Jason Varitek

Jason Varitek
Boston Red Sox – No. 33
Catcher
Bats: Switch Throws: Right
debut
September 24, 1997, for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics (through October 2, 2007)
Batting Average	.267
Home runs	148
Runs batted in	611
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Georgia Tech (1990-1994) Georgia Tech Boston Red Sox (1997-present) Boston Red Sox

Jason Andrew Varitek (born April 11, 1972 in Rochester, Michigan) is an American baseball player. After being traded as a minor league prospect by the Seattle Mariners, Varitek has played his entire major league career for the Boston Red Sox. A two time all-star and Gold Glover, Varitek was an integral part of the 2004 World Series Championship. In 2005 he was named the captain of the Red Sox, the third player given the honor. He is a switch-hitting catcher. His nickname is "V-Tek" or "The Captain".

Little League career

File:Variteklittleleagueworldseries.jpg

Jason Varitek in the Little League World Series, 1984

Varitek played in the 1984 Little League World Series, leading his Altamonte Springs, Florida team to victory in the U.S. Championship. Yet, the national champions lost in the finals to the international champion from Seoul, South Korea, by a score of 6-2. Varitek played shortstop, third base, and catcher in his three LLWS games. He was hitless going 0-7. Varitek was 12 years old at the time, while most of his teammates were 13.

High school and college

While in high school, Varitek was a third baseman and catcher for the Lake Brantley High School baseball team in Altamonte Springs, FL. The Patriots' usual catcher was Jerry Thurston, himself a pro prospect. In 1990, the Patriots won the state championship. He was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team and was named Baseball America's 1993 College Player of the Year at Georgia Tech; he appeared in 3 games for the U.S. team in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Varitek attended Georgia Tech, where he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the 1994 College World Series championships, along with teammates Nomar Garciaparra and Jay Payton. He graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in management and is the only Tech baseball player to have his number (33) retired.

Early professional career

Varitek played two summers in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Hyannis Mets. In 1993 he hit .371 while winning both the league batting championship and MVP. He was drafted 21st overall in the first round by the Minnesota Twins in 1993, but opted to return for his senior year of college. Following graduation, Varitek signed with agent Scott Boras and was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round of the 1994 amateur draft, with the 14th pick overall. A pioneer of the loopholes in the draft process, Varitek signed with the St. Paul Saints in the independent Northern League before agreeing to terms with the Mariners, and consequently did not enter the Mariners' minor league system until 1995. When he finally did join the franchise, Varitek was sent to the AA affiliate Port City Roosters where he first met longtime teammate Derek Lowe. He was traded with pitcher Derek Lowe to the Red Sox during the 1997 season, in return for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb, often cited as one of the best trades in the Red Sox's favor in recent history.

Major league career

1998 rookie year - 2001

Varitek was called up for a single game on September 24, 1997, collecting a single in his only at bat. The next season Varitek split time with incumbent catcher Scott Hatteberg playing in 86 games. Varitek showed signs of things to come in the 1998 season and with a strong spring training following the season, Varitek ensured himself the starting role. 1999 was a breakout year for the young catcher; he played 144 games in that season while hitting for a .269 average, with 20 home runs, and 76 RBIs. 1999 also gave Varitek his first taste of the playoffs. Varitek went 5-21 with 3 RBI in the 1999 ALDS against the Cleveland Indians and 4-20 with 1 RBI in the ALCS against the New York Yankees. Varitek looked forward to building on his success from the year before, but in 2000 he did not show the same potential and had a disappointing offensive output. He hit just .248 with only 10 home runs and 65 RBI. Prior to the 2001 season, Varitek signed a 3 year $14.9 million contract with the Red Sox, and off to a hot start before he was sidelined for the season with a broken left elbow after he dove to catch a foul ball on June 7. The play went on to be a top Web Gem for the month of July in 2001. Varitek finished the season with a .293 average, 7 home runs, and 25 RBI in just 51 games played. Stretched out over a season, this would lead to over 20 home runs and 75 RBIs, in line with his 1999 season, encouraging the Red Sox front office.

2002 and 2003

Varitek returned to the Red Sox lineup fulltime in the 2002 season. The return did not go smoothly, however, as Varitek struggled to find himself at the plate. Despite not reaching his full offensive potential, pitchers and coaches alike began to notice how much Varitek's preparation and knowledge of the game was helping the pitchers. His study habits and extra hours of work with pitchers would soon become his defining attribute and make him a household name around the league. Varitek and the Red Sox entered the 2003 season with a renewed fire to reach the playoffs after missing in the previous three years. Varitek instantly became a leader in the working class clubhouse featuring new faces such as Kevin Millar, David Ortiz, Bill Mueller, and Todd Walker along with original players Trot Nixon and Lou Merloni. 2003 was Varitek's best year to date and earned his first all-star selection after the fans voted him on with the All-Star Final Vote. He was hitting 0.296 with 15 HRs and 51 RBIs going into the all-star break and finished the season off with a solid .273 average, 25 HRs and 85 RBIs, all career highs. Varitek also led the Red Sox to a Wild Card berth and their first playoff appearance since 1999.

2004 and the World Series

File:WorldSeriesRing.jpg

A 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series Ring. Ring courtesy of Red Sox Vice-Chairman Les Otten

In 2004, Varitek compiled a career-high .296 batting average with 18 home runs and 73 RBI. During a nationally televised game on July 24, 2004, Varitek shoved his glove into the face of Yankees' Alex Rodriguez to protect Bronson Arroyo, causing a benches clearing brawl. The moment sparked Boston to a 11-10 come from behind victory. It is also sometimes regarded as the turning point in the Red Sox season, as they posted MLB's best record after the melee. The Red Sox culminated the season with their first World Series championship in 86 years. Having played in this World Series, Varitek became the second player to have played in the Little League World Series, College World Series, and Major League World Series. (The first player to do this was Ed Vosberg). At the end of the year, Varitek became a free agent and signed a 4-year, $40-million contract with the Red Sox.

Free agency to promotion to Captain

After Varitek's re-signing, the Red Sox appointed him to be the third team captain since 1923, after Carl Yastrzemski (1969-83) and Jim Rice (1986-89). There are currently only three other captains in Major League Baseball: Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox, and Mike Sweeney of the Kansas City Royals.

According to baseball media, Varitek is valued as a catcher for his ability to work with pitchers, using scouting reports and video footage to plan each game. He also won his first Gold Glove Award and first Silver Slugger award in 2005.

Through April 2007, Varitek has a career batting average of 0.268 with 131 home runs and 548 RBI in 3570 plate appearances.

In 2006, Varitek represented the United States in the World Baseball Classic. He made the most of his playing time, hitting a grand slam home run against Team Canada allowing Team USA to move from 8-2, to 8-6. Team Canada, however, was able to hang on to the lead in the upset victory.

On July 18, 2006, Varitek played his 991st game at catcher for the Boston Red Sox, breaking Carlton Fisk's club record. That game was a home game vs. Kansas City, during which Varitek's achievement was recognized before the top of the 5th inning (after the game was official and couldn't be cancelled due to weather). Varitek received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd at Fenway Park for a few moments before play began. On July 31, 2006, Varitek was injured rounding the bases in a 9-8 victory over the Cleveland Indians (his 1000th Career Game as catcher) but said he believed the initial injury to the knee occurred while he was blocking home plate to make the tag against the Angels Mike Napoli on July 29, 2006. He had surgery on August 3, 2006 to repair torn cartilage in his left knee. Varitek returned to the Red Sox lineup on September 4, following a short rehabilitation assignment in Pawtucket.

On September 19, 2006, Jason was honored for becoming the first catcher in Red Sox history to catch 1,000 games during a pre-game ceremony. The Red Sox Captain was presented with a special award by Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk, who held the Boston club record with 990 career games caught before Varitek surpassed that total on July 18 versus Kansas City. The Sox backstop caught his 1000th game on July 31 and as of the evening of the ceremony, had appeared in 1,009 games behind the plate. That same night, Jason also received the 2006 Red Sox Heart and Hustle Award from the local chapter of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association. The honor is presented to a player who exemplifies the values, tradition, and spirit of the game of baseball. A national winner will be selected from the individual club honorees later this year.

In 2007, Red Sox starting pitcher Julian Tavarez called Varitek the smartest catcher he has ever had.

Career statistics

• Career statistics from Error: Template:Baseballstats must contain at least one valid parameter name.

See also

• Boston Red Sox
• List of Jason Varitek's awards
• 2004 World Series
• 2004 American League Championship Series
• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

External links

• Baseball Reference (statistics and analysis)
• ESPN (profile and daily update)

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