This came across my screen this morning, and while I am most certainly a Red Sox fan, I am not one that hails and covets all things Jason Varitek. In fact, I’m extremely positive that his production is not worthy of being a starting catcher for a Major League Baseball team, let alone one that is vying for a playoff spot.
I was always under the impression that if you chose to go the route of a catcher that can’t hit the ball (read: Laird, Gerald, or Varitek, Jason) in return you get superb defense, minimzing stolen bases by the opponent and passed balls. Apparently Theo Epstein and I are on different pages in terms of those expectations, because Jason Varitek is achieve success on neither offense nor defense. Let’s start with the defense, where he has surrendered 92 stolen bases this season, while catching only 15 foes. Only four other teams have surrendered that many SBs, and unfortunately for the Red Sox, he’s only played 73% of their innings behind the plate. And while Laird hass hit worse than Varitek (80 less points of OPS) he has thrown out 44% of potential baserunners (on a far smaller number of runner to-boot), as compared to Varitek’s paltry 14%. America, or atleast MLB players, really do run on V-Tek.
If the Sox are serious about making a World Series run, they need to come to terms with the fact that a few of their aging veterans are no longer MLB caliber guys. Varitek and Ortiz need to be used sparingly over the last 6 weeks of the season. The team’s best line up includes Victor Martinez catching, Youk always in the line up, and then some combination of Lowell, Kotchman, and Ortiz depending on matchups, prior success, and Francona’s gut. But sticking with V-Tek and Ortiz because they won championships for the squad in ’04 and ’07 is simply silly. There are obviously other issues with the team, from starting pitching to injuries, but getting V-Tek out will help both the offense, and the pitchers. Stolen bases add up and hurt in a big way.
Blogged America Runs on V-Tek, and the Red Sox Don’t: – http://tinyurl.com/q8c4wh #cubiclegm
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Maybe the Sox don’t, but Beckett does. From this morning’s Globe:
In the three starts Beckett has made this season with either Kottaras or Martinez catching, he is 0-2 with an 11.25 ERA while allowing 30 hits in 16 innings. In the 21 starts he has made with Varitek, he is 14-2 with a 2.52 ERA.
While recognizing that “Catchers ERA” doesn’t do a good job of predicting success year over year, I’ll argue that baseball players are among the most superstitious and routine-driven athletes out there. If Varitek helps Beckett pitch a good game then he’s worth it… even if only to start every fifth game.
Agree with you entirely – Varitek has a place on the team, and in the starting lineup. Closer to 20-25% of the time, rather than 70-75% of the time gives the squad the best chance to win, while allowing him to work with pitchers that need his in-game savvy, and providing others a much needed rest.