'Tek Calls it a Career

Less than a week after Tim Wakefield, the veteran knuckleballer who'd worn a Red Sox uniform since 1995, hung up his spikes, Jason Varitek followed him into retirement.  Nearly three months ago, I suggested that Boston's captain should do so, and I'm happy he was able to leave without creating the drama and negativity that Jorge Posada produced during his final season.  He was set to turn 40 in a month, hadn't been a productive player in half a decade, and was unlikely to see the field much with Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Kelly Shoppach and Ryan Lavarnaway all jockeying for playing time. 

He probably should have walked away a few years ago (around the time the team traded for Victor Martinez), especially since all his clubhouse value, leadership ability and indispensable intangibles did little to keep his beer-drinking, fried-chicken-eating and videogame-playing pitchers  (please direct your attention to Jon Lester, John Lackey and Josh Beckett) who should have more respect for the catcher than anyone else.  I'm not saying the team's September collapse was Varitek's fault, but he  seemed to disappear into the background as the AL Wild Card slipped right through their fingers.  Why didn't he call anyone out, rally the troops, or call a team meeting?  He wasn't doing a whole lot to help the team on the field last year (with his 0.0 bWAR), so the least he could have done was try to hold it together off the field.

But I don't want that to be his lasting legacy.  After all, he spent his entire fifteen year major league career with the Olde Towne Team, where he was the rugged backstop of two championship squads and served as the franchise's best everyday catcher since Carlton Fisk.  Here's a look at some of the numbers, courtesy of baseball-reference.com:

-He made the All-Star team in 2003, 2005, and 2008 despite batting .220/.313/.359 for a career low .672 OPS in that '08 campaign.
-He won his only Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in '05.
-Earned MVP consideration each year from 2003 through '05, his three year peak during which he averaged 22 homers, 76 RBI, and a rock solid .283/.369/.494 line.  Even so, he never finished higher than 21st and retired with just 0.02 career shares.
-He caught four no-hitters (in chronological order-Hideo Nomo, Derek Lowe, Clay Buchholz, and Jon Lester), an MLB record.
-Played in the Little League, College, and Major League World Series
-The switch-hitter was a natural righty, and it showed.  His career OPS was nearly 70 points higher from the right side, and during his final years many fans (myself included) thought he should bat strictly from the right side.
-Fenway definitely gave him a boost; he batted .273/.354/.454 in Boston, .240/.328/.418 everywhere else.
-Struck out nearly twice as much as he walked
-Drew an intentional walk in every season except for his first and last
-Like most catchers, 'Tek limped to the finish line every year.  His September numbers are easily the worst of his monthly splits, and his second half OPS trails his first half OPS by almost 50 points.
-Smacked 193 long balls, falling just short of 200.  Three times he swatted 20 or more and reached double digits in all but four of his big league seasons.  His solid power is better reflected by his double totals; he socked 306, eclipsing 30 five times.
-Served as the team's third captain since 1923 (you may remember that as the year the Yankees won their first of 27 World Series titles to christen Yankee Stadium), following Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice.  The team named him captain before the 2005 season, when he was just the third captain in the Show along with Paul Konerko and Derek Jeter
-Didn't even attempt a steal during his past three seasons.  Francona wouldn't have sent him with a tee-baller on the mound and Johnny Damon's noodle arm behind home plate.
-Helped lead the Sox to eight postseason appearances, and hit pretty well compared to his peer Posada.  Heading into 2008, he owned a .258/.310/495 line with two dozen extra base hits in 48 career playoff starts, but he crashed during that postseason (when the defending champs were upset by the Rays in a seven game ALCS) and didn't play at all in the following year's ALDS, when Jonathan Papelbon's Game 3 meltdown handed the series to the Angels on a silver platter.
-Retired with a 98 OPS+, meaning he rates as about an average offensive player given his environment.
-Was worth 23.1 bWAR for his career, with a single season high of 4.1 in 2004 (when he set career highs in hits, steals, batting average, OBP, OPS, HBP, and intentional walks)
-Earned a hair over $67 million in player salary.  By comparison Alex Rodriguez, whom Varitek infamously punched in the face as the defining moment of his career, has raked in almost as much over the past two seasons despite playing in only 236 games due to injuries.

A pretty successful career I'd say.  Not Hall-of-Fame worthy, by any means, but good enough to have the Sox retire his number 33 down the line.  Additionally, those numbers can't quantify the grit, hard work, and toughness he brought to the table everyday.  Varitek was one of those guys who always did a lot that didn't show up in the box score.  His preparation was superb, his game-calling skills were highly regarded, and he was an expert handler of pitching staffs.  He caught Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, and all the rest, helping bring the best out of them even if he was almost incapable of throwing out any potential basestealers.  'Tek was a very smart, very valuable asset for a long time, a great complementary player for some special teams.

He would probably be an even better pitching coach or a manager some day.  Who knows? He could be the next Joe Torre...

Just Retire, Jason

Jason Varitek has been a member of the Boston Red Sox for every one of his 15 big league seasons.  The team captain has been with the squad through thick and thin, has enjoyed the highs of embracing Keith Foulke and Jonathan Papelbon after the final out of two World Series championship runs and suffered the lows of the devastating Aaron Boone game and last season's epic collapse.  The three time All-Star belted nearly 200 homers while catching Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield, and Curt Schilling, batting behind Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.  The Gold Glove winner and Silver Slugger recipient has caught four no-hitters and lived a long, full baseball life.

And now it's time to say goodbye.

Because it's been quite a while since 'Tek was a capable everyday catcher.  Just once in the past six seasons has the switch-hitting backstop batted north of .238, and during that time he's been worth less than one bWAR per year with an OPS+ that's averaged out to 87.  Granted, we're talking about his age 34 through 39 seasons here, but to be honest he's fortunate Boston could afford to give him 40 million bucks and almost 2,000 at-bats, or about four full seasons, to such a subpar offensive performer.  And while his hitting has clearly declined, his defense was never great in the first place (career -0.6 dWAR and basestealers ran on him at will), so it's not like he brings much to the table with his mitt, either.  Of course, he does have the old-school intangibles of leadership, experience, and grit that don't show up in the daily box scores, and he's earned the reputation of a hard-nosed ballplayer and a warrior (we all saw him stuff his glove into Alex Rodriguez's yapper on national TV back in 2004, remember?). Pitchers always loved him and never questioned his game-calling skills, and he handled the staff so well that he was like a second pitching coach.  Even in the twilight of Varitek's career, Josh Beckett refused to pitch to his replacements Victor Martinez and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

But Varitek, like his Yankee counterpart Jorge Posada, has indeed been replaced, and at this point in his career #33 is strictly a backup catcher.  Boston has shown little interest in bringing him back since Salty (13 years younger) has proved he can withstand the rigors of catching a full season, but the soon to be 40 year-old has reportedly drawn interest from the Mets and Orioles and if anyone can convince them to give the creaky catcher a shot, it's his agent Scott Boras.  If I were Varitek, I would hang up my spikes and call it a career, go out as a Red Sox lifer and the franchise's best catcher since Carlton Fisk.  It's been painful to watch his decline over the past few seasons, and no one wants to see him overstay his welcome and toil away for those noncontenders.  If he has any sense of pride or dignity he'll understand that it's time to call it quits.  He's made his money, more than $67 million in salaries, and has nothing left to prove.

Interestingly enough, if he winds up in Maryland behind Matt Wieters on the depth chart for a year his career will have the same ending as Dwight Evans, who enjoyed a 19 season tenure in a Boston uniform before going out with the 67-win Orioles in his age 40 season.

Varitek, please don't make the same mistake.