Ryan Lavarnway

Lavarnway has worked extremely hard to improve his defensive skills, but he's still a catcher whose best tool is his bat. He's had limited opportunities with Boston, but the organization doesn't feel he's going to be the catcher of the future. Lavarnway struggled to establish a rapport with Boston's starters and now faces an uncertain big-league future. After letting Jarrod Saltalamacchia walk this offseason, the Red Sox added A.J. Pierzynski, who along with David Ross, will bide time until Christian Vazquez is ready to catch in the big leagues. Lavarnway still has the big-bat potential, habitually on display in the minors, but he rarely showed that in Boston. He could be had in a trade if Boston is looking to add a fringe piece for the roster.

Lavarnway's near-term future with Boston was much brighter entering 2012 than it became this offseason. A serious dropoff in his offense during his stay in Boston leaves him and the organization with questions. He does not carry a good enough glove or reputation for handling pitchers to sustain reduced power output. The offseason addition of David Ross and Mike Napoli further muddies Lavarnway's immediate outlook, and that was before the organization added two lower-level catching prospects to its 40-man roster. We suspect Lavarnway, who caught more games in 2012 than in any other season, will open the year as Triple-A Pawtucket's full-time catcher. Some explain his reduction in power was due to the workload he handled in 2012. That may be true, but he will need to overcome the taxing nature of the position to produce with the bat. His defense just is not steady enough to keep him in the lineup when he struggles to hit.

Lavarnway made his way to the major leagues for the first time in 2011, hitting .231 in 17 games for Boston. His two-homer game on the next-to-final night of the season was the highlight. Looking ahead, Lavarnway has a real shot at claiming the backup catching job. He's worked hard to improve his receiving game, though there's still room for growth, and his right-handed power bat can provide some balance to a lefty-heavy order. Red Sox catchers wore down over the course of the season and they're unlikely to re-sign Jason Varitek, who will be 40 in April. The signing of Kelly Shoppach unfortunately clouds the playing time picture for Lavarnway.

Lavarnway continued to show advanced hitting skills in 2010, becoming the organization's best hitting prospect while leading the minors in home runs. All that's good. He understands the strike zone, has an approach at the plate, and hits to all fields. Defensively, he's still rather stiff behind the plate and he's not very instinctive. He's improved his throwing mechanics, but has problems with the more athletic part of the job and has never been the No. 1 catcher at any stop. This is the same story as it was last season. How far he can come defensively will dictate his major-league prospects. He'll likely land back in Double-A with a promotion to Triple-A Pawtucket.

Lavarnway, 22, continued to showcase his power, leading the organization with 21 homers in 2009 at Low-A Greenville. The organization is commiting him to catcher for now, but he may be switched to first base at some point. He's relatively new to the position, and his catching skills still need work. The bat is ready for Double-A, but the defense isn't. Moving up a level, Lavarnway will be challenged by better pitching and he'll need to cut down on the strikeouts. If he can maintain his power while fine tuning the swing, 2010 will be a good year.