Projo Sox Blog

By Joe McDonald
Journal Sports Writer

FORT MYERS, Fla. _ At some point Jason Varitek will not be the catcher for the Boston Red Sox.

General manager Theo Epstein has made it a priority for the organization to find Varitek's replacement sooner rather than later. The GM has been on record in the past, saying he didn't believe the captain's successor was in the organization.

A year ago Epstein's statement served as a motivational tool for the younger receivers in the organization. He's also made it known to other club's he's willing to talk trade for a younger backstop.

Varitek is back for at least one more season, maybe two. That will give the Sox plenty of time to either develop or trade for a viable option behind the plate.

While Varitek attempts to rebound from his career-worst season of 2008, the captain will also have another role on the team.

"To add and pass on my knowledge in the things I have learned to that next generation of catchers," he said. "That was most important to me. In the end, that side of it, and to maintain the fact that I'm one step closer [to retirement] and I'm going to be in this uniform and I'm proud of that."

The backup and future backstop job will be at stake this spring with Josh Bard, Dusty Brown, George Kottaras and Mark Wagner in camp.

"We definitely need to take these six or seven weeks down here and try to get a better understanding of where we are with those guys," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona.

Here's what the competition looks like:

*Josh Bard: After a botched attempt to serve as Varitek's backup, and personal batterymate for Tim Wakefield in 2006, Bard is back in the organization with an opportunity to redeem himself. The 30-year-old believes he is now mature enough to handle the backup role in Boston and he's looking forward to the chance to prove himself.

"Ultimately they are going to pick the best players," he said. "Nothing is for sure in anything in this game. We've come some very capable guys here to play."

Brown and Kottaras can also catch a knuckleball as both have worked with minor-league pitcher Charlie Zink the last few seasons.

Bard dealt with an ankle injury in 2008 and finished the season with a lowly .202 average in 57 games for the Padres with one homer and 16 RBI. After the Sox traded him to San Diego only a month into the '06 season, Bard went on a tear and hit .338 with nine homers and 40 RBI in 93 games for the Padres.

He followed that up with a .285 average with five homers and 51 RBI in 2007 before his injury-prone season last summer.

*Dusty Brown: The 26-year-old receiver is known for his defensive qualities and strong arm. In 2008, however, the 6-foot-0, 180-pounder exploded offensively for a .290 average with 12 homers and 55 RBI for the PawSox. He said he took Epstein's statement to heart and is using that as a motivational tool.

"It is," he said. "I would be lying if I said it wasn't. I want to be that guy. I want to show them they don't need to go somewhere else."

*George Kottaras: The 25-year-old is out of options, which could make for an interesting situation this spring. After a sub-par year at Triple-A in 2007, he responded last summer when he showcased his power numbers. Despite a .243 average, he blasted 22 homers and 65 RBI in 107 games for Pawtucket.

The 6-foot-0, 185-pounder earned a September call-up to Boston, which he called "an eye-opening experience" and spent the winter playing in the Dominican.

"It's good to be here," he said. "It was a good offseason and I'm ready to get the baseball season started again. You have to come in ready and prepared. You want to put yourself in a good position to make the club out of spring training. It's something to look forward to. Now there's a different goal in mind and I'm going to do whatever I can to try to achieve that."

*Mark Wagner: The youngest of the prospects at 24, stands 6-foot-1 and tips the scale at 210 pounds. He is in tremendous shape and wants to prove he's the future during his first big-league spring training.

His plan during camp is simple: He wants to watch and learn, especially knowing where he is on the depth chart. Like Varitek said, he wants to pass his knowledge on to the future and Wagner could be the recipient of that wealth of knowledge.

"Obviously you don't want to bother the man while he's getting his work in, but you observe him," said Wagner. "I don't want to say mold yourself, but maybe pick some things and give it a shot. You can learn a lot by watching him. He's not a bad guy to try to follow in his footsteps and hopefully I can continue to open up more eyes."

Wagner hit .219 with 10 homers and 48 RBI for Double-A Portland in 2008.

 Tags  Dusty Brown George Kottaras Jason Varitek Josh Bard Mark Wagner Red Sox

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