Blake Swihart is making Alex Cora's job difficult, but in a good way.
The young catcher, once a top prospect until injuries got in the way, is back on everyone's radar after a strong start to spring training. And though it's early, it's fair to wonder if he could push Sandy Leon for the No. 2 catcher's job.
Speaking to reporters in West Palm Beach after a 10-5 loss to the Astros that saw Swihart double for his fifth extra base hit in as many games, Cora paused when asked about Swihart becoming the No. 2 catcher.
"Umm . . . we're comfortable with the two guys we have, but we're comfortable with Swihart catching, too," Cora told reporters, including Jen McCaffrey of MassLive. "Like I said, versatility, it plays at this level. It helps us as far as the roster. He looked OK at first base yesterday."
Swihart is now 6-for-15 with four doubles and a homer. The switch hitter was considered one of the most athletic catching prospects in baseball before a disastrous move to the outfield led to an ankle injury that effectively cost him the last two seasons. But Swihart is back catching, among other positions, as he tries to make the roster. He's out of options, so if the Red Sox don't keep the 25-year-old, they'll likely trade him.
"I put a lot of work in this offseason," Swihart said. "I had kind of gotten in bad habits just from my ankle injury and stuff so I was just trying to hone back in my swing that I had before that at the end of 2015, 2016, and just trying to find it again and right now it's clicking."
It's easy to forget that over the final 30 games of the 2015 season, Swihart hit .330 with four homers and a .909 OPS. He was considered one of the Killer B's alongside fellow youngsters Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackie Bradley Jr.
But ankle surgery limited him to 19 games in 2016, and he went just 1-for-5 in the big leagues last year. In the process, his future bounced between catching a kind of super utility role, which grew frustrating.
"I really don't know where it came from that I wasn't a good catcher and I couldn't throw, so I put in a lot of work this offseason," Swihart told reporters. "I pride myself on being an athlete. I feel like there's a lot of balls that I get to. I've heard that I can't throw either, but I can throw the ball 100 miles an hour. I've just got to keep proving myself."
And could that ultimately lead to a bigger role than anyone anticipated when the season opens for real at the end of the month?
"We'll see," Swihart said. "The job's not done. I'll let you know that at the end of spring training."
