Varitek gets his hacks

March 14, 2007 | MLB.com | By Maureen Mullen

 

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Jason Varitek had the rare opportunity to have nearly 45 minutes of batting practice to himself Tuesday evening.

"He hit off me for about 20 minutes, and then he turned around and hit off [bench coach Brad Mills] for about another 20," said Red Sox manager Terry Francona. "It just gave him a relaxed atmosphere and on the field, a lot of good BP. It was really good for him."

Against lefty Francona and righty Mills, the switch-hitting Varitek was able get in ample swings from both sides.

After straining a gluteus muscle last spring, then requiring surgery Aug. 3 to repair a torn meniscus cartilage in his left knee, Varitek struggled at the plate last season. His average fell from .281 in 2005 to .238 in '06, 29 points below his career average of .268. Limited to just 103 games, his production fell, hitting just 12 home runs with 55 RBIs.

"He was searching," Francona said. "It's an interesting dynamic with him because he is a switch-hitter. But being a catcher, even though he plays a lot, he'll go three or four days without facing a lefty. And all of a sudden, in the ninth inning of a game, here comes the kid from Toronto throwing about 94 with the game on the line. And we expect him to be a good hitter because he's Jason Varitek, but he hasn't had a lot of practice. So, it's an interesting dilemma sometimes."

Francona attributes Varitek's struggles last year, at least in part, to not having a full Spring Training to prepare for the season.

"I think the World Baseball Classic had some things to do with it," he said. "Guys were trying to get ready and compete before they were ready. He came back. He always goes through his Spring Training soreness. But he had to be ready to go. You know how Jason is. You tell him to play a game, he's going to go play."

While Francona would like to get his catcher sufficient rest throughout the season, he would only sit Varitek if it would physically benefit his player.

"I know him well enough and [have established] a relationship enough where I think I got a pretty good idea when he needs to sit," Francona said. "When you see him sit a game and not come in a game, that's when I felt he needed a blow, a real blow."