024: 11 G, 38 PA, .313/.421/.375, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 R, 0/0 SB, 13.2 BB%, 23.7 K%, 129 wRC+
Show me a cool highlight:
Can’t beat a walk-off home run off a stud closer to go from down one run, to a one-run win. And a perfect “Outttaaaa heeeeeere” home run call from Duane Kuiper, as always.
Side note: This may be a hot take, but the Giants have the best announcing tandem in MLB. Kuiper has been announcing for the club since 1986, Mike Krukow since 1990. Both of them played in the league (a rarity for a play-by-play guy, Kuiper) and offer great historical tidbits while calling the game flawlessly. If you need a West Coast or National League MLB TV team in 2025 after the Sox game ends, may I suggest the Giants?
What is his role on the 2025 Red Sox?
You’re seeing it in action right now. He was brought into be a third catcher and that’s exactly what he is. It’s hard to envision Sabol getting much time in the outfield on this roster, but he’s going to get plenty of playing time behind the plate while Wong is out. Given that neither Wong nor Narvaez are outstanding catching options, it’s possible that Sabol plays well enough to force the team into an interesting decision, but he’s not going to a difference-maker either way.