BOSTON – Just hours after the Red Sox traded their catcher of the future in Kyle Teel to the White Sox in a Winter Meetings blockbuster that landed ace Garrett Crochet, the club quickly struck another deal aimed at adding some depth behind the plate. Interestingly, the team the Red Sox partnered with to land Carlos Narváez – a Minor League veteran at the time – was the rival Yankees. In exchange, Boston parted with pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and $250,000 of international bonus pool space. There was no buzz about the deal when it was made. Perhaps the 26-year-old Narváez could win the job in Spring Training as Connor Wong’s backup? It was a modest expectation, and Narváez has exceeded it, not only vaulting Wong as the team’s primary catcher but also, according to statistics, becoming the best defender at his position in MLB. |
An opening was created when Wong fractured his left pinkie finger committing catcher’s interference in the 11th game of the season. Though last season’s starter returned on May 2, Narváez has received the majority of playing time this month. And with good reason. Per Statcast, Narváez’s overall fielding run value is +5 (tied for the ninth best in MLB at any position, and fourth best among catchers). He is +4 in blocks above average, tying him for fourth. Narváez is a +2 at caught stealing above average, putting him in a tie for sixth. In the all-important stat of framing runs, Narváez is +3, putting him in a tie for third. He is in the 90 percentile of MLB in all four of those key categories. Back in Spring Training, before Narváez would win over the Red Sox with his glove and his surprising bat, Yankees manager Aaron Boone had some nice things to say about the Venezuelan, who made his MLB debut last season, playing six games for the Pinstripers. “Yeah, we traded away another big leaguer,” Boone said on Feb. 24. “Amazing person, smart, really good behind the plate, some power. Honestly, that was tough moving him.” |
Boone’s scouting report turned out to be dead on, though Narváez has exceeded expectations to this point at the plate. Through Wednesday’s game against the Mets, he has a batting line of .279/.343/.459 with seven doubles, five homers and 15 RBIs in 122 at-bats. Of Narváez’s first 34 starts with the Red Sox, he’s batted eighth or ninth in 32. “He will struggle at one point. Hopefully he doesn't,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “It is a league that makes adjustments. One thing that he does pretty well is he sticks to his plan. Also, he can hit a line drive to right field whenever he feels like it. Am I tempted to move him up in the lineup? Yes. But at the same time, I think he's in a great place right now, so let's keep it that way.” Until the Dec. 11, 2024, trade, Narváez had been a Yankee since June 2, 2015, when he signed as an international free agent. He was 16 years old. Nearly a decade later, he has zero hard feelings towards his original organization. “I'm super grateful for what they did for me,” said Narváez. “I had a chance to make the bigs with them last year. They opened the door for me. I’m more than happy to be a Red Sox now. I spent nine years with them. I grew up with them. I can't describe how I feel right now being with the Red Sox.” |
Aside from elevating his already strong defensive game while coming into his own at the plate, Narváez has drawn rave reviews from the pitching staff for his gam-planning skills. And he gives game planning and run prevention coach Jason Varitek his share of credit for that. “He’s the best at doing the game plan,” Narváez said. “He's always paying attention to all the details. Every doubt that I have, I always talk to ‘Tek. As soon as I got here, we had a meeting with him, reviewing everything that happened yesterday. “He's been like that from the first game of the season. I know it will be like that until the postseason and World Series. He’s the captain. He was catching for this team forever. He’s a legend. I'm more than proud to be able to work with him.”
Meanwhile, the Red Sox are quite pleased to have a solution rather than just a depth piece behind the plate, especially one who isn’t eligible for free agency until 2031. |
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One of the biggest stories surrounding the Red Sox is first base. Kristian Campbell continues to work out at a position he’s never played with the hope he can fill in at the spot Triston Casas vacated when he ruptured his left patellar tendon on May 2. Making the potential position switch for Campbell all the more interesting is that it could open the door for the Red Sox to call up their No. 2 prospect Marcelo Mayer to play second base. There has been a buzz around Mayer since Boston snagged him with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 Draft. A natural shortstop, Mayer has been playing almost exclusively at second base over the last week or so at Triple-A Worcester. A naturally gifted defender, Mayer’s transition to second will likely be easier than Campbell learning the art of first base, which is why the Red Sox aren’t rushing it. "The ground ball is the ground ball, right? And we do believe he's going to make plays,” said Cora. “But I think around the bag is the most important thing. I don't know where we’re at. On a scale of 10, probably 2 1/2, 3. We’ll try to get to 10 as fast as possible, but we’re being smart about it.” |
While most of the focus on Walker Buehler’s comeback from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday centered around his ejection in the top of the third inning, a takeaway that shouldn’t be overlooked is how strong he looked. Buehler maxed out at 96.3 mph with his four-seamer and his average of 94.7 mph was up about 1.1 mph from his season average. “Physically I haven’t felt quite the way I have the last 10 or 12 days in a long time,” Buehler said. |
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