Catcher Jason varitek has played for Championship Teams since he was a kid

March, 2001 | RedSox.com | By Garry Brown

 

Jason Varitek has emerged as the No. 1 catcher for the Boston Red Sox, but then, it seems that he has been a No. 1 kind of guy since he started playing baseball as a kid in Altamonte Springs, Fla.

His string of success began in 1984, when he played shortstop for a team that won the U.S. championship before bowing to Korea in the Little League World Series at Williamsport, Pa.

In high school, Varitek played mainly third base while helping his Lake Brantley team of Longwood, Fla., win a state championship in1990.

From there, it was on to Georgia Tech, where he settled in as a catcher while playing with three other future big leaguers - shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, outfielder Darren Bragg and pitcher Brad Rigby. In his junior year, Georgia Tech made it to the College World Series in Omaha.

As a sophomore, Varitek had the honor of catching for Team USA in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

"I've been involved with a lot of good teams, and I've had some very rewarding experiences in baseball. Now, I'm looking forward to the biggest championship of 'em all - winning the World Series," he said.

As a sophomore, junior and senior, he earned All-America honors at Georgia Tech. Baseball America chose Varitek as its college Player of the Year in 1993, and in 1994, placed him on its All-Time College All-Star Team.

After his junior year, Varitek was selected in the first round of the June draft, taken by the Minnesota Twins as the 21st pick in the nation. Negotiations with the Twins concerning a signing bonus did not go well. After a summer of trying to reach an agreement, Varitek made a bold decision. Rather than sign, he would go back to Georgia Tech for his senior year.

It was a risky choice, because he could have been injured, or he could have had an off year as a senior. However, Varitek's confidence in his own ability made him believe that he could continue to perform at a high level.

That he did. He became one of the few players since the draft began in 1965 to be drafted in the first round two years in a row. The second time around, he went even higher - 14th - with the Seattle Mariners doing the drafting.

Again, there was a long process of negotiations before he finally signed with the Mariners. As a result, Varitek's professional career did not get going until the spring of 1995. He spent two seasons at Double-A, learning all he could about catching at the professional level and working to improve himself at the plate. He hit .224 his first year, but improved to .262 the second time around.

In 1997, when he was catching for Seattle's Triple-A Tacoma club, Varitek became part of a trade that will go down among the better ones in Red Sox history. He and reliever Derek Lowe were acquired at the July 31, 1997, trading deadline in exchange for Heathcliff Slocumb, a closer who had been a major disappointment to the Red Sox.

Slocumb's still struggling with his career, while Varitek and Lowe have become key performers for the Red Sox.

Considering that he got a fairly late start in the business of catching, Varitek has made great strides. By the spring of 1998, he had come along so well that he caused manager Jimy Williams to rethink his roster plans.

Going into that training camp, it was assumed that veteran Jim Leyritz would be the catcher, with Scott Hatteberg as his backup. As the camp went along, though, Williams liked everything he saw in Varitek - his fire behind the plate, his ability to work with pitchers, his strong arm and his willingness to work hard at improving himself as ahitter.

"There's so much to learn about this game, you have to stick with it every day," Varitek said.

Because of Varitek's impressive spring, Williams made a momentous decision. He decided to platoon Hatteberg and Varitek behind the plate with Leyritz consigned to a part-time role as a righthanded designated hitter. Williams believes in defense as his No. l priority - hence his decision to go with the younger catchers.

The decision, coming late in camp, did not please Leyritz, who demanded a trade and eventually got one. Meantime, the Hatteberg-Varitek platoon settled in, giving the Red Sox the kind of defense that Williams sought. They also combined for 19 homers and 76 RBIs.

Going into this season, Varitek seemed destined to get more playing time than the 86 games he had caught in ’98. For one thing, he was the designated catcher of Tim Wakefield's knuckleball. For another, as a switch hitter he could be used against righthanded pitching as well as left. The lefty-swinging Hatteberg still figured to start his share of games against righthanders, but there was no question that Varitek was emerging as an important force on this team.

In May, the situation changed dramatically. Hatteberg had to go on the disabled list, and then learned that he would need surgery on his right elbow. It was estimated that he would be lost to the team until mid-August, and those estimates proved to be right on target.

What to do about the injury? The answer, of course, was full-time duty for Varitek, whose development as a big league catcher was right in tune with the need for him to play every day. He not only had improved as a receiver and thrower, he was getting better all the time as a hitter who could deliver an occasional long ball.

Varitek's size - 6-2, 220 pounds - and strength enabled him to handle the challenge of catching every day. The Red Sox recalled Creighton Gubanich from Triple-A as the No. 2 catcher, and then later acquired the released Lenny Webster from Baltimore. When Webster arrived, Gubanich went back to Triple-A. All the while, Varitek was catching virtually every game. Williams would give him an occasional breather in a day game after a night game, but basically he was the full-time catcher.

By the end of July, Varitek had made 89 starts - three more than he made last season. Including games which he entered as a pinch-hitter or replacement behind the plate, Varitek was leading the major leagues in games caught.

"It's something you work for, to play every day," he said. "Any player wants to be in the lineup day in, day out. It's a challenge, but it's the kind of challenge you want."

After the All-Star break, Varitek incurred an injury to his right hand. He played through the pain, though, never asking for time off and never missing a catching assignment because of it.

By Aug. 9, he had played 100 games and was hitting .258 while contributing 26 doubles and 13 homers. At 27, he's just coming into what are considered the prime years for position players (age 27 through 32, scouts say).

His presence is especially valuable whenever Wakefield's on the mound. They work well together, with Varitek showing that he can handle the unpredictable knuckleball just about as well as it can behandled.

In fact, he has learned the secret of catching the knuckleball.

"Pick it up when it stops rolling," Varitek said.

Yes, he has a sense of humor, too