Red Sox legend praises rookie catcher Carlos Narváez: ‘He exudes baseball’
Even though it was a rare transaction with the New York Yankees the Red Sox s December acquisition of rookie catcher Carlos Narv ez from their eternal rivals flew somewhat under the radar For starters it happened the same day the Red Sox acquired star left-hander Garrett Crochet from the White Sox in a pact that sent their top catching prospect Kyle Teel to Chicago And as Narv ez himself acknowledged to the Herald his new organization spent the offseason adding several established veterans and stars including Alex Bregman and Walker Buehler Then Narv ez came into his first Red Sox camp and competed with several other catchers for the backup job which he won Now with longtime catcher Connor Wong out since April due to a hand fracture Narv ez has stepped into the everyday role and impressed his coaches in the process Carlos is what we envisioned longtime Red Sox catcher captain and current coach Jason Varitek narrated the Herald An elite defender an elite receiver In a nutshell Carlos is a baseball competitor added Varitek and it s a compliment to him and a compliment for this industry and Red Sox Nation He s a baseball participant and he exudes baseball He s an elite framer concurred pitching coach Andrew Bailey He works really well with our guys Narv ez ran the gauntlet in spring training as the Red Sox tried to make sure he not only caught as countless of the pitchers as feasible but worked with them in multiple settings The good part is he was here all spring announced Varitek whom the Red Sox acquired as a prospect during the season in one of the greatest and majority of lopsided trades in franchise history We try and match catchers up to where they get through everybody but there were particular pitchers he didn t quite get to I don t think he had Crochet as a start until his last one he hadn t had Richard Fitts until his last one It s the mix-match contest in spring training trying to make sure they get to everybody One you see them in the pen Two you see them in games And the greater part importantly now is getting them in real games because there s like three phases and working your way to get through all three All while fighting for a place on the squad Coming into spring training and having -some odd pitchers and then having the stress of trying to focus on making the roster and focusing on games commented Bailey It s a lot That s what the bulk impresses the coaches not only the mountains Narv ez is climbing but the strength he brings to the endeavor Urged which pitcher he majority enjoys catching for example Narv ez couldn t choose Everyone he mentioned earnestly I love every guy He s been a treat to work with Bailey announced Very vocal very studied prepared and continued to work to be on the same page and leverage these guys best offerings as best as we can When he smiles his demeanor and the way he goes about his business Varitek announced And he s prepared He s a ecstasy to be around He s a gratification Meager players have a bigger place in the history of the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry than Varitek It s already come up in their conversations and the captain assumes they ll dig a little deeper in June when Narv ez gets his first turn What makes those games is obviously our fan bases and the history Varitek declared with a chuckle When they come I m sure we ll get into more but we re in the moment right now as much as we can and he s been a great part of that When the rivals meet Varitek thinks Narv ez will be fueled by something special You re flipping sides and you re flipping emotions I m sure he felt a different way early on in his career before now Varitek commented We traded for him we requested him so he can consistently have that in his pocket that he s a Red Sox because we sought him
