The Boston Red Sox have signed catcher A.J. Pierzynski, a World Series-winning veteran, to a one-year contract.This means Jarrod Saltalamacchia's stint with the club comes to an end after three years as the team’s top catcher. Saltalamacchia is already on the move, as he’s reportedly heading to Florida to sign with the Marlins for $21 million over the next three years.
The Red Sox also have a couple of good catching prospects in their system in Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez. With the prospects already in the system, the Red Sox felt they only needed to sign the 37-year-old Pierzynski for just one year as one of the youngsters should be ready to take over the next season.
This was a better option for the team than re-signing Saltalamacchia for several more years. Boston also has David Ross in place as their backup catcher. Ross is a solid player and he was used to catch four of Boston’s six World Series contests this season, with the Sox winning all four of them.
Ross is a right-handed hitter while Pierzynski bats left-handed, so they could split the playing time between them depending what pitcher they’re facing. That decision will be left up to manager John Farrell.
Ross said he’s happy to share the duties with Pierzynski and told the press, “His resume speaks for itself. He's won a championship. The guy is a really good hitter. I think he should fit in well in our lineup, a left-handed bat. He's been around for a long time. I don't think you can go wrong with a guy like that.”
Pierzynski is regarded as being a solid game-caller, but his fielding has slipped slightly over the years.
He played in Texas with the Rangers last season, where he batted for a .272 average in 134 games. He belted 17 homers and also added 70 RBIs. He started 111 games and caught in 119 of the 134 played.
Pierzynski is one of the best hitting catchers in the Major Leagues. He started his career back in 1998 with the Minnesota Twins, and has a career batting average of .283 to go along with 172 home runs and 800 RBIs. He has also played eight years with the Chicago White Sox, but left the Windy City to sign with the Rangers last year.
Pierzynski is quite aggressive at the plate and that is sometimes reflected in his on-base percentage, which was just .297 in 2013. He also walked just 11 times during the campaign.
He managed to win a World Series ring in 2005 while catching for the White Sox. He could add a second one in 2014 if the Red Sox are able to repeat as World Series champions. The last team to pull off the feat was the New York Yankees, who won their second in a row in 2000.
With the Red Sox looking to be set behind the plate for the next few seasons, general manager Ben Cherington will likely now look to solidify the team at first base and in center field by dipping further into the free agent market or pulling off a trade.
