Boston Red Sox All-Decade team 2010s: The starting infield
By Gio Rivera
Catcher: Jarrod Saltalamacchia (2010-2018)
Without a doubt the most thought-debating, conflicting selection on this list.
The names are countless when reminiscing over this past decade’s catchers.
Yet it’s Jarrod Saltalamacchia who stands out among them all, and no, it’s not because of the fact that Saltalamacchia is the longest last name in baseball history. That was a sweetener that added a little persuasion to placing Salty on my list.
While Jarrod Saltalamacchia wasn’t among the most elite catchers during his time period, lacking frame abilities and a threat-worthy arm behind the plate, it was reliability that Salty always brought to the diamond.
Salty played in 100-plus games in three of his four seasons with the Boston Red Sox, serving as the blue-collar guy who showed the type of grit that kept him in the lineup. Through 2011-13, he averaged around 18 home runs per season and came through with his most productive within his tenure at a perfect time in 2013.
Next. Boston Red Sox: 5 greatest World Series moments of the decade 2010s. dark
Many, including myself, were on full-board in the “Get Salty to the All-Star Game” campaign of 2013. Unfortunately, his efforts and hopes at that didn’t fall in fruition.
Nevertheless, everlasting glory through being the guy to catch the final strikeout of the first World Series title victory at Fenway Park in 95 years, is a settlement I’m confident Jarrod Saltalamacchia is satisfied with.