This spring, there’s been a noticeable new look among Red Sox catchers behind the plate: one knee down.
The Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto, widely regarded as one of the best in the game, started using the one-knee-down stance a few years back and saw his framing skills rocket to the top of the Statcast leaderboards. The Red Sox and other teams took notice, believing that the change could be taught and might lead to better framing results across the board.
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“It started being more apparent in ‘19,” said long-time Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, now serving as the team’s game planning coordinator. “A lot of research came out at the end of ‘19, Eppy (catching coordinator Chad Epperson), myself and (bullpen catcher) Mike Brenly started introducing it last year at the beginning. We walked them through different processes, give guys choices and find out who guys are and what fits them best.”
Baseball is cyclical and the one-knee-down stance isn’t something revolutionary. All-Star catcher Tony Pena used to receive with one knee down throughout his playing career in the 1980s and ’90s, but the stance is gaining more traction again. The Yankees, for instance, employed catching coordinator Tyler Swanson in 2019 largely to help Gary Sanchez move toward a one-knee stance.
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The Red Sox aren’t forcing it on their catchers, but are presenting them with the potential benefits and letting them decide for themselves. For instance, starter Christian Vazquez remains in the squat stance and they’re not planning to have him change just for the sake of it.
“I don’t think it’s cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all,” Varitek said. “So different guys, different aspects, the way Christian does things, he’s not a full-time one-knee candidate because of his stature and his ability to hold himself and do all of the above through the traditional stance. Whereas some others become candidates, and it’s easier. There are benefits to both and drawbacks to both, and you try to weigh the benefits and walk them through it to have them have their own athletic choices, and sometimes you’re pushing them in a direction that’s going to fit them best.”
Interestingly, Vazquez ranked third behind Realmuto and the Brewers’ Omar Narvaez in 2020 in strike rate, suggesting that one-knee-down isn’t by itself the key to quality framing, just one tool catchers can employ. As Vazquez has developed into one of the better catchers in the league, the Red Sox don’t want to mess with his success. The one-knee-down stance is more a suggestion for the rest of their catching corps to potentially help them with framing, posture and overall comfort. If a catcher feels more stable with one knee down, the other aspects of glove positioning and blocking might become easier.
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“It’s a comfort thing, too,” manager Alex Cora said. “It helps them to maintain the energy throughout the game. Jason has been looking around the league and he feels like it helps them, blocking-wise.”
Backup Kevin Plawecki began using the stance at times last year and has transitioned to it on a more full-time basis this spring, as has Connor Wong. Younger catching prospects in the system, such as Kole Cottam and Ronaldo Hernandez, have also been using the stance.
Plawecki, Wong, Hernandez, Cottam pic.twitter.com/HYgaHUMXqm
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) March 14, 2021
“Some of the metrics showed the ability to change counts and do things receiving-wise,” Varitek. “Mobility-wise, not necessarily because every guy is a little different with range. … Plawecki turned into a full-time one-knee guy by the end of last year. Connor Wong is now a one-knee guy completely. It depends on their athleticism, what they do and what they can’t do. You try and teach all the different aspects of it and find out what suits them best.”
Varitek used the squat stance throughout his entire 15-year career in Boston, but said he probably could have benefitted from extending a leg, particularly in regards to the strain catching placed on his knees.
“Tremendously, especially when it comes to longevity and the wear and tear on that position,” he said. “There are some elements that make it less taxing, but you have to be efficient at it to make it work.”
(Top photo of catcher Kevin Plawecki on one knee: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
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