Main League Baseball named three Crimson Sox gamers as Gold Glove finalists yesterday: final 12 months’s proper subject winner Wilyer Abreu, defensive staple Ceddanne Rafaela, and Carlos Narvaez, who might be a prime ten rookie of the 12 months.
It will possibly’t be understated how a lot stability the 26-year-old from the Yankees group offered the Crimson Sox in 2025. Carlos Narvaez completed the 12 months with a 2.7 WAR to Connor Wong’s -0.7. Wong took half the season to drive a run in and had simply eight extra-base hits all 12 months, none of which had been homers. Had Wong, who seemed promising by 2024, been the first choice for the total 162 video games, this group might not have been in a playoff place. The identical goes for the state of affairs by which Narvaez doesn’t emerge, forcing the Crimson Sox’s hand into utilizing considered one of their multitude of choices like Blake Sabol, Yasmani Grandal or Seby Zavala. Narvaez, by his play, saved the Crimson Sox that stress and is an affordable alternative for catcher of the following a number of years, or not less than 2026.
However was he a catcher worthy of a Gold Glove nomination?
Again on July 21, the Sox misplaced a sport on a horrendous game-ending catcher’s interference, which was the primary such occasion since 1971. The late Pete Rose performed in that sport. So did a man named Woody Woodward. Woodward went on to draft A-Rod, Jason Varitek, Derek Lowe, Bret Boone and extra as GM because the Mariners. When guys with resumes like that play in a sport, you know it was a very long time in the past. Right here’s the video if you wish to relive how horrific this was.
That was only one sport and one second, after all, so let’s take a look at some stats over 162 video games. Narvaez was sixth in baseball in wild pitches confronted, however he led the league with 9 handed balls and tied with Alejandro Kirk for many defensive errors. That’s damning, however, there’s extra to catching than the errors you commit. He was ranked within the eighty fifth percentile within the all-important framing metric, as an example. Stealing these strike calls doesn’t simply generate outs, it retains pitchers from struggling these looooong innings. Narvaez was large framing within the shadow zone. All of those pitches had been referred to as strikes:
It doesn’t finish there. Narvaez was the league chief in gunning runners down with 32, aided by a ninetieth percentile pop time. And there are additionally issues unseen that catchers do that outline a sport. He clearly has a very good information of the strike zone which might be an enormous energy as ABS difficult turns into a actuality within the Majors for the 2026 season.
Narvaez wasn’t amongst crucial causes the Crimson Sox made the playoffs, however they’re a greater group with him than they’re with out him. Whether or not you assume Narvaez deserved a Gold Glove nomination in his rookie season or not, it’s price acknowledging the worth not having to fret about needing to improve the catcher spot. The long run is vibrant.
