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Over The Monster, you have spoken, and said you don't particularly care that Ryan Lavarnway might not stick behind the plate. Overcoming the super-high ceiling of Xander Bogaerts and the well-rounded Will Middlebrooks, Lavarnway's ridiculous run through Triple-A last year has earned him the top spot on your list.
- Ryan Lavarnway, C/DH
While it's entirely possible that Lavarnway does end up taking over for David Ortiz instead of Jarrod Saltalamacchia come 2013 (or whenever he should choose to call it a career), if Lavarnway can end up sticking behind the plate, then he could provide remarkable value to the Sox. We've certainly sacrificed defense behind the plate for a decent bat in years past, and Lavarnway has slowly improved as a receiver. While he's still not even average, he did gun down 29 baserunners in 79 attempts--solid numbers for anyone--and didn't look too bad in his rare major league appearances behind the plate.
So we'll hope on a catching superstar the likes of Victor Martinez, all the while knowing that if nothing else, he'll have a good shot at replacing Papi at $400k a year. Who wants a $15 million pitcher?
Actually, probably best to avoid that given how they tend to work out of late.
Alright, moving on! Voting is the same as always: I'll give you guys names in the comments sections, and you rec the guy you want. If you've got someone in mind who I haven't included, then you can start that thread yourself, and I'll rec it in order to make up for your vote (since you can't rec your own comment).
Just to be clear: your rec is your vote. You can post for discussion, but votes that are only comments will not be counted.
Based on popular demand, Ryan Kalish will be considered eligible, Ryan Westmoreland will not.
Vote away!