Catcher Varitek eyes Series spot for Georgia Tech
( USA Today ) Peter Brewington; 04-12-1994
Minnesota Twins general manager Andy MacPhail says Jason
Varitek, Georgia Tech's power-hitting catcher, is "two to 2 1/2
years" from the major leagues.
Don't expect him as a Twin.
Varitek was drafted by Minnesota in the first round last June
but returned to Tech when his contract expectations weren't met.
"These things get cast as good guy-bad guy, and it's not," said
MacPhail. "He went back to school; nothing wrong with that."
"Right now I'm putting that in the past," says Varitek, a 6-2,
215-pound switch hitter.
His immediate concern is helping No. 1-ranked Tech (27-5) to
its
first College World Series berth after nine consecutive NCAA
regional appearances. He is hitting .455 with six home runs and
41
RBI. Tech has won 21 of its last 23 and leads the Atlantic Coast
Conference in hitting at .355.
"We're also fielding .972, which is a very high percentage,"
says new coach Danny Hall, formerly of Kent.
Varitek hoped for money like Charles Johnson, a teammate in the
'92 Olympics. Johnson, a former University of Miami catcher, got
$575,000 from the Florida Marlins in '92. Like Varitek, Johnson
returned to school after being drafted.
Other weapons surround Varitek.
One is Nomar Garciaparra, a junior shortstop and possible
first-round pick. He is hitting .454 with six homers and 36 RBI
and
leads the team in slugging (.824) despite leading off. He's scored
48 runs and is 21-for-25 on steals.
Think his name Nomar looks funny? "It's my dad's name spelled
backwards," says Garciaparra, the team's lone Californian. He
attended Bellflower St. John Bosco High.
Another top hitter is center fielder Jay Payton from Zanesville,
Ohio, batting .441 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI. Payton committed
to Ohio State then saw his scholarship money dry up. Tech got him
after he was MVP of the '91 Connie Mack World Series.
Pitching could be an obstacle: Tech has no reliable third starter
and just one left-hander on the staff.
Brad Rigby (8-2, 3.22 ERA, 87 strikeouts in 67 innings) is the
ace. The junior right-hander attended Altamonte Springs (Fla.) Lake
Brantley High with Varitek.
Junior Al Gogolin from nearby Marietta, Ga., is 6-1 with a 3.36
ERA and 63 strikeouts in 67 innings. He carries the logical
nickname "Go-Go."