Jason Varitek

Jason Varitek was a major league catcher who spent his entire 15-year career with the Boston Red Sox. Varitek was a child star, leading his Altamonte Springs, Florida team to the 1984 victory at the Little League World Series. He was drafted in the 23rd round of the 1990 MLB Draft, but elected to attend college instead, matriculating at Georgia Tech. In 1993 he was Baseball America’s College Player of the Year, and became the first baseball player to have his number retired by the Yellow Jackets. Varitek also played two seasons in the Cape Cod League with the Hyannis Mets, leading the league in batting and being named MVP in 1993.

Varitek was drafted again in the first round of the MLB Draft, this time by the Minnesota Twins, but returned to Georgia Tech for his senior year of college. In 1994 he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners as the 14th overall pick of the first round, but after playing two seasons of minor league ball, was traded to the Red Sox organization in 1997.

Varitek made his major league début in late 1997 when he came up for the proverbial “cup of coffee.” He then was their primary catcher from 1998-2010, helping them win their first World Series in 86 years in 2004. In that offseason he was named only the third Red Sox team captain in their history, and he again helped them the World Series in 2007.

Retiring after the 2011 season, which he spent mostly as a backup, Varitek finished with a career batting average of .256, 193 home runs, and 757 RBI. He was a three-time All-Star and won the 2005 Gold Glove Award. He is the only catcher in Major League history to have caught four no-hitters by four different pitchers. After his retirement he became a special assistant to the general manager of the Red Sox.