Let’s dispense with the formalities and begin with the obvious: Sandy León cannot hit. He hasn’t been able to for awhile, but with the Yankees on deck it finally matters, and for that reason he shouldn’t be behind the plate for Game 1 on Friday. Nor should Christian Vázquez, whose defensive reputation precedes him but whose bat appears sporadically to engage 450-foot home runs before burrowing back into its hole. Blake Swihart should be the primary catcher going forward, both in the playoffs and into next season.
There are two reasons it should happen now.