Jason, It's Time.

by TheLoneDavid on Jul 15, 2011 3:37 PM EDT

As I type this, Jason Varitek currently has a triple slash line of .252/.338/.435 good enough for a wOBA of .343. For a catcher, this is actually a pretty damn good batting line. He's played in less than half Boston's games so far, but so what? He's supposed to be the backup guy this year.

Jason Varitek needs to retire at the end of this year.

My reasons for making this statement are threefold: 1) I believe that Jason makes a better mentor for players like Saltalamacchia and Lavarnway as a coach than as a player. 2) Jason needs coaching experience in both the major and minor leagues so that he can begin his managing career as soon as 2014. 3) I, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this, cannot emotionally handle one of my favorite Red Sox ending his career in the same fashion as Ken Griffey Jr. or Randy Johnson.

Playing in a game takes a lot of mental preparation, especially for a catcher. There are notes about batters to go over with your pitcher, notes about the opposing pitcher to go over so you aren't lost at the plate, you must make a game plan, visualize all 27 outs, and be pumped and ready by gametime. I believe it is the toughest job in baseball. As a coach, I believe Jason can alleviate these burdens in Boston's younger catchers. He can compile notes about opposing batter in the same manner that he did as a player, then go over them with the catchers on the roster. He can guide them when talking to their pitchers, and ultimately, guide the younger pitchers into what we all want behind the plate: younger, possibly better-hitting, versions of Jason.

Terry Francona has two options left on his contract according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. If Theo decides that Tito is the guy for the next couple of years, he can pick up those options and keep Tito in Boston through 2013. After that, Theo faces a decision, extend the manager who brought the first two World Series championships in 86 years to Boston, or allow a manager who relies overly on veterans, has trouble managing a bullpen, but is great at managing people to walk. I personally prefer the latter, I love Tito for everything he's done since 2004, but he has to be one of the most infuriating managers in the majors. Besides that, I believe that with a few years of seasoning, the Red Sox could have a better option to manage in Jason Varitek.

Ken Griffey Jr went out in possibly the worst way possible for a truly great player. He hadn't been productive since 2005, and produced negative fWAR value in '06 '07 '08 and '10. He put up a full negative fangraphs win in 2010 even though he only played in 33 games. Over the last three years, Jason has not been good, but he also has not directly hurt the team in the same manner that Griffey has. Tek has been one of my favorite Sox since I started following them, and it would kill me emotionally to watch him drag his career along in the same manner thad Griffey did.

For these three reasons, I beg and plead of you Jason, hang 'em up after this year. We all love you, but it's time.

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Comments

Dude, I gotta tell you

Varitek may want to manage sometime in the future, and there’s certainly enough other people that want him to manage- but when he retires, he has three daughters and a brand new wife he’s probably going to want to be spending at least a few years with, rather than jumping right into the fray.

by wolf9309 on Jul 16, 2011 1:52 AM EDT reply actions

+1

by JAAJ on Jul 16, 2011 8:52 AM EDT up reply actions

The Sox have had player/manager/coaches in the past..

Joe Cronin for example… Teddy Baseball wasn’t a player/manager, but pretty close. It would had been interesting if Williams managed the Sox, but it probably wouldn’t had worked.

I think Varitek should continue what he is doing. I don’t think he needs to retire. He is already transitioning as a player/coach.. I also don’t think there is a rush for him to be manager. Tito isn’t exactly an old, and he is probably not going to be retiring anytime soon.

If Varitek is going to go manage, it is really more how he picks a coaching staff and how he manages a clubhouse, his strengths with working with Pitchers is not an issue, compare to someone like Don Mattingly. However, as Wolf9309 mentioned, the guy went through a painful divorce, he probably wants to do something else than baseball for a couple years. Climbing the totem pole as a baseball coach/manager is also a different game and a different set of skills than being a player and clubhouse leader. Much like another good catcher that became a manager, Mike Scioscia, also got kicked out of one organization after a bunch of turmoil, the Dodgers, before landing with Anaheim.

A Sox manager not only has a couple things on their plate, but they have do deal with the media, which is a pretty thankless job.

In some ways a good coach, especially a hitting coach is Papi..

by superferret on Jul 16, 2011 2:40 AM EDT reply actions

Has Tek stated that he wants to coach?

by upCHUCK on Jul 16, 2011 9:46 AM EDT reply actions

In terms of manager ages, Jason is young.

After he retires, keep him on as a Catcher’s coach (or some invented position) with a relatively light workload to keep him in it. If he loves it, give him a more esteemed job, like a bench coach or pitching coach. Then after that we can talk manager.

Theo-trade John Lackey for a used condom and a punch in the nose. Remember, it's all about value.

by LesterJohn on Jul 16, 2011 6:59 PM EDT reply actions

I agree

it might not have been clear, but that was what I was talking about in regards to helping Salty and Lavarnway

I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.

by TheLoneDavid on Jul 16, 2011 8:11 PM EDT up reply actions

nooooooo

josh beckett needs tek to catch for him or else hell stink

by bard51 on Jul 19, 2011 9:57 AM EDT reply actions

That's just silly

Beckett was a great pitcher in Florida without a Tek in sight. He’s the pitcher. He knows how to pitch. Tek seems to be some kind of security blanket for him, but he needs to get over that (if it is a real mental problem for him and not a media creation. Beckett is under contract through 2014, and I don’t think Tek is going to be here close to that long.

by wolf9309 on Jul 19, 2011 10:05 AM EDT up reply actions