The Twins Have Manifested Their Catching Tandem Dream

The Minnesota Twins have pulled themselves back into the AL Central race. Offensive production, key starters returning, and clutch performances from the bullpen were some of the key contributors to rattling off nine straight wins. But another reason for the team’s recent success has gone overlooked.

The Twins can boast one of the top catching duos in baseball.

Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vázquez have been a driving force behind Minnesota’s recent win streak. Falvey has put his stamp on catcher since taking over the front office in 2017. After taking over in Minnesota, his first move was to sign catcher Jason Castro to a 3-year, $24.5 million deal.

Castro played 110 games in 2017, and backup Chris Gimenez played 74. In 2019, the Twins began a two-catcher split, with Castro playing in 79 games while Mitch Garver played in 93. The catching tandem evolved from Castro-Garver to Garver and Ryan Jeffers to Jeffers-Gary Sánchez to Jeffers-Vázquez.

In 2008, Joe Mauer played in 146 games, and backup catcher Mike Redmond played only 38. The Twins have prioritized balance at the position during the Falvey era. It’s more of a 60:40 split than a traditional starter/backup role. The split has allowed either catcher to be well rested, which Minnesota has hoped would lead to better production at the plate with a lower workload. Twins catchers have wracked up a 98 wRC+ since 2017, which ranks sixth-best in baseball during that span. Their .722 OPS since 2017 ranks eighth-best across the league.

In 2022, Jeffers’ broken thumb took out nearly half of his year, and he had a career-low .648 OPS in 67 games. Vázquez came to the Twins after the 2022 season on a 3-year, $30 million deal to solidify the position. It was a way to hedge against a possible down year for Jeffers, but it’s also a great situation if everything goes right.

Vázquez had a difficult 2023 season. He entered the year as the team’s starting catcher, but he finished with a .598 OPS, and the Twins benched him for every postseason game. However, Jeffers found his swing, finishing last season with a career-high .859 OPS.

Some people expected the Twins to trade Vázquez due to his high salary and poor first season, but Minnesota kept him on the roster for a second season. Even if the Vázquez signing was unsuccessful early, the Twins can still showcase a highly productive catching room this year.

Jeffers entered the season as the team’s primary catcher. He played well last year but needed to prove he could bring that production again this season. So far, the answer has been a resounding “yes.” Jeffers is a highly productive hitter who is one of the best in the league at his position at the plate.

Among catchers with over 100 plate appearances, Jeffers is top four in baseball with a 166 wRC+, a .927 OPS, a 1.2 WAR mark, and 5 home runs. The main driver of success for Jeffers comes from his improvement in hitting fastballs. In 2023, he had a -4 run value against the pitch, and he’s +5 against the fastball this season.

Jeffers’ current 84.2 MPH average exit velocity is concerning long-term. But those issues have not negatively impacted his ability to come through in the clutch. He has generated a 1.39 win probability added, which ranks second among all active catchers.

Vázquez hasn’t had a major bounce-back this year. However, he’s off to a more encouraging start. In the first half of 2023, he had a .552 OPS with an 86.6 MPH average exit velocity. Comparatively, Vázquez has a .598 OPS, which is still not ideal in the first 18 games of 2024 compared to the league average .695 OPS mark.

Still, his underlying numbers have been much more encouraging, especially with how hard he’s hitting the baseball. Vázquez made a change to his swing at Driveline over the winter, and it produced a 92.2 MPH average exit velocity. That number is well above the 88.5 MPH league average and Vázquez’s 87.4 MPH career average. The next step is finding a way to turn those hard hits into base hits, which starts with limiting his career-worst 37.7 percent chase rate.

In modern baseball, most of a player’s value will come from their ability to produce with the bat. Catchers are still a position where defensive ability can mostly compensate for minimal offensive production. Minnesota’s catchers aren’t just one of the best offensive tandems. According to FanGraphs, Vázquez has also helped the duo become one of the best fielding tandems, with a league-best 5.8 defensive score from Twins catchers.

Since 2017, the Twins have been 20th in baseball with a -17 fielding run value (FRV), which combines all aspects of catching (throwing, blocking, framing, etc.). This season, Minnesota is third in the league with a +3 FRV. The Twins used to have trouble throwing out runners. They have been 24th since 2017, with just 168 runners caught stealing. Through the first 29 games in 2024, Minnesota’s 17 stolen bases allowed are among the top seven in the majors.

Vázquez’s 2 FRV is tied for third-best in baseball this season. Jeffers 0 FVR mark ranks 44th among catchers, but his unique hitting ability makes up for average defense. The Twins can now pair great production at the plate from their catchers with solid defensive production when most teams have to choose between the two.

Catcher isn’t the flashiest position on the field. Still, every contending team is highly productive at the position with their glove and bat. The Twins don’t need to have one all-encompassing catcher. Between Jeffers developing into one of the top-hitting catchers in baseball and Vázquez looking closer to his prime, Minnesota has recreated one in the aggregate to become one of the top catching tandems in baseball.