Is there Any Hope for Saltalamacchia?

[savage1]

I know it is only the third game of the season, but does anyone and especially Sox fans think there is any hope for this guy?
I for one don't think he will ever be good enough to play for a team like the Sox which has World Series aspirations every season.
ps Yeah I know it is unrealistic to expect another Varitek, but mediocrity simply isn't good enough either(I actually believe he below average).

[Mark Richt]

I know it is only the third game of the season, but does anyone and especially Sox fans think there is any hope for this guy?
I for one don't think he will ever be good enough to play for a team like the Sox which has World Series aspirations every season.
ps Yeah I know it is unrealistic to expect another Varitek, but mediocrity simply isn't good enough either(I actually believe he below average).

He was the Braves young phenom and was traded due to us having a young Brian McCann. i believe Salty will be a quality player in MLB. Now whether its for the sox or not don't know the answer for that. Sox ballpark sure does play to his strengths. Anyway, I would love to see him get back into the national league. He def. has the talent to be a star, only time with tell though.

[LeRoy]

I know it is only the third game of the season, but does anyone and especially Sox fans think there is any hope for this guy?
I for one don't think he will ever be good enough to play for a team like the Sox which has World Series aspirations every season.
ps Yeah I know it is unrealistic to expect another Varitek, but mediocrity simply isn't good enough either(I actually believe he below average).

Give him til the middle of June. The sox have plenty of talent where they can hide his ass in the line-up where he can get his shit together while the others are carrying the load.

[10DimeBry]

he isnt the answer but should be ok as long as the sox offense picks it up

[savage1]

he isnt the answer but should be ok as long as the sox offense picks it up

Hope you are right.
I guess I am just spoiled because Varitek was just so good for most of his career.
I am not sure though that just ok is good enough-usually catching is extremely important to the success of one's team especially if the goal is to win a WS.
Just think back to what happened to Sox in 2006 after Varitek went down-namely the pitching staff collapsed-I am sure the lack of his presence had at least something to do with it.
I hope and trust that Theo and company are wise enough to see that if Salty with Varitek as a backup aren't getting it done and that pitching staff is pitching below expectations, that they take appropriate action to get someone with proven ability.
For now though, lets just hope that this weekend's disaster was just an aberration and that things get better in a hurry.

[10DimeBry]

i agree i could careless about what salty does at the plate. i just want someone who can call a good game behind the plate. Tek was the best at it.

[diesel]

Calm down there Savage. Don't lose any sleep over three games in a 162 game season. They will be fine

[savage1]

Calm down there Savage. Don't lose any sleep over three games in a 162 game season. They will be fine

Lol-I won't lose any sleep, don't worry.
You say "they" will be fine-does that mean "they" will be fine or "he" will be fine and/or they will be fine inspite of he/him?
Somehow I get the feeling and I sure hope I am wrong, that he is a hand-me-down for a reason and won't be able to cut it here on the level needed to compete a championship.
I only hope that if my assessment is correct, that they can compete in spite of him like they did in the WS year of 2007 when they got by with Julio Lugo.

[savage1]

My final thoughts for now about Saltalamacchia are these:
We all know how great Varitek was during most of his career-called a great game, was respectable defensively until the last few years and could always chime in with some big hits even late in his career.
Last year, Victor Martinez did a great job as catcher especially with his bat and was ok calling games and did a fairly good job defensively.
I feel that unless Saltamacchia can do at least one of the things cited above well and NOT just average, the team will be hurting in a big way-just having a guy who can throw the ball back to the pitcher(provided it isn't being hit out of the ballpark like it was this weekend isn't enough) and hoping that the rest of the team can take of his offensive deficiencies if he can't hit isn't enough.
Hopefully the Sox brass and others like Mark Richt are right and he will prove to be a somebody some day.
The problem is that with a team like the Sox there isn't much time for ojt and for patience-the Sox aren't a team like the Pirates, and in a division like Al East every game counts.
Hopefully he will show something in the next series with the lowly Indians and even better this weekend with the Yankees.
Right now when I think of most of the starting Red Sox catchers over the years and how important they were to the success of the team, I strongly believe that this position is critical if the Sox are to make a real go out of it this year.
The Sox went out on acquired some quality and proven palyers in Gonzalez and Crawford and spent some money to do so
Yet with the catching position imo they essentially gambled with Saltalmacchia hoping that he would improve and/or that at the very least they could get by with him-for the sake of Sox fans, lets hope that he turns out the way in which they hope and expect.

[kbsooner21]

Red Sox fans are the only ones you ever hear say Varitek was a great catcher

[savage1]

Red Sox fans are the only ones you ever hear say Varitek was a great catcher

Ok-he was "just" a very good catcher then who was a three time All Star and played on and had a lot to do with Sox winning two WS.

[savage1]

Perhaps I should have also asked whether there is any hope for John Lackey-what a waste of money!

[wayne1218]

Perhaps we should calm the fuck down 3 games in to a season. Go jump off the fuckin Tobin with the rest of the morons who gave up already! We don't need you!!!

[diesel]

Savage I think you should use your monumental pull in the city of Boston and get a few moments with Theo and ask him these questions. After all he is a great Ivy League intellectual as yourself

[savage1]

Perhaps we should calm the fuck down 3 games in to a season. Go jump off the fuckin Tobin with the rest of the morons who gave up already! We don't need you!!!

No one is giving up.
I have a right to express my opinion about the team just as you do.
My opinion about Lackey is based not on one game but what i saw last year.
Perhaps it is YOU who should "calm down" a bit with your anger/hostility with anyone who dares to have an opinion which doesn't match yours!