Fifteen seasons and two World Championships later, Jason Varitek is calling it a career. The 39-year-old catcher will announce his retirement in Fort Myers this Thursday, Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe reports. Varitek is expected to remain involved with the Red Sox organization.
Varitek, Boston's longtime captain, was a key member of the 2004 and 2007 World Series winners. He caught four no-hitters in his career — one each by Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, Hideo Nomo and Derek Lowe. The Red Sox acquired Lowe and Varitek from the Mariners for Heathcliff Slocumb in a fateful 1997 trade. Seattle had selected the switch-hitter with the 14th pick in the 1997 draft.
Varitek made three All-Star teams and picked up MVP votes each year from 2003-05. His career slash line reads .256/.341/.435 and he'll retire with 193 home runs. He earned over $67MM in his career, according to Baseball-Reference.
The Red Sox, who had interest in re-signing Varitek to a minor league deal, will employ Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Kelly Shoppach and Ryan Lavarnway behind the plate this year. Interestingly, Varitek and longtime rival Jorge Posada retired during the same offseason.
Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
About time,but he meant alot to our organization.goodluck to him for whatever he decides to do post baseball.
I HATE the Red Sox, but I do respect you Jason. Congrats on a great career
Some people hate the Red Sox? Wow. Big news. Everybody hates teams with fan bases that stick around for more than the good seasons. See I hate the teams with fans that pretend to have been lifers but only spoke up when they made the playoffs or won a title. I hate you all more then you could imagine. Your fakes who talk about bandwagons forgetting that even when teams like ours and NY lost we still filled more seats than any other losing teams in the league.
Overreact much? Calm down, kiddo.
Umm…..Boston has tons of fairweather fans…… tons
And I don’t really know what the second part of your post has to do with mine.
Umm…..Boston has tons of fairweather fans…… tons
And I don’t really know what the second part of your post has to do with mine.
Your right but thats because we had more real fans than 99% of the other sports teams in the world to begin with. Obviously if your already ahead when you win more fair weathers are going to come around.
Did you know that 87% of all statistics are made up on the spot?
Like that one. Fact is the Sox have always drawn a lot of fans win or lose. Our fanbase as many real fans if not more than the vast majority of sports franchises.
Can’t fool you!
Please know the difference between “your” and “you’re”.
See below. I thought they deleted my comment haha.
I’ll only do it for a poison dart frog sticker, a thermos full of spaghetti O’s, and a jolly Rancher Professor Cubs.
It’s just one of my pet peeves. And i have the jolly rancher and spaghetto O’s….but you are out of luck on the poson dart frog sticker. How about a brand new #2 pencil?
Congratulations on Boston and New York, two of the biggest sports and sportsmedia markets around – with some of the richest and longest histories – on having large fanbases and “filling seats.” Fans of baseballl in general never take pilgrimages to fill a seat at Fenway or Yankee Stadium either, I’m told.
More real fans? Numbers game – population, number of years to build a fan base, nationally broadcast games . . .
I can attest from going to 100’s of games and watching nearly all of them that our fans fill the vast vast vast majority of those seats. We also travel as well as any other fan base in the league. Go to an Orioles or Rays game. It might as well be a Sox home game.
I hate when sox fans make a big deal of nothing and make the rest of us true fans look like idiots….but this is a retirement post is it not?
Congrats to Tek. He was one of the nice guys to have around the city of Boston of the past decade plus. True class act, he had a great career and I wish him well in retirement.
I hate when sox fans make a big deal of nothing and make the rest of us true fans look like idiots….but this is a retirement post is it not?
Congrats to Tek. He was one of the nice guys to have around the city of Boston of the past decade plus. True class act, he had a great career and I wish him well in retirement.
we even have a specific name for it: pinkhatters!
we even have a specific name for it: pinkhatters!
Attendance Pride! Lol. It’s nice to see Cubs fans have company in the all important attendance race. I look forward to the day when Red Sox fans get inducted into Cooperstown in the special attendance wing. I hope you are there to give the keynote speech Leonard.
No I’m sure they will give it to some dinosaur Red Sox fan from the Teddy ball game era who has had season tickets for the better part of his life. I’m flattered that I got your nomination though. Showing up to the games and watching them is a big part of being a fan.
I don’t see the problem with his comment. I don’t think I made the comment on the Posada retirement thread, but I made almost the same comment in a conversation with some friends. I hate the Yankees, but I respect Posada and congratulate him on an impressive career. He’s just saying that despite not liking the team (even hating the team) he still has respect for the player and the career he had, it’s a reasonable – even nice – thing to say.
Its whatever its just a baseball forum. I just didn’t think it was the place. Apparently people disagree and that’s fine I don’t need a legion of people to like everything I say for me to think its worthwhile to criticize something. “I’m Leonard Washington…..I don’t get butt naked for nobody.”
Its whatever its just a baseball forum. I just didn’t think it was the place. Apparently people disagree and that’s fine I don’t need a legion of people to like everything I say for me to think its worthwhile to criticize something. “I’m Leonard Washington…..I don’t get butt naked for nobody.”
I don’t see the problem with his comment. I don’t think I made the comment on the Posada retirement thread, but I made almost the same comment in a conversation with some friends. I hate the Yankees, but I respect Posada and congratulate him on an impressive career. He’s just saying that despite not liking the team (even hating the team) he still has respect for the player and the career he had, it’s a reasonable – even nice – thing to say.
I’m a Mets fan, always have been, and always will be; through good times and bad. I respect Jason Varitek and most of the Red Sox organization, and i rooted for them in 2004 when they beat the Yankees.
But my problem is with the Red Sox FANS. They are loud, obnoxious, annoying… and you want to talk about fair weather fans? NEVER in my 45 years of life have I seen a fan base blow with the wind as much as “Red Sox Nation.” Just because you wear a “B” on your hat, doesn’t mean you know your AAA affiliate. And just because you have an MLBTR account doesn’t mean you have the intelligence to bash other team’s fan-bases.
And it’s easy to fill a stadium like Fenway when your capacity is only 37,493; the LOWEST capacity in the Majors.
They only come to see Fenway.
Wow you’re getting into a argument with everyone. You really need to relax. I
agree with the Diesel. As much as I hate the Red Sox Jason V was a
great player. Well respected through out the sport. Maybe you should go get some it
will help you relax.
I’m from Boston. I have hated the Red Sox (and Patriots) since about 2005 because of all the bandwagon fans
Please remember Leonad Washington does not speak for “all” Red Sox fans. I find it funny you needed to say “I hate the Red Sox” before saying “congrats on a great career, Jason”
When Derek Jeter retires, I will say, “I am not a Yankees fan, but congrats on a great career, Derek”
Mariano Rivera: “As a Red Sox fan, thanks for 2004, and congrats on a tremendous career.”
And this is what I said about Posada:
Jorge Posada: “Even as a Red Sox fan, I always respected Jorge Posada. Congrats on a great career, hope to see him in Cooperstown soon”
These are examples, of course, of ways to not backhandedly insult people while complimenting someone else.
Pretty much summed up my point. Minus the stabs in the dark about the source of his hate though.
“Upon hearing about the beer ban Jason Varitek retired” – Peter Gammons
good old gamms
Congrats Captain!! See you in the dugout buddy!
so sad to see you go, but so happy to see you not take minor league deal! second greatest catcher in BoSox history!
Doug Mirabelli #1!
Out with the old and in with the new!
Who is the first?
Carlton Fisk I’m guessing
I will now have roughly 4,500 tweets from boston sportswriters clogging my timeline on this subject over the next 4 days…I guess it’s better than reading about beer and chicken every 5 minutes
Why would you follow those hacks anyway?
Honestly, I couldn’t see Varitek being in another uniform. Here’s to one heck of a career. In his prime, he was one of the best catchers in all of baseball as he could hit for power, get on base, and was clutch in key situations. Along with that, he was a very good backstop defensively. After seeing him play the last couple years, it became apparent that this would be near the end of the road for him, but nonetheless what he did in helping the Red Sox get two world series trophies is priceless and will never be forgotten by any Red Sox fan.
Thank you for your solid professionalism over the years Tek. You were possibly the best catcher ever in a Red Sox uniform. I sincerely hope you stay in the organization in some capacity, hopefully as a coach.
We will miss ya Varitek. Through the good and the bad you gave us your all every second you were on the field. You will always be remembered fondly throughout NE for the titles, the no hitters, the good seasons, the bad, and the amazing off the field work you did. Hope you come back as a coach sometime in the future Captain. Thanks for the memories.
Without looking… How many No-No’s did he catch?? was it 5? or 4??
Probably didn’t say it in the post when you made this comment, but it’s actually in the post now (it was 4 by the way).
Thanks.. read over it and if it was earlier? Flat out missed it :-(
Would’ve been 5 if Schill didn’t shrug him off.
Varitek was drafted in 1994, not 1997.
“The Computer” has left the building….
I once heard him called “The Computer”, and I always think of that when I see or hear his name. As everyone agrees, here’s to a great career.
I agree. I am struggling with why you would not make him a bench coach and let him signal in pitches? Tremendous value in that.
did you know 5/4 of all people don’t understand fractions?
That future 1/4 of people also don’t exist yet, so I usually don’t hold it against them
Sad day for Red Sox fans
Bye Tek! Thanks for everything.
Thanks for up until 2008 Tek. You were the longest tenured, for being on the field in a consistent basis and productive Sox catcher until that time while I have been a Sox fan. Sure wish you would have retired 3 years ago however..
Maybe Tek and Wake will be both offered either a coaches/FO job.. both should be rewarded.
Remember years back the Sox would bring back the old time Sox greats to ST every year as coaches.. Frank malzone.. Dom Dimaggio, Ted Williams, even Joe Dobson would put on a uni in the spring and coach the players.
Maybe they will at least do that for them.
Could he be given a catching coach position? (I’m pretty sure they have 1 but don’t bite my head off if it doesn’t exist)
They have on already.. Sort of at least.. Gary Tuck, though he doubles as the BP coach and Tek has said nothing but good things about his knowledge of catching. Salty was sent to him right after he was acquired from Texas also to fix some bad habits of his also, so maybe a minor league catching instructor, or even a MLB base coach?
I’d have him follow Lavarnway around like (insert cliched statement here) next year in AAA to teach him the ropes, or maybe having his act as a ‘roving’ catching instructor and have him work with Swihart as well. Varitek is a guy who could not only teach them the physical aspect of being a good catcher, but also about all of the prep work that goes into it (there is arguably no one better at that part of catching than Varitek). I could see him as a minor league coach in the future though, and eventually a major league coach/manager as well.
Having him as a M-L catching instructor to me, sounds like the absolute perfect job. That would help the team a LOT more than him as a base coach, or even him taking over for Tuck as the BP coach and Tuck a roving C instructor.
Like you said.. There is pretty much nobody can think of who would rather see teach the young kids the fundamentals of catching and catchers have praised him before with little tid bits he has shown them just during ST.. Why not have him do it FT if he is willing, or is tek actually looking for a MLB coaching job also.. maybe that is the problem.
congrats on a great career ‘Tek
4 no hitters caught, that’s unbelievable. Never knew. Fun guy to watch, wish the best to him.
He also had at least two 1 hitters. One from Pedro vs. Tampa and one from Schilling vs. Anaheim?
Freakin’ Schilling going to his split shaking off the slider!
Freakin’ Schilling going to his split shaking off the slider!
I think Schilling’s was against the A’s
Yeah, it was the As
great captain.. kept that clubhouse in order..
great captain.. kept that clubhouse in order..