Jason Varitek

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Jason Varitek
Boston Red Sox — No. 33
Catcher
Born: April 11, 1972 (1972-04-11) (age 37) Rochester, Michigan
Bats: Switch	Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 24, 1997 for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics (through June 5, 2009)
Batting average	.262
Home runs	171
Runs batted in	678
Teams
Boston Red Sox (1997-present)
Career highlights and awards
Silver Slugger Award winner (2005) 3x All-Star selection (2003, 2005, 2008) Gold Glove Award winner (2005) 2x World Series Champion (2004, 2007)

Jason Andrew Varitek (pronounced /ˈværɨtɛk/; born April 11, 1972 in Rochester, Michigan) is an American baseball catcher and team captain for the Boston Red Sox. After being traded as a minor league prospect by the Seattle Mariners, Varitek has played his entire major league career for the Red Sox. A three-time all-star and Gold Glove Award winner at catcher, Varitek was an integral part of the 2004 World Series and 2007 World Series Championship teams. In December 2004 he was named the captain of the Red Sox, only their third captain since 1923.^[1] He is a switch-hitter. His nicknames include "The Captain" and "'Tek" (his chest protector has the monogram "TEK" on its collar).^[2]

Varitek is one of only two players in the history of the sport to have played in the World Championship game of the Little League World Series, in the National Championship game of the College World Series, and in the Major League World Series (Ed Vosberg is the other). Varitek stands alone as the only baseball player in history to have played in the three aforementioned World Series along with playing on the Olympic Baseball team, and in the World Baseball Classic. As well, his Lake Brantley High School baseball team won the Florida State Championship his senior year in 1990 and was named the number one high school baseball team in the nation by a USA Today poll.^[3] Varitek has caught an MLB record four no-hitters. ^[4]

[edit] Little League career

Jason Varitek in the Little League World Series, 1984

Varitek was born in Rochester, Michigan. He played in the 1984 Little League World Series, leading his [[ Florida Springs, {{{2}}}| Florida Springs]], [[{{{2}}}]] team to victory in the United States Championship bracket in a 4-2 victory over Southport, Indiana. His team then fell in the world championship game to the international champion from Seoul, South Korea, by a score of 6-2.^[5] Varitek played shortstop, third base, and catcher in his three LLWS games, performing well defensively, but was hitless going 0 for 7 with two walks and a run scored.^[6]

[edit] 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.^[7] He was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic team and won the Dick Howser Trophy for National Collegiate Player of the Year. He was also named Baseball America's 1993 College Player of the Year; 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 baseball team 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.

[edit] 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,^[8] 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.^[9] A pioneer of the loopholes in the draft process, Varitek signed with the St. Paul Saints in the independent Northern League^[10] 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 pitcher and longtime teammate Derek Lowe. He was traded with 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.^[11]

[edit] Major league career

[edit] 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.^[12] 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.^[12]Varitek went 5-21 with 3 RBI in the 1999 ALDS against the Cleveland Indians.^[12] and 4-20 with 1 RBI in the ALCS against the New York Yankees.^[12] 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.^[12] 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.^[12]

[edit] 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,^[12] 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 clubhouse which management tried to portray as working class, 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 .296 with 15 HRs and 51 RBIs^[13] going into the all-star break and finished the season off with a solid .273 average, 25 HRs and 85 RBIs,^[12] all career highs. Varitek also led the Red Sox to a Wild Card berth and their first playoff appearance since 1999.

[edit] 2004 and the World Series

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 the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez after Rodriguez was hit by a pitch, causing a bench-clearing brawl. Though he was ejected (along with Rodriguez) from the game following the incident, the moment sparked Boston to an 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. At the end of the year, Varitek became a free agent and signed a 4-year, $40-million contract with the Red Sox. ^[14]

[edit] Free agency and promotion to Captain

After Varitek's re-signing, the Red Sox appointed him to be the third team captain since 1923, after Carl Yastrzemski (1969-1983) and Jim Rice (1986-1989). ^[14] There are currently only two other captains in Major League Baseball: Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees and Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox.

According to Red Sox fans, 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, his first Silver Slugger, and his second All-Star selection in 2005.

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 narrow an 8–2 lead down to 8–6. Team Canada, however, kept 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 resumed. 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 during a pre-game ceremony as the first Red Sox catcher to catch 1,000 games. 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 by 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, which is presented to a player exemplifying the values, tradition, and spirit of the game of baseball.

Varitek at bat in 2008.

In 2007, Varitek and the Red Sox returned to the World Series once again, winning for the second time in four years. During the season, Varitek enjoyed a couple of personal highlights, reaching his 1000th career hit. On May 19, 2008, he caught Jon Lester's no-hitter, giving him a Major League record of having caught four separate no-hitters in his career.

On the way to the World Series, in the ALCS, Varitek thought Kenny Lofton was taking too long to get in the batter's box. He told Lofton to hurry up and get in the box. Lofton then proceeded to hit a home run on the next pitch.^{[citation needed]}

In honor of being captain, Jason released Captain Cabernet, a charity wine with proceeds benefiting Pitching In For Kids and Children's Hospital Boston.^[15][16]

At the end of the 2008 season, Varitek opted for free agency, rejecting arbitration that would give him a salary close to the $10 million he made in 2008. ^[17] Reports in the Boston Globe suggested that his agent, Scott Boras, was using New York Yankee catcher Jorge Posada's four-year, $52.4 million deal as a benchmark for negotiations.^[18] On February 6, 2009, Varitek signed a new one-year deal with the Red Sox worth $5 million with a $5 million club option, or a $3 million player option, for 2010.^[11][19]

[edit] Statistics and awards

[edit] Georgia Tech records

All Georgia Tech records courtesy of RamblinWreck.com, the official website of Georgia Tech athletics^[21]

• Most career games played (253)
• Most career runs scored (261)
• Most career base hits (351)
• Most career doubles (82)

[edit] College awards and achievements

• His number 33 is only the second number ever retired by Georgia Tech; the first was #44, worn by Coach Jim Luck
• Baseball America's 1993 player of the year
• Named by Baseball America to "All-Time College All-Star Team"^[22]
• 1994 Golden Spikes Award
• 1994 Rotary Smith Award
• 1994 Dick Howser Trophy
• Three time consensus All-American (1992, '93, '94) ^[9]
• Inducted into Georgia Tech Hall of Fame^[23]
• 1994 College World Series runner-up

[edit] Early professional career

• Inducted into Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame
• 1993 Cape Cod Baseball League's Pat Sorenti Award as the League MVP

[edit] MLB career

• Three time All-Star (2003, 2005 and 2008), one time starter (2005)
• 2005 Silver Slugger Award winner
• 2005 Gold Glove winner
• 2006 Heart and Hustle Award
• On May 19, 2008 Varitek caught his fourth no hitter, an MLB record. ^[4]

[edit] Red Sox milestones and achievements

All Red Sox milestones and achievements courtesy of RedSox.com^[24]

• Became 26th player to hit 100 home runs for club on April 14, 2005
• First Red Sox catcher to ever win Silver Slugger
• Third Red Sox catcher to win a Gold Glove (Carlton Fisk and Tony Pena)
• First Red Sox at any position to win Gold Glove since Tony Pena in 1991
• Was on the 2004 World Series team, the first Red Sox team to win the championship in 86 years
• Over 1,000 games caught - most in 106-year Red Sox history - breaking Carlton Fisk's club record of 990 on July 18, 2006 vs. Kansas City

[edit] Notable firsts

• In the 2004 World Series, Varitek batted against the St. Louis Cardinals' Jason Marquis, the first time two former Little League World Series participants have faced each other in the Major League Baseball World Series. Varitek had played for Altamonte Springs, Florida in 1984.^[25].
• In the 2004 World Series, Jason became the second player to appear in the Little League World Series (Altamonte Springs, Florida 1984 runner-up), College World Series (1994 NCAA Div I runner-up Georgia Tech), and Major League Baseball World Series (World Series Champion Boston Red Sox 2004). Ed Vosberg was the first player to complete this triple.
• Varitek is the only player to have competed in the Little League World Series, College World Series, MLB World Series, on the Olympic Baseball team, and in the World Baseball Classic.

[edit] Personal life

Varitek married Karen Mullinax in 1996. Varitek resides in Waban, Massachusetts. .^[26] They have three daughters: Alexandra Rose (born January 14, 2000), Kendall Anne (born September 30, 2001) and Caroline Morgan (born June 13, 2005). Jason Varitek filed for divorce from Karen on July 28, 2008. In addition, his brother Justin Varitek is a member of the Rollins College baseball team coaching staff.^[27]

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jason Varitek

• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Jason Varitek at the Internet Movie Database
• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Jason Varitek Video and Audio on Boston.com