BOURNE, Mass. — Former Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia looks around MLB these days and doesn’t personally know many of the players taking the field.
But the 2013 Red Sox World Series champion is familiar with the catcher Boston just acquired prior to the trade deadline.
Saltalamacchia had a cup of coffee with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017 at the tail end of his 12-year career in the big leagues and that’s where he got to know fellow catcher Danny Jansen. He also knew Reese McGuire during his brief time with the Blue Jays — McGuire was designated for assignment by the Red Sox after they traded for Jansen.
Jansen might not have been around Saltalamacchia, who is in his third season as an assistant coach for the Bourne Braves of the renowned Cape Cod Baseball League, for long, but the veteran backstop clearly left an impression as he worked his way up to the major leagues.
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“Worked with him in spring training. Both of them were phenomenal kids,” Saltalamacchia told NESN.com. “I felt like Danny was a little more polished as a catcher and obviously he was a more polished hitter, too. I always felt like he was going to be a good player for a long time.”
Jansen turned into a solid contributor and terrific locker room presence over his six-plus seasons with the Blue Jays. Toronto was the only organization Jansen had known in his career, but with the Blue Jays in sell mode at the deadline, they shipped him to the Red Sox for three prospects.
It’s never easy getting uprooted in the middle of a season, but Saltalamacchia believes Jansen will fit right in with the Red Sox.
“I think this is a great spot for him,” Saltalamacchia said. “I mean, he’s familiar with the AL East. So, it’s nothing new to him. I think he’s going to help those pitchers out. Obviously, (Connor) Wong is going to be a huge part of that.”
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It probably wasn’t a coincidence that Brayan Bello had one of his best outings of the season with Jansen behind the plate in his first start in a Red Sox uniform against the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
Bello looked in control with Jansen catching him as the right-hander tossed 6 1/3 innings in which he scattered seven hits, allowed two runs, issued two walks and struck out seven.
Jansen isn’t exactly a power-hitting catcher but he found another way to contribute to a much-needed 3-2 victory in 10 innings. The 29-year-old leveled the score in the bottom of the sixth when he singled to right field to bring home Dominic Smith. Jansen finished the contest 2-for-4.
The Red Sox certainly will look to Jansen to help out the pitching staff and provide more timely hitting with Boston pushing for a playoff spot.
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