Drawing early battle lines of potential gov race
Big expectations this season for slimmed-down Sox catcher
Will he or won’t he?
Has this rocky COVID vaccination rollout made him vulnerable?
Those questions can’t escape those pols pondering a run for governor — against or without Charlie Baker.
There’s no denying that Baker’s credentials as a cando executive have taken a hit because of the state’s initially tentative, unfocused delivery of those Moderna and Pfizer doses, which has since improved, despite some ongoing criticism from suddenly concerned legislators.
Up till now, most movement on the gubernatorial front primarily has come from the Democratic fringe.
Two of that party — Harvard University political-science professor Danielle Allen and Quincy Democrat Scott Khourie — have already filed to run, while former state Sen. Ben Downing has officially announced his candidacy.
They’re likely place-setters for more serious — and formidable — candidates, one of whom might be currently taking readings of the political climate.
According to the Boston Herald, Attorney General Maura Healey’s recent spate of public appearances are no coincidence, given her publicized concerns with the pace and priorities of vaccine distributions.
According to a Boston Herald report, Healey, long considered a possible 2022 gubernatorial contender, toured two community vaccination sites recently in as many days.
But asked by the Herald on Tuesday whether that’s all a precursor to a potential gubernatorial bid, Healey said “no.”
“This is me doing my job,” Healey said after touring a vaccination site at Dorchester’s Russell Auditorium.
Though mentioning how she’s worked “cooperatively with the Baker administration,” Healey also indicated she wouldn’t hesitate to bring up issues that she felt required the administration’s attention.
While a source close to Healey told the Herald she has yet to set her sights on the 2022 election, Healey’s recent visibility tour is “an indication that she’s looking to run,” according to Democratic strategist Tony Cignoli.
“She’s hitting national and state issues that aren’t necessarily attorney general issues, but that would play to a significant base in Massachusetts,” Cignoli said.
Signs of Baker’s indecision about a third term — his lack of fundraising being one clear indicator — have moved members of his own Republican Party beyond his inner circle to ponder a run for governor.
Geoff Diehl, a former state representative from Whitman and unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate, has made noise about such a possibility. That might stir the juices of the conservative Republican State Committee, but Diehl’s reach beyond that group’s limited influence suggests he’d have about as much chance of defeating Baker as he did Elizabeth Warren in that 2018 U.S. Senate race.
In fact, the current calculus for 2022 hasn’t changed. It’s all about what Baker decides to do.
Though he may have slipped to only the third most popular governor in the country, a recent poll showed Baker still had the backing of 71% of state respondents to that survey. And since the GOP accounts for about 10% of the state’s electorate, the majority of that support came from Democrats and unenrolled voters.
If Baker doesn’t run for reelection, then Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito becomes the automatic Republican front-runner.
The Shrewsbury Republican’s fundraising efforts point to someone ready to hit the ground running should the opportunity present itself.
And what gubernatorial candidate wouldn’t want the endorsement of the state’s most popular governor?
While Massachusetts has indicated its preference for split party leadership — Democrat-dominated Legislature, Republican CEO — that political bifurcation would be challenged without Baker in the mix.
Polito vs. Healey — a hardcore political watcher couldn’t ask for anything more.
There are high hopes for Red Sox catcher Christian Vázquez as he enters this season slimmer
Christian Vázquez, suddenly, is now the longest-tenured member of the Red Sox organization. And as he enters his 30s, the catcher seems to be doing everything in his power to play as long as he can.
Vázquez was a workhorse this winter. He said Friday that he lost 15 pounds in preparation for this season as he received help from a nutritionist to eat better. Alex Cora said he built a gym in his house, and the manager recently claimed that Vázquez is in the best shape of his life.
“I’m lighter, I feel better, and I’m moving better behind the plate,” Vázquez said. “I feel 10 years younger. It feels good.”
The shape Vázquez is in was clearly evident to Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers when he visited the catcher during the offseason.
“There’s nobody who invested more in their career than Christian Vázquez this offseason,” Hyers said. “He did everything you’re supposed to do and more. When I went down to visit him, I was just like, ‘ Wow, this guy is dedicated.’ ”
There’s certainly a reason behind it. Vázquez has emerged as one of the most complete catchers in the game since his breakout season offensively in 2019 as he’s become the Red Sox’ primary catcher. There’s inherent responsibility that comes with that, and even more so as a leader in the clubhouse, the longest-tenured member after being drafted in 2008.
Vázquez will again be the Red Sox’ primary catcher this season, with Kevin Plawecki returning to be his backup, but it’s not yet clear how many games he’ll play behind the plate. In 2019, he started 103 games at catcher and then 42 of last season’s 60 games. Cora said there’s a good chance Vázquez will be behind the plate for the majority of games to start the season, and 15 pounds slimmer, they’re hoping that will help him stay strong throughout a long year.
“We’re going to see,” Cora said. “He feels he’s at an age where he needs to make adjustments bodywise, there’s a reason behind that.
Hopefully he can feel fresh going into August, September and what we’re trying to accomplish, so hopefully it works out. …
“The next step is just lead the staff. That’s what we want. We love the whole player, we love the package. But at the end of the day, we want him to be a leader back there. He’s been in this organization for a while. … We just have to make sure we take care of him behind the plate. Like I said, we want the best version of Christian Vázquez and I think we have a pretty good chance to see it this year.”
That includes offensively, where he’s turned a corner over the last two seasons. Vázquez has long been viewed as one of the best defensive catchers in the game, but the Red Sox are excited about what a slimmed down, experienced and motivated Vázquez can do with his bat this season.
After batting .276 and blasting a career-high 23 homers with 72
RBI in 2019, Vázquez started hot last year — four homers in his first five games — before slowing down in the middle of the season and finishing strong. Those inconsistencies can be attributed to the strange, shortened season, but Hyers thinks he can make significant improvements, including hitting lefties better. He was .236 against southpaws last season, compared to .305 against righties. Hyers also wants him to improve with runners in scoring position after driving in 18 runs in 51 plate appearances.
“He left a lot of RBIs out there that … it wasn’t that he couldn’t do it, I just think that sometimes he was too aggressive and sometimes he expanded the zone and he wanted it too bad instead of allowing the game to come to him,” Hyers said. “He went out there and tried to make something happen, and I think that got him in some trouble in that period where he went cold.”
But Vázquez has certainly
passed the test early in camp. It’s no longer a what-if with the catcher, instead he enters this season with big expectations, and his actions this winter reflect that he understands that.
“He’s slimmed up and the ball’s jumping further off his bat, so it looks a little more bouncy and loose,” Hyers said. “When you say he lost some weight, it’s not bad. He looks good physically and he just looks like a good-looking athlete and to me, he didn’t lose like the muscle mass and the strength level is really good. He’s a big part of this club, he makes a lot of things happen. Offensively, he’s one of the better offensive catchers in the league and we expect a lot from him and I know he expects a lot from himself.
“As the hitting coach, he’s one of the guys at the top that I’m wanting to see in spring training and excited to see some of the things he worked on to see how it works here in these games coming up.”