Ryan Lavarnaway

[Thunder]

Could this kid be just what the Sox need? He's a great catcher being taught by Varitek, and he had a great season in Portland and Pawtucket. If he stays with the club he could help them down the stretch.

[IRON HORSE]

It was good to see Lavarnaway get his first big league hit the other night; especially since his family was in the stands. Without a doubt, Varitek is a good teacher to learn the art of batcatching from. Salty is definitely having a good year, throwing runners out at second and producing good hitting numbers. I personally like Salty and I'm hoping to see him in a Red Sox uniform for a really long time. Currently, Lavarnaway seems to be a good replacement for Youkilis. We just have to wait and see how he develops and adjusts to the majors.

[Spitball]

I am sure Varitek has helped Salty a lot, but Gary Tuck is the man who deserves the credit for his development. He is perhaps the premier catching instructor and the reason Epstein felt confident in trading for the promise that Saltamalachia's skills suggested. Tuck is a very underrated asset on the Red Sox.

[BigPapiEnFuego]

40x all star

[Dojji]

Lavs hasn't proven a lot yet, but he's an exciting prospect. He nearly got his first bomb today and he's showing a pretty good big league approach in the early going. As long as his defense is only Piazza bad, this guy's a big leaguer who can help a team.

 

I could definitely see him playing a role where he DH's 75% of the time and catches a quarter of our games. Kind of a Mike Napoli role without as much first base. Lavarnway actually compares pretty well to Napoli as a whole. And you guys know from many years of me ranting how I feel about Napoli. Having a guy like that come up right under our feet has me excited, and I can;'t wait to see what this guy's gonna do with a couple years under his belt.

[SoxSport]

Tek should be the bullpen coach next year. He could well make a good manager in the future. Many catchers have gone on to be good managers. Houk, Tebbetts, Girardi come to mind. Who else?

Al Lopez, the great White sox manager, was a catcher. Torre also caught and played 3B.

Dick Williams caught some, too, and played the OF. Fisk would have made a great manager, but he didn't want it. Berra wasn't a great manager.

[Dojji]

Tek should be the bullpen coach next year. Me could well make a good manager in the future. Many catchers have gone on to be good managers. Houk, Tebbetts, Girardi come to mind. Who else?

Al Lopez, the great White sox manager, was a catcher. Torre also caught and played 3B.

Dick Williams caught some, too, and played the OF. Fisk would have made a great manager, but he didn't want it. Berra wasn't a great manager.

 

Maddon was a minor league catcher.

 

Mike Scioscia is probably Exhibit A all around.

[Spitball]

Bob Melvin of the Diamondbacks, Ned Yost in KC, Jim Leyland in Detroit, Bruce Bochy in San Fran, Eric Wedge in Cleveland, and Jack Mckeon of the Marlins are also former major or minor league catchers. There may be more, but these I am sure of.

[SoxSport]

Bob Melvin of the Diamondbacks' date=' Ned Yost in KC, Jim Leyland in Detroit, Bruce Bochy in San Fran, Eric Wedge in Cleveland, and Jack Mckeon of the Marlins are also former major or minor league catchers. There may be more, but these I am sure of.[/quote']

 

thanks. didn't realize Leyland was a catcher. Scoscia is an obvious one.

I wonder if Yost's father is the former 3rd baseman? Eddie Yost? Lives in Wellesley.

Knew how to take a walk. lead off batter with the old Washington Senators.

 

Looks like catching experience should be a requirement for the managing job.

At least you know how to handle pitching.