Saltalamacchia Building All-Star Resume For Red Sox
BOSTON (CBS) -- Let's face it: Bright spots have been somewhat hard to come by when it comes to the Boston Red Sox this season.
Sure, the team has turned it around in a big way since that slow start in April, but for everything that the Sox can feel good about, there's been a negative to quickly counteract those good feelings.
That was on display on Tuesday night at Fenway Park, as Jarrod Saltalamacchia's game-tying two-run homer with two outs in the ninth brought life to the ballpark, but Alfredo Aceves allowing two runs just minutes later quickly sucked out the energy.
Regardless, if there's been one thing the Sox have to feel good about, it's been the play of their 27-year-old catcher.
His Tuesday night homer was his 11th of the year -- more than any other catcher in Major League Baseball, despite fewer at-bats than the rest of the league leaders. Still in the first week of June, he's now just five homers shy of his career high, and he's finally looking to be the player that so many expected him to become.
It may have taken a while, but for the Sox, it's certainly been worth the wait.
"He's been playing great," manager Bobby Valentine said after the Sox lost in extra on Tuesday. "He and David [Ortiz] have been great offensive players for us in the middle of the lineup."
Saltalamacchia, a career .248 hitter, now has his average up to .279. It's quite the turnaround from the .103 average he had in mid-April, as he's hit .324 with a 1.051 OPS since April 21. He has a four-hit game, something he didn't accomplish all of last season, and he has as many three-hit games (three) in 44 games as he did in 103 last year.
Regarding his success this season, Saltalamacchia said it's simple.
"I'm just trying to win. Confidence comes from winning," he said.
Often though, good numbers won't stand out on their own, and it takes some well-times hits for a player to start making headlines. Saltalamacchia's made sure to do that, with his mammoth bombs in Philadelphia a few weeks ago serving as appetizers for his walk-off home run against Tampa two weeks ago and his two-out homer in the ninth on Tuesday.
Defensively, Saltalamacchia has thrown out just five of 32 potential base stealers, a 16 percent clip that's a bit behind his career mark of 24 percent and last season's 31 percent. That's hardly a concern, though, as a few more plays can turn that around quickly. He's also developing rather nicely as a manager of the pitching staff. Jon Lester said that's a big part of Saltalamacchia stepping out from the shadow of longtime Sox backstop Jason Varitek.
"Now he's just feeling comfortable," Lester said. "He knows his role. As much as Tek helps, I think having him not here helps as well. You don't have that presence breathing down your neck. ... I think for Salty to get out from underneath that shadow, now it's his pitching staff. And he's done a great job."
Put it all together, and you're seeing the complete player that Saltalamacchia was always supposed to be.
"I think he's gaining confidence in all aspects of his life and his game," Valentine said. "He walks into the clubhouse and he exudes confidence. I think when he goes to the mound, the pitchers like what he has to say. I think the umpires are respecting him. He's a confident player right now."
