Red Sox History: A look at Boston’s notable backup catchers

A look at underappreciated Red Sox backup catchers

Catching is possibly the most difficult, dangerous, and draining position in baseball. The Red Sox are fortunate enough to have had remarkable talent as backstops and within that category is the classification of backup catcher. Underappreciated until needed.

A backup catcher either had a potent bat or was a noted defensive catcher. If the two combined, you would have a Carlton Fisk, Jason Varitek, or to date, myself, Sammy White. Determining the best is difficult, but some backup catchers did leave an impression, and I will leave that as my selection process.

Choosing a beginning point is an exercise in futility since I have no personal recollections dating back to the beginnings of Red Sox history. That said, I will begin with one player I never saw but whose remarkable career in baseball and outside baseball has been well noted. Then I can return to my starting point, the White previously noted.

Red Sox capture a spy for backup catcher

The beginning is a remarkable backup catcher who wandered the MLB landscape for 15 seasons, hitting .241 with just 441 career hits. With the Red Sox, right-hand hitting Moe Berg spent his last five MLB seasons (1935-1939) and hit .262. As backup catchers go, Berg’s career was lengthy, and his primary skill set was his defense. Berg’s contributions, however,  go well beyond baseball, since Berg was a spy.

A graduate of Princeton and later Columbia Law School and was an operative for the OSS during World War II. As a player, Berg was the noted intellectual one would suspect. As the baseball pundits said: “Berg could speak seven languages and not hit a curveball in any of them.”

On a baseball excursion to Japan in 1934, Berg’s assigned task was to take photographs of Toyoko. Berg filmed the harbor and the city, and reportedly, the films were used by air command during the war.

Later on, on a mission to Germany, Berg was reportedly assigned to assassinate Werner Heisenberg, the head of Nazi Germany’s atom-bomb project. Berg – fluent in German and a Jew – determined that the German’s progress was minimal, and Heisenberg lived.

Berg’s post-war career was tragic. Shuffled out of the spy business by the CIA, Berg relied on living off of relatives and friends, and both baseball and the government deserted this remarkable spy and backup catcher. For recommended reading, here is the most notable book on Berg.

Red Sox have Pete Daley backup White for five seasons

My first prototypical backup catcher was when I followed the Red Sox in 1953. The Red Sox had a young All-Star catcher in Sammy White who took the bulk of the catching chores. Veterans Del Wilber and Mickey Owens took on the tools of ignorance on a limited basis until Pete Daley arrived in 1955.

Daley was a right-hand hitter who hit .245 as White’s primary backup in his five seasons. Daley was certainly a downgrade when he took over for White for the second game of a doubleheader or when an injury respite was needed.

Daley had an occasional sting in his bat and could handle defensive chores without embarrassing himself. Physically Daley was not a blocky type backstop, and his arm from my dim memories could best be classified as average. Simplistically stated a player who would keep it steady on a short-term basis.

After five seasons, Daley was traded to the Athletics – then in Kansas City – and became a selection in the expansion draft Washington team after the 1960 season. After one season (.192), Daley was gone from MLB.

Red Sox get a future broadcaster as a backup catcher

The 1960s and early 1970s were not kind to catching for the Red Sox as the names drifted through town with various levels of impact. Russ Gibson, Bob Tillman, Mike Ryan, Russ Nixon, Jerry Moses, and several others could never capture full-time jobs. That changed dramatically in 1972 with a rookie backstop – Carlton Fisk.

In 1971 the primary catching duty went to right-hand, hitting Bob Montgomery. In 1972 Monty became Fisk’s caddy for the next eight seasons. Montgomery had a few potent seasons with the bat and significantly contributed to the 1975 pennant when Fisk missed substantial time.

For trivia buffs, Montgomery was the last MLB player to bat without wearing a helmet and opting for just the protective liner. After 1979 Montgomery was done as a player but not with baseball.

A long stint as a color commentator for the Red Sox and still active today in the same capacity for minor league teams in the organization. Montgomery retired with a .258 career batting average.

Hard rock Johnny Marz comes to the Red Sox

Positional battles happened, and in the early 1980s, it was Rich Gedman and Gary Allenson vying for the number one slot. Gedman eventually won out, which meant the backup position was up for grabs. I will pass on Rick Cerone, Marc Sullivan, and go to a player I enjoyed watching – right-hand hitting John Marzano.

I live a short distance from Wareham, Massachusetts, and the Gatemen of the Cape Cod League. That is where I first saw Marzano. Catcher Clint Courtney had the nickname “Scrap Iron,” which would apply to Marzano. Catchers are supposed to be tough, and that was Johnny Marz.

Marzano was a first-round draft pick (1984) out of Temple University. The Philadelphia native eventually surfaced in Boston in 1987 and stayed as the backup to Gedman and Tony Pena for six seasons. Marz hit .232, but his best hit was when he played with Seattle and slugged the Yankees mouthy Paul O’Neill in a game.

1998 was Marzano’s last MLB season, and he moved on to sports network gigs in the Philadelphia area before a sudden death at age-45. I remember Marz as a solid defensive player with a light bat.

Police escort hauls back Red Sox catcher

Right-hand hitting Doug Mirabelli had two tours with the Red Sox, resulting in a ring. Part of the dramatic 2004 team and later the 2007 team after returning via police escort to Fenway Park. Mirabelli’s claim to fame was his ability to catch knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

Mirabelli played 12 seasons at the MLB level with four teams, essentially a career backup catcher. The 12 seasons produced 566 games and a .231 batting average. The occasional power was there with 58 career home runs, including 48 in his seven seasons with Boston.

Catching Wakefield should include hazard pay as Mirabelli twice led the AL in passed balls. But they were a regular tandem and started Game 1 of the 2004 World Series.

Mirabelli lost his backup role to future Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash in spring training of 2008 and retired. I wonder if he still owns Corvette’s?

Red Sox bench Salty and win WS

There have been certain players that Red Sox management seemed to have an unquenchable thirst for getting via trade or free agency. Switch-hitting Jarrod Saltalamacchia was one. Salty was not impressive defensively, and his backup in 2013 may have saved the World Series.

Right-hand hitting David Ross had two tours with the Red Sox, but the second (2013-2014) was the most important. Ross was considered lefty Jon Lester’s personal catcher.

In the 2013 season, Ross lost two months over injuries, but in the WS became instrumental when Salty was benched in favor of Ross. Ross caught four series games, including the clinching game, and won another game with a critical hit.

In his three years with the Red Sox, Ross hit just .192, but his defensive skills were exceptional. Then came Ross’s leadership abilities that eventually resulted in being named manager of the Chicago Cubs. Ross can best be described as rock steady.

Red Sox Sandman hits .310

Looking at the transaction page for switch-hitting Sandy León, you need a calculator. The latest deal is a minor league deal with the Cleveland Guardians. León played five seasons with the Red Sox hitting just .212, but the defense part was critical with one exception. León’s .310 season in 2017 was an anomaly, but every player hopes for a career year, and this was Sandy’s.

In the title year of 2018, León split duties with Christian Vázquez, and León was back to his weak bat ways, hitting just .177. I recall León’s ability to get the occasional big hit despite his low career average. This was present in the WS when León went three for six against the Dodgers.

In 2019 the batting average took another jolt under the “Mendoza Line,” and León was gone. Leon is just the type of catcher the Red Sox could snag in 2022 if a rash of injuries hit the backstop position and a solid defender. An excellent insurance policy.