INSIDE BASEBALL AT THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: Catcher Jason Varitek finished his college career a year later
( Sports Illustrated ) KELLY WHITESIDE; 06-20-1994
Catcher Jason Varitek finished his college career a year later
than expected and a year poorer at the bank, after having returned
to
Georgia Tech for his senior season instead of signing with the
Minnesota Twins, who had made him the 21st pick in the 1993 amateur
draft. But Varitek, who this season was Baseball America's Player
of
the Year and the Dick Howser Trophy winner, turned in his uniform
last Saturday with no regrets.
A year ago Varitek was packing up his apartment, watching the
College World Series on TV and saying his goodbyes around campus.
''I
never thought for the life of me that I would be back,'' said
Varitek, a 6 ft. 2 in., 207-pound switch-hitter. But negotiations
with the Twins stalled. Varitek had expected to sign for something
close to the $625,000 that Miami's Charles Johnson had received the
year before from the Florida Marlins as the highest-drafted college
catcher. Minnesota offered Varitek about $450,000 and didn't budge.
So when he attended his first class last September, Varitek became
only the second first-round pick in 15 years to return to college
for
his final year of eligibility (Virginia Tech's Brad Duvall, in 1987,
was the other). Then on June 2, at which point he was batting .432
and Georgia Tech was 47-16, Varitek was drafted 14th overall by the
Seattle Mariners. He plans to sign with Seattle, but he doesn't know
yet if he'll get the money he wants.
While some of his bargaining leverage is gone because he no longer
has the option of returning to the draft pool, he doesn't see it that
way. ''My leverage is still there because my talent's still there,
''
says Varitek. ''I don't think a kid should be condemned for going
back to get an education.''
Although he had a strong series, batting .333 with two home runs
and five RBIs, Varitek finished his college career with a fizzle
instead of a blast. In his last at bat, in the championship game
against Oklahoma, he hit a dribbler down the third base line and was
thrown out by the Sooner catcher to end the game. ''Maybe next
year,'' Varitek said of Tech, which next season will have to get to
Omaha without 'Tek. ''Just being here was a dream come true.'' --
K.W.
KELLY WHITESIDE, INSIDE BASEBALL AT THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: Catcher Jason Varitek finished his college career a year later. , Sports Illustrated, 06-20-1994, pp 117.