Farrell confirms Leon will be Opening Day catcher

Boston Red Sox skipper John Farrell said Thursday that Sandy Leon will remain as the starting catcher.

The Red Sox already seemed committed to starting Leon at catcher, and Farrell once again drilled the point home to Rob Bradford of WEEI. Leon was working with Rick Porcello - the pitcher tabbed with Opening Day duties - prior to Thursday's spring training game. Farrell wanted to make sure that the two remained battery mates leading up to the start of the season.

"I think I've said many times over that if we're opening tomorrow Sandy Leon is going to be the catcher, and that hasn't changed," Farrell said, according to Bradford.

The 28-year-old Leon had a breakout campaign in 2016, making 200 plate appearances for the first time in his career. Over 78 games, Leon managed an impressive .310/.369/.476 slash line. There is some worry that 2016 will be an outlier year though, with Leon's BABIP of .392 indicating he might have been the beneficiary of some luck.

While it's Leon's job to start the season, there are plenty of options if he falters early. Blake Swihart seems to be the catcher most ready to inherit the duties. The 24-year-old has played parts of the last two seasons with the Red Sox, generating a .714 OPS over 383 career plate appearances.

Christian Vazquez is also a viable option beyond Leon. While he hasn't shown a substantial ability to hit in the majors, Vazquez's defensive acumen has been valued by scouts for years.