Connor Wong has been a bright spot in the Red Sox defense after the catcher position was a big concern over the offseason. The departure of Christian Vasquez at the trade deadline last year brought many question marks over the future of the position. The current platoon behind the dish consists of Wong and Reese McGuire, but to m
Wong, who was one of the key pieces in the Mookie Betts trade, had a big day at the plate in Sunday’s game against the Guardians. In the sixth inning, Wong smacked a 427ft home run over the monster to give the Sox a 4-1 lead.
In his short tenure with the Red Sox, Connor Wong has exceeded expectations behind the plate. In 2023, Wong is only third in the league in pop time with an average time of 1.88 seconds. This only trails J.T. Realmuto and Francisco Mejía by within .05 seconds.
Out of 12 stolen base attempts on Wong, he’s caught five runners stealing, with 42% of runners caught. These five caught attempts are tied for second in the league among catchers, following only Shea Langeliers with six. Wong is developing into one of the elite arms behind the plate, as he also leads the league in defensive WAR with .80.
Connor Wong is Showing His Potential
Connor Wong has been terrific behind the dish, but his production as a hitter still has room for improvement. In his 65 plate appearances, Wong is hitting .241/.301/.361 with one home run and eight runs batted in. While the bat is still waiting to heat up, he is still driving the ball when he does put it in play. Wong is currently within 74th percentile in average exit velocity with an average of EV of 90.9mph.
The defensive prowess for Connor Wong has definitely been a nice surprise so far this season. If he is able to keep up this kind of production behind the plate, he could end up becoming one of the premier catchers in all of baseball. Wong’s bat still has room for improvement. But for now, having a backstop with a cannon in Connor Wong is what the Red Sox need.
The Red Sox will face off against the Toronto Blue Jays in a four game series starting tonight. Tonight’s game can be watched on NESN at 7:10pm EST.
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