Saltalamaggio sign in Texas by Jared Carrabis
A lot has changed for Jarrod Saltalamacchia since the Red Sox last visited Arlington, Texas


My, how the times have changed.

The last time the Red Sox were in Texas, I was there. Rangers fans were cocky and arrogant. Their knowledge of their own team, never mind baseball in general, was limited, and that's putting it nicely. But there were some taunts regarding Jarrod Saltalamacchia and how they were glad to be rid of him, how he was never going to amount to anything, and how the Red Sox were fools for acquiring him.

I asked the Rangers fans if they even knew who they got in the Saltalamacchia deal, to which they just scratched their heads and said that it didn't matter, which translates to "I have no idea". The answer, if you're curious, is 20-year-old right-hander Roman Mendez, 23-year-old first baseman Chris McGuiness, a player to be named later, and cash.

When Salty was acquired by the Red Sox at the 2010 trade deadline, it hardly made a splash. Saltalamacchia had long been coveted by Theo Epstein, as his asking price once would have cost Boston Clay Buchholz at a minimum. After losing his starting job to Gerald Laird and injuries marring his chances to win back his position in Texas, he was a buy-low option for Boston.

Over the winter, the Red Sox showed their confidence in Saltalamacchia by naming him their starting catcher. The backstop, drafted out of Royal Palm Beach High School in the 2003 draft by the Atlanta Braves, put in significant work over the offseason with Red Sox bullpen coach, Gary Tuck. The grueling workouts that Saltalamacchia was put through earned the nickname, "Camp Tuck", to reflect its near boot camp-like requirements.

The results have been like night and day for Saltalamacchia. Once an afterthought and a player only known for having the "yips", not being able to successfully throw the ball back to his pitcher, Saltalamacchia is now a vital part to the Red Sox offensive machine.

Saltalamacchia has set career highs this season with 41 RBIs, 17 doubles, 31 extra-base hits and 12 homers. In fact, 30 of his last 59 hits have gone for extra bases. Salty has reached base in 35 of his last 43 games with a plate appearance with 26 RBI over that span.

Aside from his offensive accolades, his defensive game has soared to new heights, as Saltalamacchia has established himself as one of the top defensive catchers in the American League. Salty has gunned down 30% of attempted base-stealers (27 of 91) this season. He has thrown out seven of the last sixteen who have attempted to run on him, and ten of the last twenty-seven.

His 27 caught stealings are also a career high, and the most by a Red Sox catcher since Jason Varitek threw out 31 would-be base-stealers in 2002. Undoubtedly, Salty has benefited from having Varitek as a mentor, and it just goes to show how potential can flourish into raw talent when the player works hard to perfect their craft, and when an organization shows confidence in an unproven player.

For the Saltalamaniacs of the world, Saltalamaggio shirts are now on sale over at Sully's Brand. If you don't understand the Saltalamaggio nickname, here's the back story.

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Published on August 22, 2011

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