Boston Red Sox: A salute to Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, a veteran catcher of 12 seasons in Major League Baseball, including parts of four with the Boston Red Sox, put away the spikes on Tuesday.
There was a time when fans of the Boston Red Sox wished Jason Varitek would be the starting catcher forever.
Knowing that was impossible — even despite best wishes — the Red Sox acquired Jarrod Saltalamacchia near the trade deadline in 2010 with an eye towards the future.
Spending roughly 3.5 seasons with the Red Sox, Saltalamacchia went from bench-warmer to backup to starter, eventually helping the Red Sox win a World Series in 2013.
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Five seasons removed from his time in Boston, Saltalamacchia, in a statement to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal announced he’s hanging up the cleats after 12 seasons.
Only a quarter of his career was played in a Red Sox uniform and he may never go down as a Boston great, but “Salty” certainly earned respect while he was in town. He played an important role that can’t easily be forgotten in Boston’s run to their third title of the 21st-century.
Saltalamacchia bounced around, playing for six other teams in his career. Even before arriving, he was a known commodity, mostly as being part of the trade that sent Mark Teixeira from the Texas Rangers to the Atlanta Braves.
When he arrived in Boston in 2010, there was a little unease in what exactly the team was getting. There was a healthy dose of skepticism mixed with hope that he’d recapture some of the success of his 11-home run rookie season.
He may have never reached an all-star level, but Saltalamacchia delivered during his time in Boston.
Boston Red Sox: 2010-2014
Saltalamacchia played in only ten games after being acquired from Texas in 2010.
Given more opportunities, especially after Varitek’s retirement in 2011, Saltalamacchia found his power. Between 2011 and 2013, he averaged 18 home runs, 60 RBI, and 97 hits.
In 2012, he had a career-high 25 home runs.
It was in 2013, however, in which Saltalamacchia had his finest season, both in his career and his time in Boston. He hit .273 and even carried a .803 OPS.
Saltalamacchia not only took advantage of the short porch in right (14 home runs), he did what many Red Sox hitters love to do: found a love of the double. Saltalamacchia had 40 doubles that season, accounting for a little over one-third of his 116 hits.
That season also saw the catcher collect a couple of four-hit games (against Colorado and Tampa Bay) and a four-RBI game against the Yankees.
His biggest moment, however, was saved for the postseason. After an ALDS against the Rays in which he hit .300, Saltalamacchia only had three hits in the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers.
But it was a Game 2 walk-off single in the ninth in which he will be fondly remembered. The single to left gave the Red Sox a 6-5 victory, a hit that was off of current Boston pitcher Rick Porcello.
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Things didn’t quite pan out for “Salty” after he left Boston, in regards to production. But a World Series title and decent offensive output during his time in Boston means Saltalamacchia will always own a special place in Boston Red Sox organization.