Overlooked by some of the news that filled a busy Friday afternoon, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they had claimed Ryan Lavarnway off of waivers from the Boston Red Sox. Drew Butera was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
The Dodgers today claimed catcher Ryan Lavarnway from the @RedSox and designated catcher Drew Butera for assignment.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) December 5, 2014
Lavarnway had been designated for assignment by Boston last week. He brings his share of question marks, but being a career .283/.375/.479 hitter in the minor leagues it was likely that some team would look to take a chance on his bat translating to the major leagues. The former 6th Round pick in the 2008 draft has seen time with the Red Sox in each of the past four seasons, appearing in 97 games. Offensively he’s struggled, hitting just .201/.249/.315 in 301 plate appearances while striking out 71 times.
Defensively, he’s been a nightmare.
Not known for any strengths behind the plate, Lavarnway has shown some clear struggles throwing out opposing base runners and working around the plate. In his 97 MLB games he’s caught just 10 of 63 potential base stealers, a mere 16%.
While Lavarnway has continued to swing the bat well at Triple-A, much of his defensive deficiencies have become less apparent with a move to first base. He’d become too much of a liability behind the plate, but his bat provided enough value to justify keeping him in the lineup. Lavarnway was an average first baseman, at best.
Of course, it’s worth noting that Boston had the luxury of their top catching prospects also reaching Triple-A this past season. With Christian Vazquez and then Blake Swihart behind the plate for Pawtucket, there were few opportunities for Lavarnway to see any time there.
Butera is a .183/.239/.268 hitter for his career, never really showing much at the plate. He’s defensively sound, however, which is where he’s brought value in a backup role over the past five seasons between the Minnesota Twins and Dodgers.