Since 2004, the catcher’s position has been owned by the captain, Jason Varitek, and while there have been fill-ins and regular backups, Tek has been “the man” behind the plate. However, it will be interesting to see how that evolves perhaps in the next few months and certainly in the next couple of years. Here is a look at Varitek’s dominance at his position with the Red Sox:
Catcher
Jason Varitek, 731 games, 2004-09
Doug Mirabelli, 216 games, 2004-07
Kevin Cash, 73 games, 2007-08
George Kottaras, 41 games, 2008-09
Victor Martinez, 33 games, 2009
Javy Lopez, 18 games, 2006
Kelly Shoppach, 9 games, 2005
Dave Ross, 8 games, 2008
Ken Huckaby, 8 games, 2006
Josh Bard, 7 games, 2006
Sandy Martinez, 3 games, 2004
Dusty Brown, 1 game, 2009
Corky Miller, 1 game, 2006
Shawn Wooten, 1 game, 2005
Second base has been a picture of stability for Boston, and with Dustin Pedroia in that slot, it should be for many years to come:
Second baseman
Dustin Pedroia, 456 games, 2006-09
Mark Bellhorn, 223 games, 2004-05
Mark Loretta, 155 games, 2006
Tony Graffanino, 51 games, 2005
Ricky Gutierrez, 21 games, 2004
The same is now true for center field since Jacoby Ellsbury has won the position:
Center fielder
Coco Crisp, 368 games, 2006-08
Jacoby Ellsbury, 307 games, 2007-09
Johnny Damon, 298 games, 2004-05
Willie Harris, 47 games, 2006
Dustan Mohr, 21 games, 2006
Since the drive to the championship in 2004 to the drive to the postseason this year, the Red Sox have had stalwarts at almost every position, but shortstop has been a slot that Theo Epstein and Terry Francona have consistently struggled to fill. Take a look:
Shortstop
Alex Cora, 301 games, 2005-08
Julio Lugo, 266 games, 2007-09
Edgar Renteria, 153 games, 2005
Alex Gonzalez, 131 games, 2006, 2009
Nick Green, 100 games, 2009
Jed Lowrie, 100 games, 2008-09
Pokey Reese, 96 games, 2004
Orlando Cabrera, 58 games, 2004
Cesar Crespo, 52 games, 2004
Nomar Garciaparra, 38 games, 2004
Gil Velazquez, 9 games, 2008-09
Hanley Ramirez, 2 games, 2005
The addition of Alex Gonzalez to the Red Sox’ lineup has been significant. His defense is steady, and as he continues to recover from knee surgery, his range improves. Gonzalez’s bat has been a pleasant surprise, but then again, anything he adds at the plate is just gravy.
The question during the offseason will be whether Epstein stands pat or looks to upgrade the shortstop slot. Gonzalez has a contract that calls for a $6 million club option next season, which I’m sure Gonzalez would be thrilled to accept. But will the Sox reject the option, allowing Gonzalez the opportunity to go elsewhere and then try to offer him a smaller contract? Or do they go after Marco Scutaro? Or even Miguel Tejada?
We shall see what the offseason brings, but right now, the Sox are a better club up the middle than at any point in the season, with the Tek/Victor Martinez catching combo, Gonzalez/Pedroia as the DP combo, and Jacoby Ellsbury, the Man of Steal, in center.
Bill Chuck is the creator of Billy-Ball.com (www.Billy-Ball.com) and, with Jim Kaplan, is the author of Walk-Offs, Last Licks, and Final Outs – Baseball’s Grand (and not so Grand) Finales, with a foreword by Jon Miller, published by ACTA Sports. Chuck is a regular contributor to NESN and NESN.com and is available at Bill@billy-ball.com.
