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Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox champ has suggestion for catcher position
The Red Sox went into the 2025 season with Connor Wong as their No. 1 catcher with Carlos Narváez as the backup. But Narváez carved out a nice role for himself when Wong landed on the injured list in April with a broken finger. So nice, in fact, that one Red Sox World Series champion thinks Narváez should take over as the team's full-time catcher. Advertisement 'He needs to play five days a week,' Will Middlebrooks said on 'Sox Talk with Will Middlebrooks.' 'Defensively, he is a better player. That shows in the metrics. He's arguably one of the best defensive catchers based off the metrics in baseball — him and Williams Contreras. As far as defensive runs saved, blocking, framing, which is still important with now ABS system.' Wong has been Boston's primary catcher for two seasons. And Narváez expected to be the backup when the Red Sox traded for him. But he's exceeded expectations and came through when the team needed him to fill in unexpectedly. Narváez has been getting more games behind the plate of late. He has a league-leading 18 assists and is batting .271 with four home runs and 14 RBI. More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Red Sox World Series Champion Sends Catching Message to Coaching Staff
The Boston Red Sox have had more issues than just the first base position over the past few weeks. Defensively and offensively, the Red Sox could be better at the catcher position, and it isn't exactly an easy fix. However, a former Red Sox World Series champion thinks Carlos Narvaez should be the full-time starting catcher, adding that he needs to play at least five times a week. Advertisement 'He needs to play five days a week,' Will Middlebrooks said on 'Sox Talk with Will Middlebrooks.' 'Defensively, he is a better player. That shows in the metrics. He's arguably one of the best defensive catchers based off the metrics in baseball — him and Williams Contreras. As far as defensive runs saved, blocking, framing, which is still important with now ABS system.' Narvaez is probably the best with what the Red Sox have to work with, but that isn't necessarily saying much. He's started to swing about a bit higher of a level over the past week, posting a .271 batting average, compared to .210 on May 1. Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is seen before a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Gorski-Imagn Images However, Narvaez, who played for the New York Yankees during the 2024 season, isn't an elite offensive player. Advertisement The issue, however, is that even if the Red Sox want to find a better catcher at the deadline, there aren't many options available. There isn't a surplus of good hitting catchers in Major League Baseball, and with the limited number there are, most of the time, teams don't want to get rid of them. The Red Sox could find a way to make Narvaez a long-term option, but they'll have to hope it works out in the way that Middlebrooks thinks.
