The Sox brought in Kelly Shoppach - once considered a top catching prospect in the Boston organization - as competition for Lavarnway.
Shoppach, who was traded to Cleveland in January 2006 as part of the Coco Crisp deal, morphed into a backup catcher, not the No. 1 guy most thought he would become, but Indians pitchers and then Rays pitchers enjoyed throwing to him.
Shoppach hit 21 homers and knocked in 55 runs for the 2008 Indians but never came close to that output again. He has spent the last two seasons with Tampa Bay, unable to break the Mendoza Line.
Now it is Lavarnway with a chance to live up to his lofty billing, which he created with a powerful minor league season in 2011 in which he hit 32 homers, knocked in 93 runs, and had an OPS of .939 between Double A Portland and Triple A Pawtucket.
In 17 games with Boston, Lavarnway hit .231 with 2 homers and 8 RBIs. Both homers came in Game 161 at Baltimore, when he knocked in four runs and did a nice job behind the plate, throwing out Adam Jones trying to steal third. But in that fateful 162d game that ended Boston’s season, Lavarnway went 0 for 5.
However, he did something in that game that stuck with his teammates and made them realize that he has some leadership and spunk in him. When Jon Lester was struggling, Dustin Pedroia called time out and started trotting toward the mound to offer Lester some encouragement. Lavarnway popped up from his squat, and as he ran out to the mound, he shouted out to Pedroia something to the effect of, “Hey little man, I’ve got this one.’’
It was an impressive act for a rookie in such a tough spot, late in the season in a do-or-die situation.
While some scouts feel Lavarnway is a little raw behind the plate, others think he has made great strides.
“I know that I work really hard on my catching, and it’s very important to me,’’ said Lavarnway. “I take it very seriously.
