Catching up with Jason Varitek

March 10, 2001 | RedSox.com | By Mike Petraglia

 

FORT MYERS, FL - He is the less famous half of the Georgia Tech connection on the Red Sox. But in the mind of manager Jimy Williams, he is just as important to the club's success.

Many know the name Nomar Garciaparra and his highlight-filled baseball career at Georgia Tech and with Boston. But not as many may know that it was Jason Varitek who grabbed most of the baseball headlines while the two were in college together.

Like Red Sox closer Derek Lowe, Varitek came up through the Seattle Mariners organization. The catcher was raised in Rochester, Michigan and graduated from Lake Brantley High School in Lakewood, Florida. Following his sophomore season with the Yellow Jackets, Varitek was picked by the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the June 1993 draft as the 21st overall selection.

The catcher declined to sign with the Twins, opting instead to return for his junior season at Georgia Tech. One look at his collegiate record explains why Varitek wanted to return to Atlanta for one more season with Georgia Tech.

Varitek appeared in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Spain, where he and teammate Garciaparra were on the Team USA squad that finished fourth. Varitek went on to become a three-time All-American selection and was named Baseball America's Player of the Year in 1993. Varitek was also honored as a member of that publication's all-time college All-Star team that year.

Not many players can claim to be first-round selections. The Sox catcher holds the distinction of being picked in the first round not once, but twice, as Seattle drafted him 14th overall in the June 1994 draft. He eventually signed and began his pro career with Port City, the Mariners AA affiliate.

Both Varitek and Lowe came over to Boston in the 1997 trade that sent reliever Heathcliff Slocumb to Seattle.

Varitek's jobs this spring are simple: help his manager and pitching coach Joe Kerrigan handle no fewer than ten pitchers competing for four starting spots in the rotation, prep the deep corps of relievers for the upcoming season, and get his batting stroke ready for April 2.

"Tek is responsible for handling our pitchers when they're on the mound, calling pitches and making it easier for them to do their job," says pitching coach Joe Kerrigan.

A quick glance of the club's ERA over the past numbers would indicate that Varitek is more than up to the task. Not only has he called signals for two-time defending Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez, he has handled a pitching staff that has had the lowest ERA the last two seasons.

"The way I look at it, I only expect 10 to 15 wins from Pedro," says the Red Sox catcher with a straight face. "I'm serious. That's all we can really expect. We have to expect other guys to do the job as well. I've said before, he's one pitcher, one player. Pedro is an amazing talent but there are going to be four other starting pitchers on this staff who can help us."

Varitek believes a veteran corps of arms will be the key to pitching success for the Sox in 2001. "You look at the experience of guys like Cone, Saberhagen, Nomo, Castillo and Wakefield, you're talking about some quality veterans who have been around and know how to win."

A new, higher strike zone will not only affect Red Sox pitchers but Boston's catcher as well.

Essentially, the strike zone is expanding by approximately two-and-a-half ball widths above the belt. Any pitch that's over the plate and below the elbow and above the knee caps will be called a strike.

"I think the umpires want us to make it easier for them to see pitches so that they can call the proper strike," Varitek commented after the recent meeting and tutorial from umpire Mark Hirschbeck.

"There are different ways to expand the strike zone," he adds. "We've done it the last two years, especially up (in the zone). Some of our (pitchers) have had a head start on some of this."

"We really need to put less stress on our bullpen so that they can help us later in the season. We don't want to put so much pressure on our pen so early in games, and I think that happened last year some times. That's why I think our offense can make a big difference this year with Manny."