BOSTON – Carlos Narvaez saw the writing on the wall when he got his first invite to New York Yankees major league spring training camp in February of 2024.
The exciting part was being there with the Yankees’ big boppers, having spent the 2023 season between Somerset (double-A) and Scranton Wilkes-Barre (triple-A).
Then, there was another part. He was one of eight catchers. Make that eight good, MLB quality catchers.
“I was blessed to be there, no doubt,” said Narvaez. “But you also understand how far you have to go. You try to focus only on yourself and your abilities. It’s not easy, but you have to do it.”
Less than 18 months later, Narvaez is the starting catcher for the Boston Red Sox.
Oh yes, and he’s batting cleanup.
“Crazy when you look at it that way,” said Narvaez. “I’m catching for the Boston Red Sox, playing for 30,000-plus. It’s a dream come true. Honestly, I did not expect it.”
The Yankees, realizing the glut they had at catcher, made several moves in 2024: trading Ben Rortvedt to Tampa on March 27, selling Luis Torrens to the N.Y. Mets on May 29, assigning Ben Rice, J.C. Escarra and Narvaez to triple-A and assigning Agustin Ramirez to double-A.
Narvaez caught 96 games as the No. 1 catcher in Scranton and sort of took off offensively, hitting .254 with 11 homers and 58 RBI.
He was called up twice to the Yankees, first on April 29, but didn’t play and returned to Scranton, and then later on July 13. He spent a month with the Yankee playing in six games.
While making his debut last year was special, a game-changer was being activated for the postseason as a “taxi-squad” member.
He never played. But he watched.
“It really was special watching being with the team and just taking it all in,” recalled Narvaez, 26, and a native of Maracay, Venezuela.
Narvaez had always been noted as an elite catcher, maybe the best defensive one of the bunch with the Yankees, but his offensive growth proved he deserved to get a shot at the major leagues.
Current Red Sox reliever Greg Weissert spent a few months in 2023 when he was with the Yankees organization in Scranton with Narvaez. It was evident to him back then, that the young catcher was going places.
“He was always super well-prepared,” recalled Weissert. “When he would come out to talk to me at the mound he knew what he was looking for and how we were going to attack a hitter. You like that from your catcher. It was a confidence, without being arrogant.”
After losing catcher Dan Jansen to free agency, the Red Sox were looking for a backup catcher behind expected starter Connor Wong.
Narvaez got a call in December of 2024 that he’d been traded to the Red Sox for the hard-throwing prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, whose fastball touches 100 mph.
Narvaez basically won the starting job for the Red Sox in spring training and never gave it up.
He has arguably been the best Red Sox player as the All-Star break approaches.
“His ability to hit the ball the other way with two strikes … He can do that,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “A few days ago, first pitch, right? He goes the other way. (Monday) he got a slider a little bit in front, he hits it off the wall. His swing has played at Fenway.
“He doesn’t crush the ball to left field, but it’s good enough to hit the wall, and with two strikes, he’s able to put the ball in play when he has to. And the offensive part of it is a surprise to everybody.”
He ranks fourth in batting average (.277) and OPS (.801) among all catchers in baseball.
Growing up in the Yankees farm system, noted for both its quantity and quality of high-end pitching prospects, has no doubt helped is growth on the defensive side.
“I owe a big thanks to the Yankees organization,” said Narvaez. “I learned so much about the game and handling pitchers and really handling my position. It definitely helped set me up for what I’m doing now.”
Narvaez is tied for the MLB lead with 14 caught stealings. He also leads a metric which measures catchers versus the average with five. Four other catchers have four.
But stats aside, his handling of Red Sox pitchers might be his best quality. And it doesn’t hurt that he has one of the best catching coaches in the game in Jason Varitek.
“He’s my second dad,” said Narvaez. “When I have questions, and I have a lot sometimes, I got to Tek … a lot. He’s so smart. And he’s very prepared. I’ve learned so much about handling major league pitchers and hitters.”
Varitek is intrigued with Narvaez’s leadership qualities.
“He’s got a special way about him, it’s not just confidence but he’s got a certainty in his manner that I really like and really everyone appreciates, especially our pitchers,” said Varitek. “I try to maintain communication with Carlos every day. We talk a lot, especially in-game adjustments.”
Narvaez said one of the best things he did, particularly in the minors, was appreciate his path without obsessing with the other catchers around him, particularly those ahead of him.
“I’ve come to realize my path is different,” said Narvaez. “Everyone’s path is different. Some guys move along quicker. Some guys get opportunities sooner. You just have to focus on you. Look at me. Look at where I am, catching for the Boston Red Sox. It doesn’t get any better than this.”