Ryan Lavarnway

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Ryan Lavarnway

Lavarnway in August 2012
Boston Red Sox – No. 20
Catcher
Born: (1987-08-07) August 7, 1987
Burbank, California
Bats: Right Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 18, 2011 for the Boston Red Sox
Career statistics
(through 2013 season)
Batting average .208
Home runs 5
Runs batted in 34
Slugging percentage .327
Teams

Ryan Cole Lavarnway (born August 7, 1987) is an American professional baseball catcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB).[1]

He attended Yale University, where in 2007 he won the NCAA batting title by hitting .467, and led the NCAA with an .873 slugging percentage. That year, Lavarnway also set the Ivy League record with a 25-game hitting streak. In addition, he set the Ivy League all-time career home run record, with 33.

Lavarnway was drafted by the Red Sox in 2008, and advanced through their minor league system to Class AAA level Pawtucket in 2011 He was called up to the major leagues by the Red Sox on August 18, 2011.,[2][3] and has divided his playing time between Pawtucket and the majors over the last three seasons. He is on the Red Sox 40 man protected roster.

Early life

Lavarnway, who is Jewish as is his mother,[4][5] was born in Burbank, California and grew up in Woodland Hills, California.[6][7][8] He played catcher in Little League.[9] He attended El Camino Real High School, where he played outfield for the "Conquistadors" baseball team.[10][11][12][13]

College career

Lavarnway attended Yale University, where he was a philosophy major and played baseball for the Yale Bulldogs in the Ivy League.[1][3][14] In 2006, he primarily played right field, and earned Ivy Player and Rookie of the Week honors on March 21.[10]

In 2007 he moved from right field to catcher.[2][3][15] Lavarnway led the NCAA in batting average (.467) and slugging percentage (.873), while setting Yale single-season records in those categories as well as in home runs (14), hits (70), doubles (17), RBIs (55), and total bases (131).[10][16] He also had an Ivy-League-record 25-game hitting streak.[10] He won the G.H. Walker, Jr. Award as Most Valuable Player.[10] In addition, he was named Second-Team All-American by PingBaseball.com, Third-Team All-American by Baseball America, First-Team All-American by Jewish Sports Review, and Second-Team All-New England and Second-Team All-Northeast, while unanimously being elected First-Team All-Ivy.[6][10]

Lavarnway played for the Manchester Silkworms in the New England Collegiate Baseball League in the summer of 2007, where he batted .313 and was honored as a starter on the league All Star team, and also competed in the home run derby.[17][18]

In his junior year in 2008, Lavarnway led the Ivy League in home runs (13), RBIs (42), walks (29), slugging percentage (.824), and on-base percentage (.541), while batting .398.[10][16] He missed the last 11 games of the year after breaking the scaphoid bone in his left wrist in April, diving into home plate.[3][9][16] He became the Ivy League's all-time leader in career home runs, with 33.[10]

Lavarnway won the Ivy League Player of the Week award three times in the first season's first four weeks (March 11, March 26, and April 1).[10] He was a semi-finalist for the Johnny Bench Award and the Golden Spikes Award, was named Third-Team All-American by PingBaseball.com, and was named Second-Team All-Ivy and First Team All-New England.[10][14] He finished his three-year-career with a .384 batting average, 33 home runs, and 122 RBIs in 120 games.[19]

In 2012, Craig Breslow and Lavarnway became the first Yale players to be Major League teammates since 1949, and the first All-Yale battery in the major leagues since 1883.[20] Lavarnway wants to return to Yale to finish his philosophy degree.[20]

Minor league career

Lavarnway was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 6th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft.[1] He signed for a $325,000 signing bonus, though he vows to study the extra year he needs to complete his degree.[3][13] He had been projected to be drafted higher, before he broke his left wrist in April 2008.[21][22]

In 2009, he played for the Greenville Drive for the year, in the Class A South Atlantic League, and started using a bigger bat.[23] Lavarnway hit 21 home runs (a team all-time record) with a .540 slugging percentage (both tops for Red Sox minor leaguers) and 36 doubles (a team record), a league-leading 59 extra-base hits, and 87 RBIs (2nd in the league) in 404 at bats.[24][25][26][27][28]

Lavarnway split 2010 between the Salem Red Sox of the Class A+ Carolina League, and the Portland Sea Dogs of the Class AA Eastern League, combining for 22 home runs (2nd among Red Sox minor leaguers; his 14 homers in his Carolina League stint led the league), 102 RBIs (first in the Red Sox system, and 11th among all minor leaguers), and a .489 slugging percentage (tops among Red Sox minor leaguers) in 462 at-bats.[14][24] He was a Carolina League Player of the Week (April 19), Mid-Season All Star, and Post-Season All Star, as well as an Eastern League Player of the Week (August 30).[14][29] He was leading the league in homers, RBIs, and runs at the time of his promotion.[30] For 2010, he was named the Red Sox co-Minor League Offensive Player of the Year, along with first baseman Anthony Rizzo.[14][31] He also threw out 33% of attempted base-stealers, and was rated as the top Red Sox catching prospect by Baseball America.[14][25][32]

He also played for the Peoria Javelinas in the Arizona Fall League after the regular season ended, and was an "AFL Rising Star" in November.[14][29][33]

Lavarnway started the 2011 season by splitting it between Portland and the Pawtucket Red Sox in the Class AAA International League, for whom he batted third in the lineup.[3][24] With Portland, he hit 14 home runs with a .510 slugging percentage in 208 at-bats, and with Pawtucket he hit 16 home runs with a .608 slugging percentage in 209 at-bats. That was good for a combined total in mid-August of 30 home runs (tied for third-most in the minors), 85 RBIs, and a .559 slugging percentage in 478 at-bats.[24][31][34] By the All Star break, he was leading all players in the Red Sox organization, including major leaguers, in home runs.[3]

He was also voted the International League Player of the Week on July 25, and received Topps Minor League Player of the Month honors for July.[29][35] Baseball America named him the best power prospect in the International League.[36] The Red Sox organization named him a co-winner of their Offensive Player of the Year award.[37] Defensively, his "pop times" on his throws from home-to-second-base were consistently 1.95–1.97 seconds, which corresponded to the major league average, and through mid-August he had made only one error behind the plate.[8][38]

Pawtucket hitting coach Chili Davis said of Lavarnway: "The discipline he shows up there [at bat] is big-league discipline. The kid can hit."[39] Manager Arnie Beyeler observed: "The way he's hit the ball, it looks like he's playing tee-ball out there."[39] Former major leaguer Ken Ryan compared him to Mike Lieberthal, whose offensive ability was far ahead of his catching ability when he first made it to the major leagues, but who over time established himself as a defensive catcher as well.[40] Baseball America named him the catcher on its 2011 Minor League All-Star Team, noting that he "stands well above the field".[41]

Major league career

Boston Red Sox (2011–present)

Ryan Lavarnway (2011)

On August 18, 2011, Lavarnway was called up to the Red Sox. He filled the roster spot of Kevin Youkilis, who went on the disabled list. Since Lavarnway was born, the only other Yale alumni to have played in the majors have been pitchers Ron Darling (1983–95) and Craig Breslow (2005–present).[42]

The next day, August 19, he collected his first career hit, a single off then-Kansas City Royals' pitcher Jeff Francis.[43]

On September 27, with both Jason Varitek and Jarrod Saltalamacchia injured, Lavarnway started for the Red Sox and hit his first two major league home runs with 4 RBI in a key 8–7 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.[44] Lavarnway became the first Red Sox player to homer in his first start at catcher since Danny Sheaffer in 1987, and the youngest to have a multi-home run game since Nomar Garciaparra did it at precisely the same age (24 years, 51 days) in 1997.[45]

On August 1, 2012, Lavarnway was called up from Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox when Daniel Nava was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

On March 27, 2013, the Red Sox optioned Lavarnway to Pawtucket.[46] Manager John Farrell said: "Right now he needs 'everyday' at-bats."[47] Commenting on Lavarnway having been timed at 1.9 seconds throwing out a runner trying to steal second, Farrell said: "More than acceptable at the big league level."[47] Lavarnway was recalled to Boston on April 25 and optioned back on April 28 to make room for John Lackey without making an appearance. Larvarnway was called up for a third time on May 12 after David Ross was placed on the 7-day disabled list for a concussion. Lavarnway was optioned May 24.

He was called up again on June 18, 2013 after Ross was placed on the 7-day disabled list for a concussion. On August 6, 2013, while catching knuckleballer Steve Wright in his first major league start, Lavarnway tied a Major League record with four passed balls in one inning.[48] The record was set by Ray Katt of the New York Giants in 1954, catching knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm, and tied by Gino Petralli of the Texas Rangers in 1987, catching knuckleballer Charlie Hough.[48]

In 2013 he batted .299 in the regular season, in 25 games.[30]

See also

  • List of select Jewish baseball players

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Baseball Prospectus 2011". Baseball Prospectus (John Wiley and Sons). 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Boston Promotes Ryan Lavarnway". Fangraphs.com. August 19, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Marty Dobrow (July 19, 2011). "Two Boston Red Sox prospects and former Ivy League rivals find common ground". ESPN. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  4. ↑ "Young catcher takes advantage of time with Red Sox". Jewish Tribune. September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2013. 
  5. ↑ Peter Dreier. "How Will Jewish Ballplayers Handle the Yom Kippur Quandry?". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved September 14, 2013. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Jewish Sports Review Tabs Adam Amar and Joey Lieberman 2007 All-Americans". CSTV. July 17, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  7. ↑ Ron Kaplan (August 18, 2011). "One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor". New Jersey Jewish News. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Red Sox prospect Ryan Lavarnway gets call-up, will play tonight". Jewish Baseball News. August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "SOX ON DECK: Sox draftee Ryan Lavarnway answers questions". Bleacher Report. July 17, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2013. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9 "Ryan Lavarnway". Yalebulldogs.com. April 6, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  11. ↑ Peter Yoon; Eric Sondheimer (May 28, 2005). "High School Report; Meusborn Close to His Sixth Title". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  12. ↑ Eric Sondheimer (June 27, 2011). "Keeping tabs: Ryan Lavarnway". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Ryan Lavarnway Awards". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 "Ryan Lavarnway Stats, Bio". mlb.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  15. ↑ Sachs, Pete. "Seamless Transition for Lavarnway". minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Lavarnway Among Golden Spikes Award Semifinalists". CSTV. May 21, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  17. ↑ Andrew Merritt (July 23, 2007). "Borrell helps South win for teammate's late mother". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  18. ↑ Paul Doyle (August 18, 2011). "On the Fly: Lavarnway Adds More Ivy To Red Sox". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  19. ↑ Dom Amore (February 27, 2011). "Red Sox Prospect Lavarnway Knows The Drill". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Bulldogs in Beantown". Yale Daily News. September 5, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2013. 
  21. ↑ Gordon Edes (June 8, 2008). "Boston Red Sox – Gambling is permitted". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  22. ↑ "Bulldogs, Big Green Split Again". CSTV. April 20, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  23. ↑ Hatfield, Chris (April 1, 2010). "SoxProspects News: Q&A with Ryan Lavarnway". soxprospects.com. Retrieved September 27, 2013. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 "Ryan Lavarnway Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Michael Vega (June 17, 2011). "Lavarnway swings into action with Pawtucket". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  26. ↑ "Lavarnway and Middlebrooks' Back-to-Back Jacks Give Greenville 3–2 Win". OurSports Central. September 10, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  27. ↑ "Oscar Tejeda's 12th Inning Single Secures 7–6 Walk-Off Victory". OurSports Central. September 3, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  28. ↑ Smith, Daren (April 16, 2010). "Salem's Lavarnway off to torrid start". minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 "Ryan Lavarnway Stats, Bio | Pawtucket Red Sox Stats". minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Surging PawSox Sweep IL Weekly Awards". OurSports Central. July 25, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  32. ↑ Fenton, Jim (September 18, 2010). "Francona not ready to retire ... yet". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  33. ↑ Peter Abraham (November 3, 2010). "Red Sox hire Young as pitching coach". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  34. ↑ Tim Britton (August 18, 2011). "With injuries piling up, Lavarnway finally gets his shot". The Providence Journal. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  35. ↑ "July Topps Player of the Month Winners". minorleaguebaseball.com. February 15, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2011. 
  36. ↑ Chip Malafronte (August 14, 2011). "Wallingford's Tyler Mizenko begins pro journey". Connecticut Post-Chronicle. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  37. ↑ Hardacker, Jonathan (September 17, 2011). "Ryan Lavarnway, Tommy Hottovy Among Red Sox’ 2011 Minor League Award Winners". NESN. Retrieved September 25, 2013. 
  38. ↑ Flannery, Paul (August 15, 2011). "Why Ryan Lavarnway became one who didn't get away from Red Sox". WEEI. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Brian MacPherson (July 21, 2011). "Impressive discipline and eye-popping results have put Ryan Lavarnway on big-league track". The Providence Journal. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  40. ↑ McGair, Brendan (July 28, 2011). "Putting the trade deadline in perspective". The Call. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  41. ↑ Rohrbach, Ben. "Lavarnway honored by Baseball America". Weei.com. Retrieved September 14, 2013. 
  42. ↑ Kerzel, Pete (May 19, 2010). "Carolina League notebook". minorleaguebaseball.com. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  43. ↑ Nick Cafardo. "Red Sox 7, Royals 1 – Extra Bases". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
  44. ↑ Peter Abraham (September 28, 2011). "All square: Sox straighten out, stay tied with one to go". Boston Globe. Retrieved September 28, 2011. 
  45. ↑ Rohrbach, Ben. "Full Count » Ryan Lavarnway: ‘This is what you dream about as a kid’". Fullcount.weei.com. Retrieved September 14, 2013. 
  46. ↑ "Red Sox option Lavarnway to Pawtucket". Comcast SportsNet. March 27, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2013. 
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Forde, Craig (March 27, 2013). "Ryan Lavarnway optioned to Pawtucket". Boston.com. Retrieved September 14, 2013. 
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 "Red Sox catcher Ryan Lavarnway ties big league record with four passed balls". mlb.com. Retrieved September 27, 2013. 

External links

Boston Red Sox current roster
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