by Brian P. Foley, The College Baseball Blog
How long are the Boston Red Sox going to keep Jason Varitek around? He has become a very easy out for MLB pitchers. Jason can't hit a curveball for the life of him. He is supposed to be the captain of the Red Sox and calls a great game behind the plate, but how long can his pathetic bat be allowed to be a part of the potent Red Sox attack?
Jason started with the Boston Red Sox in the beginning of the 1998 season where he started 86 games platooning with Scott Hatteberg. In 1999, Varitek took over the catching spot full time where he has continued to the present day. He picked up the captaincy in 2005. His pitch calling has become his best asset as many pitchers rave about Varitek's game calling ability, but is that enough?
The Boston media continues to focus on how Varitek calls games while giving a pass on Jason's hitting where he only has a career batting average of .253 with runners in scoring position. Manny Ramirez on the other hand hits at a .328 average with RISP. If Varitek wants to continue to be credited as one of the top catchers in the game, then he needs to step it up at the plate as Victor Martinez is well on the way to passing Varitek as the best catcher in the American League (if he isn't already).
Is it time for the Red Sox to part ways with him? Let me know what you think.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
MY NAME IS JASON VARITEK
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3 comment(s):
A couple of points:
1.) ManRam's BA with RISP has no relevance to Tek's.
2.) Tek hasn't ever been, IMHO, the best catcher in the AL. Try Posada, Mauer, Martinez, etc.
3.) Hitting is not the most important aspect for a catcher. Defense and being able to call a good game far outweigh offense when talking about the backstop. Just look at the praise any catcher receives whenever they are able to perform well at the plate. It's b/c it is unexpected. Being a catcher takes a physical toll, sometimes putting hitting on the back burner.
and by a couple, I meant three...
Varitek also has problems throwing out runners. Is that not important either?
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