The Red Sox are attempting to recover after a September collapse last season. One of their weakest areas all of last season was their contributions from behind the plate. Unfortunately for Red Sox Nation, there hasn't been much change in that area from last season.
1. Jarrod Saltalamacchia: Salty had been a top prospect with Atlanta and Texas for years upon end before he was acquired by Boston. Well, he didn't do much of anything last season, although he's still young (27 in May) and patience is probably required with him. Last season he batted .235 with 16 homers, 56 runs batted in, and one stolen base. In addition, Salty struck out a whopping 119 times and drew only 24 walks. Boston is hoping for a marked improvement from Salty this season, but they may have to wait for 2013 for that to happen.
2. Kelly Shoppach: Shoppach was signed as a free agent from Tampa Bay. An enigma to many baseball observers, Shoppach is a former top prospect originally drafted by Boston who reached his potential in the Major Leagues, once hitting 21 home runs in a season with Cleveland. Since then, though, his bat has gone to sleep. Last season he batted .176 in 221 at-bats, although he did hit 11 homers off the bench for the Rays. The Red Sox are probably hoping that the 32-year-old Shoppach can once again find his groove with his original organization. And if that doesn't work out, Boston probably wants him to at least be a capable backup to Salty, something which the team has lacked over the past couple of seasons. The good news is that he's a good catcher (probably the best in the Majors) and should provide excellent defense, regardless of how his bat works out.
3. Ryan Lavarnway: Lavarnway is a prospect that Boston is taking a look at in Spring Training. He has a ton of power and probably represents the future behind the plate for the Red Sox. But he still needs some fine-tuning. He could use at least another half-season at Pawtucket before he's ready to tackle the Majors. He was recalled last September and batted .231 in 39 at-bats.
4. Luis Exposito: Exposito is a top prospect that the Red Sox have added to their 40-man roster to protect from the Rule V Draft. He's probably ready to take the next step to the Majors next season, although there doesn't appear to be room for him yet. Therefore Exposito, who is known for his defense, will probably return to Pawtucket and play behind Lavarnway.
The catching situation in Boston doesn't look too good. Saltalamacchia is returning and doesn't figure to be drastically improved. Shoppach is a good backup catcher given his defense and he has power, but to expect much from him would probably be a mistake. Lavarnway is a great prospect and Exposito looks like he could be a nice player but both of those players would probably need to see regular at-bats before they could be recalled.
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