In his absence, Dustin Pedroia seems to have stepped up, but nothing in the way of a captaincy has been made official — yet.
With Pedroia standing up for teammate Kevin Youkilis in the aftermath of a mini-controversy following manager Bobby Valentine's comments, it seems clear that the Red Sox second baseman is a leading voice in the clubhouse and may be the de facto captain of the squad.
Should the team think about making things official?
Varitek was considered the team's leader for years before he actually donned a jersey with the "C" sewn on, beginning in 2005. It could be time for Pedroia — or someone else — to have the honor sewn on as well.
In the past, the Red Sox have gone years without captains, and many other major league teams also go without them. Derek Jeter is the Yankees captain and has been for quite some time, but he and Paul Konerko of the White Sox are the only two active captains in the big leagues.
With the team sputtering out of the gate despite taking three out of four from Tampa Bay, a show of support for someone like Pedroia might be a rallying point. Then again, this squad may be past the point of needing an official designation to know who to look to for leadership.
