Red Sox World Series Champ Wants Alex Cora To Make This Lineup Change

The Boston Red Sox trading for Carlos Narváez this offseason was an afterthought, especially with the franchise pulling off a deal for Garrett Crochet and signing Alex Bregman in free agency.

But the 26-year-old catcher has proven to be a key figure for the Red Sox so far this season.

Narváez provides exceptional defense behind the plate, making whatever he does with his bat an added bonus. He has outperformed Connor Wong, who has been Boston’s primary catcher for the past two seasons.

And 2013 Red Sox World Series champion and NESN analyst Will Middlebrooks believes it’s time manager Alex Cora turns over the starting catching duties to Narváez.

“The catcher position. I wouldn’t say it’s a question. It’s more just how they’re going to handle it with Connor Wong because right now Narváez is the guy,” Middlebrooks said on “Sox Talk with Will Middlebrooks.” “He needs to play five days a week. Defensively, he is a better player. That shows in the metrics. He’s arguably one of the best defensive catchers based off the metrics in baseball — him and Williams Contreras. As far as defensive runs saved, blocking, framing, which is still important with now ABS system.”

Cora has already started to give Narváez the bulk of the starts behind the plate. Narváez caught two out of three games in each of the last three series for the Red Sox.

Narváez has shown strong command of Boston’s pitching staff — his strong framing skills have to be well-liked by those on the mound — and his 18 assists lead the league. He has done the job with the bat as of late, too, hitting .385 with one home run and six RBIs in the month of May.

Making the decision easier on Cora is Wong’s struggles this season. Wong, who missed a month with a fractured pinky, is hitting just .146 with no home runs and no RBIs on the season.

Until Wong proves otherwise, the more time Narváez gets behind the plate puts the Red Sox in a better position to win. Cora just has to commit to it on a permanent basis.