Oakland Athletics: Will Stephen Vogt See Playing Time At The All-Star Game?
Does Stephen Vogt have a chance of playing during the All-Star game?
In short, yes. There are only three catchers in the All-Star game, and usually every team plays most of their players. Last year, all three catchers on the American League roster saw playing time, with Ned Yost giving two at-bats to then and now starter Salvador Perez, one to Stephen Vogt, and one to Russell Martin. This year, with three catchers on the roster, the chances are high that Yost will use them again.
Let’s compare last year’s All-Star catchers to this year’s with their batting lines up to the All-Star break:
2015 Perez: .262/.273/.453, 30 runs, 15 HR, 38 RBI
2015 Vogt: .287/.374/.498, 43 runs, 14 HR, 56 RBI
2015 Martin: .251/.339/.457, 49 runs, 12 HR, 41 RBI
2016 Perez: .283/.318/.500, 36 runs, 14 HR, 41 RBI
2016 Vogt: .277/.320/.442, 30 runs, 7 HR, 27 RBI
2016 Matt Wieters: .258/.310/.418, 24 runs, 9 HR, 37 RBI
Immediately there is a drop in production from All-Star catchers this year. Yost will want to lean more on Perez’s power as he is the clear overall best catcher on his roster. But even though thus far Matt Wieters has proven to have more power than Vogt, I think Yost will use Vogt in a similar fashion as last year.
In 2015’s Midsummer Classic, Vogt was put in the bottom of the 5th inning and struck out in his only at-bat. His defensive skills were relied on until the eighth inning in which Martin pinch-hit for him.
This year, Perez will continue to be played as much as possible without potentially hurting him. He will probably stay until the 5th inning like he was used last year. Perez is a veritable star and as the reigning World Series MVP, he is the American League catcher the players and the fans are likely to want to see most.
Vogt will likely be the first catcher to replace Perez. Wieters has been used gingerly this year: he has only played in 64 of Baltimore’s 87 games this year, and he was injured for most of the last two years as well. He may make a token appearance at the end of the game like Martin last year: one at-bat, one or two innings behind the plate. Wieters was a player voted in by the players, while Vogt was likely selected so that the AL team doesn’t have a lack of catchers.
Yost isn’t one to tire out his players, whether or not they are on separate teams in the offseason. He did use 29 of the 38 players on the team last year, one more than did Bruce Bochy. Look for Vogt to catch three innings in this year’s All-Star Game.