Red Sox Saltalamacchia Checks In From Fort Myers
BOSTON (CBS) - Showing up early to spring training is nothing new for Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia.
Arriving 10 days ahead of schedule gave Saltalamacchia more time to get acclimated with his new surroundings, and get some extra work in with Red Sox bullpen and catching coach Gary Tuck.
Saltalamacchia enters the season in competition with Jason Varitek for the starting gig behind the plate, but does not look at spring training as a battle to be the Red Sox starting catcher.
"Everyone puts the emphasis on competition, but I always compete against myself," he told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Jonny Miller. "I want to be better than I was the day before, or the year before. That's the only thing I can control. Tek and I have become buddies. I've always looked up to him, I respect him. Any time I get to spend with him and Tuck is great."
Acquired by the Red Sox at the 2010 trade deadline, Saltalamacchia spent some time in the minor leagues before being called up to replace the injured Kevin Cash. He soon fell victim to the injury bug as well, dealing with an injured thumb that required a trip to the disabled list. He was only able to play in 12 games for the Red Sox, hitting .167 with two RBIs.
Saltalamacchia said his thumb had bothered him since he joined the Sox, but everything feels good now and is ready to go.
"I'm ready to have fun and play baseball. With this group of guys it's easy to do that," the 25-year-old said. "Even the last the two weeks of (last) season, we weren't winning but we still had fun. It's a different year obviously and we're all eager to get out there."
Eager may not be a strong enough world. The Red Sox revamped their lineup with the acquisition of first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and signing of center fielder Carl Crawford.
"That guy right there will never have a bad day," Saltalamacchia said of the speedy Crawford. "If he's not hitting, or doesn't hit the ball out of the park, he's going to get on base and score runs that way. His speed will always show up. The dynamic of the game is going to change when he's in there."
Offensively, the switch-hitting backstop has not lived up to the hype that comes with being a first-round pick back in 2003. His best season at the plate came in 2007, when he split time between the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers. Saltalamacchia hit .266 with 11 home runs in 93 games.
Now with sluggers like Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz taking up the heart of the order, there will be less pressure for Saltalamacchia to produce big numbers. He also knows that his contributions will have to come from other places, not just his bat.
"Obviously as a catcher, your main focus is the pitchers," Saltalamacchia said. "When you're up to the plate you have to do what you got to do to help the team win as well. Whatever happens, forget about it and go back behind the plate. With our lineup I don't think there will be too much emphasis on my hitting, Tek's hitting. We've got plenty of guys that can do that."
During the spring Saltalamacchia will focus on getting to know the pitching staff. Although he did not get many chances to catch them in his short time last season, he knows the Sox starting five could do some big things this year.
"Lester and Buchholz stepped up big last year, watching from the other side and on the same team," he said. "Beckett and Lackey are going to do what they always do, no issues there. Diasuke stepped up towards the end, once he was healthy and feeling good. I think that's not going to be an issue."
Saltalamacchia is also confident in closer Jonathan Papelbon, who had a career-high eight blown saves in 2010.
"That's the guy you want out there," Saltalamacchia said of Papelbon. "He'll take the ball in every situation. He struggled, but lots of guys struggled. You can't just pin it on one guy and say that was the reason. We just had a bad year last year and we're a different team now."
The 2011 Red Sox will look much different from the team in 2010, but the expectations remain the same. Anything less than a World Series title will be seen as a failure, but that pressure will not effect the battle-tested Sox.
"Not with this team," he said. "From what I've seen everyone on this team, we're level and grounded. Just taking it day-by-day. We expect it, expect nothing less."
