New Red Sox catcher red hot in Venezuelan Winter League; a look at other catching options in system
New Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez has been hitting the cover off the ball playing in the Venezuelan Winter League.
Narváez is playing for Cardenales de Lara, where he’s hitting .377 with five homers, 18 RBI, seven doubles, and five stolen bases with a .456 on-base percentage, a .662 slugging percentage, and a 1.118 OPS in 25 games.
Boston acquired Narváez from the Yankees on Dec. 12 for right-handed pitching prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz. Boston is also sending $250,000 of international bonus pool space money.
Narváez made his major league debut last season, playing in six games with the Yankees. He went 3-for-13 with three singles, two walks, and six strikeouts. Defensively, he threw out 1 of 2 base stealers.
While playing in Triple-A, Narváez batted .254 with a .370 on-base percentage, a .412 slugging percentage, a .782 OPS, 11 homers, 20 doubles, 58 RBIs, 54 runs, and 56 walks and 105 strikeouts in 96 games. Throughout his minor league career, the 26-year-old has thrown out 30% of base stealers.
Narváez currently projects to start with Triple-A Worcester, providing Boston doesn’t add another potential backup catcher to the 26-man roster, according to SoxProspects.
The 26-year-old, the cousin of Omar Narváez, was considered one of the best defensive catchers in the Yankees’ system entering the 2024 campaign. In his limited stint at the big league level, his pop time was 1.92, according to Baseball Savant. Narváez’s bat is more of a question mark versus his defensive profile. He was in the 90th percentile in exit velocity at 105.2 mph while missing 31% of the time.
Other catching options in the system
In addition to Narváez, Boston also has Mickey Gasper on the 40-man roster that can also provide depth for the big league club next season. The Red Sox also added catcher Seby Zavala on a minor league deal this offseason.
Zavala, 31, is a veteran of five big-league seasons; he originally broke into the league with the White Sox back in 2019. The Windy City would host him for four seasons before the Diamondbacks claimed him off waivers last September. He played in seven games for Arizona before being part of the trade with the Mariners that sent third baseman Eugenio Suarez to the desert.
The veteran served as the backup to starter Cal Raleigh to begin the season. He slashed .154/.214/.282 with two doubles, one home run, two RBIs, four runs scored, three walks, and 16 strikeouts in 18 games (43 plate appearances) for the Mariners before being designated for assignment on June 18. Zavala ranked in the 87th percentile of all MLB catchers in blocks above average and the 77th percentile in framing, per Baseball Savant. This past season, he threw out three of 14 possible base stealers with Seattle and three of 32 possible base stealers with Tacoma.
Gasper made his major league debut this season and is still looking for his first career hit. He offers Boston the ability to play behind the dish, first base, and second base. The 29-year-old should start with the WooSox unless he is designated for assignment before the spring to free up a roster spot and lands elsewhere.
Nathan Hickey is another catching option and projects to begin next season with Worcester. He split time with the WooSox and Sea Dogs this past season. Hickey also played first base, taking grounders before games with skipper Chad Tracy and Jose Flores. He struggled offensively last season, resulting in his demotion back to Double-A Portland.
