Jason Varitek
From Free net encyclopedia
| Position | Catcher |
| Team | Boston Red Sox |
| Years of Experience | 8 years |
| Age | 33 |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in |
| Weight | 230 lbs. |
| Bats | Switch |
| Throws | Right |
| College | Georgia Tech |
| 2005 Salary | $8,000,000 |
| Place of Birth | Rochester, Michigan |
| Selection | 1st round, 14th pick, 1994 amateur draft. |
| Drafted by | Seattle Mariners |
| Major League Debut | September 24, 1997 |
Jason Andrew Varitek (born April 11, 1972 in Rochester, Michigan), is a switch-hitting catcher, and captain of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball.
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Little League career
Varitek played in the 1984 Little League World Series. His Altamonte Springs, Fla., team lost in the finals to Seoul, Korea, by a score of 6-2.
High school career
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 major league prospect. In 1990, the Patriots won the state championship and were later named as the number one team in the nation, by USA Today.
Collegiate career
Varitek then went on to Georgia Tech, where he played with future teammates Nomar Garciaparra and Jay Payton, and took part in the 1992 Summer Olympics. After his 1994 senior season, Varitek won three collegiate baseball awards: the Dick Howser Trophy, the Golden Spikes Award and the Rotary Smith Award, each recognizing the outstanding collegiate baseball player in America. He was the first baseball player in school history to have his number retired.
Early professional career
Varitek played two seasons in the Cape Cod League with the Hyannis Mets. In 1993 he won hit .371 whiel winning both the league batting championship and MVP. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the first round of the 1994 amateur draft, with the 14th pick overall. A pioneer of the loopholes in the draft process, Varitek signed with the St. Paul Saints in the independent Northern League before agreeing to terms with the Mariners, and consequently did not enter the Mariners' minor league system until 1995. He was traded with pitcher Derek 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.
Major league career
Varitek was called up for a single game in 1997 and played 86 games in 1998. He became the Red Sox full-time catcher in 1999, playing 144 games in that season. In 2001 he was sidelined for the season with a broken elbow after he dove to catch a foul ball on July 7. He made the catch.
In 2004, Varitek compiled a career-high .296 batting average with 18 home runs and 73 RBI as his team won its first World Series victory in 86 years. At the end of the year, Varitek became a free agent and signed a 4-year, $40-million contract with the Red Sox.
After Varitek's re-signing, the Red Sox appointed him to be the third team captain in franchise history, after Carl Yastrzemski (1969-83) and Jim Rice (1986-89). There are currently only three other captains in Major League Baseball, Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees, Paul Konerko of the Chicago White Sox, and Mike Sweeney of the Kansas City Royals).
According to baseball media, Varitek is valued as a catcher for his ability to work with pitchers, using scouting reports and video footage to plan each game. He also won his first Gold Glove Award and first Silver Slugger award in 2005.
Through the end of the 2005 season, Varitek has a career batting average of .272 with 119 home runs and 488 RBI.
In 2006, Varitek represented the United States in the World Baseball Classic. He made the most of his playing time, hitting a grand slam home run against Team Canada allowing Team USA to move from 8-2, to 8-6, Team Canada, however, was able to hang on to the lead in the upset loss.
Trivia
- In the 2004 World Series, Varitek batted against the St. Louis Cardinals' Jason Marquis, the first time two former Little League World Series participants have faced each other in the Major League Baseball World Series. Varitek had played for Altamonte Springs, Florida in 1984.
- In the 2004 World Series, Jason became the second player to appear in the Little League World Series Altamonte Springs, Florida 1984 runner-up, 1994 NCAA Div I runner-up Georgia Tech, and Major League Baseball World Series Champion Boston Red Sox 2004. Ed Vosberg was the first player to complete this triple.
- Varitek is the only player to have competed in the Little League World Series, College World Series, MLB World Series, on the Olympic Baseball team, and in the World Baseball Classic.
- Varitek lives in the neighborhood of Waban in Newton, Massachusetts.
- His agent is Scott Bora$
External links
- Baseball Reference (statistics and analysis) [1]
- ESPN (profile and daily update) [2]ja:ジェイソン・ヴァリテック
Categories: 2003 American League All-Stars | 2005 American League All-Stars | 2004 Boston Red Sox World Series Championship Team | Boston Red Sox players | Seattle Mariners players | Major league catchers | 1972 births | Living people | People from Michigan | 2006 World Baseball Classic players of the United States | Gold Glove Award winners | Olympic competitors for the United States | Baseball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics