Do the Red Sox Really Believe Kottaras is the Catcher of the Future -And Should We?
Today, the Red Sox announced that they have cut catcher Josh Bard. He had been hitting .429 with one home run and 16 RBIs while learning the art of exclusively catching Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball. Presumably the move was made to make room for George Kottaras to be the backup catcher.
When the Sox signed Bard, captain Jason Varitek was still a free-agent and dialogue between the two sides had not yet resulted in a new contract. They seemed to be far apart enough in regards to number of years and dollar amount that Red Sox Nation and baseball fans in general were wondering if the two sides would ever reach an agreement. There was talk of making a trade for a catcher, namely Jarrod Saltalamacchia of the Texas Rangers, who as a prospect had been compared by scouts to Varitek. However, nothing came to fruition. Thus had the Sox not been able to reach an agreement with Varitek, they would have been prepared to go into the 2009 season with Bard as their starting catcher, and Kottaras as their backup.
So Bard is good enough to be the starting catcher for this team, but not the backup? The Sox are going to entrust the very difficult task of catching Wakefield’s knuckleball to a player with a total of three games of Major League experience, as opposed to a veteran who has been Wakefield’s personal catcher before? The move was certainly made because Kottaras is out of Minor League options. But does the team really view him as the catcher of the future? He is almost 26 years old -most legitimate Major Leaguers prove by 24, 25 at the latest, that they can not only play in the Major Leagues, but stick. He has not proven that, and odds are that if he is legit, he already would have at this current juncture. At the Triple-A level, he has been unable to hit over .250 since being traded to the Red Sox. After Varitek retires, are they really thinking they’re going to give him the starting job? It would make more sense if it was Saltalamacchia, who is two years younger and a proven hitter at the Major League level.
The Sox didn’t make a trade for Saltalamacchia because they would have had to give up a high-end pitching prospect. However, isn’t that what depth is for? Not only to have it on a Major League roster, but to be in the best position to make a trade that will enhance said roster? The team has Lester locked up for the next five years, Beckett likely until the end of 2010 with a club option that should come into play, and Dice-K until 2012. So they have depth at the Major and Minor League levels -enough to part with a prospect that could bring them their true catcher of the future in return.
Perhaps Kottaras will emerge as that catcher. However, it seems foolish to take a gamble, rather than try out someone with extensive Major League experience.
mlblogstheshow
you bring up a good point. I have not really thought much about Varitek’s retirement as I still dreamily regard the Varitek/Wakefield combo as longstanding, but to go with someone who’s performance isn’t exactly up to par would be a bad move on the Sox’s part. Kottaras doesn’t seem to exude much potential, hopefully for the team’s sake, he’ll prove me wrong.