"The biggest asset I ever had is dependability out there"

February 21, 2010 | Boston Globe | By Nick Cafardo



FORT MYERS, Fla. - It is spring training 2010, and Jason Varitek must feel as if his career is one big fast-forward.


Rewind: He came to Boston in an extraordinary deal made by Dan Duquette in which the Sox also got Derek Lowe for Heathcliff Slocumb July 31, 1997. Varitek became the starting catcher in 1999. He has caught Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling and umpteen others who came and went. He caught for managers Jimy Williams, Joe Kerrigan, Grady Little, and Terry Francona, all of whom were thankful to write his name in the lineup.


In 10 solid years as a starter, he built a reputation as the most prepared catcher in the game, earning the respect of his pitching staff and catchers around baseball. He has worn the “C’’ on his uniform denoting his captain status since 2005.


But once the Sox dealt for Victor Martinez last season, it meant the beginning of the end of Varitek’s reign.


Pause: In the offseason, there were moments when the Sox were ready to move on from Varitek. And there were moments when Varitek felt the same way. But cooler heads prevailed. Varitek realized, at age 37, and after the rigors of a long career behind the plate, the time had come to accept a lesser role.


Play: And here we are. Spring training has begun, and Varitek still wears the “C,’’ but he’ll have an entirely different vantage point, spending most of his time on the bench or warming pitchers in the bullpen. Can Varitek lead from the bench? Francona thinks he can, and Varitek feels he could be even a better leader because so much of his energy was devoted to playing that perhaps he wasn’t as vocal as he wanted to be.


In a perfect scenario, Varitek will be a great teacher for Martinez. He will be a role model for the younger catchers like Mark Wagner and Luis Exposito.


In this same perfect scenario, the reduced wear and tear on his body will allow his offense to come back some. Who knows?


Varitek has been around long enough to know that things can change rapidly. Martinez could go down with an injury and Varitek would be right back where he was.


“For the most part, I’m here to support Vic as much as possible,’’ said Varitek. “It happened the last two months of the season last year, so it’s not necessarily new for me.


“Different? Of course it’s different. That role last year toward the end got me prepared for this. I don’t know how it’s going to pan out, whether it’s once a week, three times a week, five times a week. So I’ll just prepare and look forward to working with Vic.’’


Whether Martinez is simply a one-year fill in, the signs are clear: The Sox are bridging to another era at catcher, and can see Tim Federowicz or Exposito or Wagner being a No. 1 guy.


Varitek had more than his 15 minutes of fame. He has been there for two World Series championships. To this day, Lowe calls Varitek the best catcher he’s ever thrown to. And that type of affection toward Varitek never will wane.


There have been some who felt Varitek’s reputation for preparation was overstated. Yet there are plenty of examples of catchers who have cost their staffs wins because they simply didn’t prepare properly.


Varitek always has been a whirlwind, hard to pin down. He finds it hard to sit still, so will he hate this new role?


“Sometimes I get caught up in the grind and I can get quieter just trying to reserve energy and stuff, and maybe I’ll open up more with communication with Tito and teammates,’’ he said. “I try to do that anyway. That can help because sometimes you sit there bored, watching.’’


Nobody really knows how this is going to end up. How many games will Martinez catch? Will Varitek be used as someone’s personal catcher? Will he inherit Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball? Or Daisuke Matsuzaka’s dancing repertoire? Will he continue to be Josh Beckett’s catcher?


The Sox were pleasantly surprised that Martinez handled the job so well and learned the pitching staff so quickly last season. He gives a lot of credit to Varitek on that front.


Varitek says he will do the same for Martinez again. And he’ll be ready when called upon.


“The biggest asset I ever had is dependability out there,’’ Varitek said. “Whether you’re hitting well or not hitting well, you can depend on me being out there. How that transfers early in not taking a beating, I don’t know. I know I might get a little bored. It might be a good thing, we’ll see.


“I have to work hard and fight for a job.’’


His new role still allows Varitek to help pitchers get better.


“Our rotation could be good, but it has to be better than it was last year,’’ he said. “We’ve got to be able to push and take steps forward. The league continues to get better and we do, too.’’


Varitek would love to rewind to another day when his hitting was decent, when he would hit a clutch home run, and when his defensive skills were razor-sharp. But in the moment, as the reality has hit, he seems at peace with all of it.