Jason Varitek
Catcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1997-2011)
Jason Varitek was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2011 for the Boston Red Sox, a span of 15 seasons. In 1,546 career games, he hit .256 with 1,307 hits, 193 home runs, and 757 RBI. Jason Varitek was a 3-time All-Star, a Gold Glove, and a Silver Slugger. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 3,441.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- B / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'2" / 230 lb
- MLB Debut
- 1997-09-24
- Last Game
- 2011-09-25
- Awards
- 3× All-Star · Gold Glove · Silver Slugger
Full name: Jason Andrew Varitek
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,546 | 5,099 | 664 | 1,307 | 306 | 14 | 193 | 757 | 25 | 614 | 1,216 | .256 | .341 | .435 | .776 | 3,441 |
Career AVG .256 vs. league average .265 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OBP .341 vs. league average .334 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career SLG .435 vs. league average .421 across their career seasons — near league average.
Career OPS .776 vs. league average .755 across their career seasons — near league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | BOS | AL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 1998 | BOS | AL | 86 | 221 | 31 | 56 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 33 | 2 | 17 | 45 | .253 | .266 (-5%) | .335 (-8%) | .420 (-3%) | .755 (-5%) | -227.4 |
| 1999 | BOS | AL | 144 | 483 | 70 | 130 | 39 | 2 | 20 | 76 | 1 | 46 | 85 | .269 | .271 (-1%) | .344 (-4%) | .433 (+11%) | .778 (+4%) | 264.9 |
| 2000 | BOS | AL | 139 | 448 | 55 | 111 | 31 | 1 | 10 | 65 | 1 | 60 | 84 | .248 | .270 (-8%) | .344 (-1%) | .437 (-11%) | .782 (-7%) | -456.0 |
| 2001 | BOS | AL | 51 | 174 | 19 | 51 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 25 | 0 | 21 | 35 | .293 | .263 (+11%) | .332 (+12%) | .426 (+15%) | .758 (+13%) | 440.4 |
| 2002 | BOS | AL | 132 | 467 | 58 | 124 | 27 | 1 | 10 | 61 | 4 | 41 | 95 | .266 | .261 (+2%) | .331 (avg) | .416 (-6%) | .747 (-3%) | -211.3 |
| 2003 | BOS | AL | 142 | 451 | 63 | 123 | 31 | 1 | 25 | 85 | 3 | 51 | 106 | .273 | .264 (+3%) | .332 (+5%) | .422 (+21%) | .754 (+14%) | 1298.5 |
| 2004 | BOS | AL | 137 | 463 | 67 | 137 | 30 | 1 | 18 | 73 | 10 | 62 | 126 | .296 | .266 (+11%) | .335 (+16%) | .427 (+13%) | .762 (+14%) | 1599.4 |
| 2005 | BOS | AL | 133 | 470 | 70 | 132 | 30 | 1 | 22 | 70 | 2 | 62 | 117 | .281 | .264 (+6%) | .330 (+11%) | .418 (+17%) | .749 (+14%) | 1449.0 |
| 2006 | BOS | AL | 103 | 365 | 46 | 87 | 19 | 2 | 12 | 55 | 1 | 46 | 87 | .238 | .269 (-12%) | .336 (-3%) | .431 (-7%) | .768 (-6%) | -318.9 |
| 2007 | BOS | AL | 131 | 435 | 57 | 111 | 15 | 3 | 17 | 68 | 1 | 71 | 122 | .255 | .268 (-5%) | .335 (+9%) | .422 (avg) | .758 (+4%) | 561.5 |
| 2008 | BOS | AL | 131 | 423 | 37 | 93 | 20 | 0 | 13 | 43 | 0 | 52 | 122 | .220 | .263 (-17%) | .333 (-6%) | .416 (-14%) | .749 (-10%) | -657.9 |
| 2009 | BOS | AL | 109 | 364 | 41 | 76 | 24 | 0 | 14 | 51 | 0 | 54 | 90 | .209 | .262 (-20%) | .332 (-6%) | .417 (-7%) | .750 (-6%) | -375.6 |
| 2010 | BOS | AL | 39 | 112 | 18 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 35 | .232 | .257 (-10%) | .325 (-10%) | .402 (+17%) | .728 (+5%) | 61.3 |
| 2011 | BOS | AL | 68 | 222 | 32 | 49 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 36 | 0 | 21 | 67 | .221 | .255 (-13%) | .320 (-7%) | .399 (+6%) | .719 (avg) | 12.8 |
| Career · 15 seasons | 1,546 | 5,099 | 664 | 1,307 | 306 | 14 | 193 | 757 | 25 | 614 | 1,216 | .256 | — | — | — | — | 3,441 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 228 | 37 | 54 | 12 | 2 | 11 | 33 | 14 | 56 | .237 |
Playoff Batting by Year
| Year | Round | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ALCS | BOS | 6 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | .050 |
| 2008 | ALDS1 | BOS | 4 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .214 |
| 2007 | ALCS | BOS | 7 | 26 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | .269 |
| 2007 | ALDS1 | BOS | 3 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .182 |
| 2007 | WS | BOS | 4 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | .333 |
| 2005 | ALDS1 | BOS | 3 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .300 |
| 2004 | ALCS | BOS | 7 | 28 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 6 | .321 |
| 2004 | ALDS1 | BOS | 3 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | .167 |
| 2004 | WS | BOS | 4 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | .154 |
| 2003 | ALCS | BOS | 6 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | .300 |
| 2003 | ALDS2 | BOS | 5 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .286 |
| 1999 | ALCS | BOS | 5 | 20 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | .200 |
| 1999 | ALDS1 | BOS | 5 | 21 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | .238 |
| 1998 | ALDS1 | BOS | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .250 |
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1546 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 779 | 2480 | 346 | 678 | 85 | 374 | .273 |
| Away | 767 | 2619 | 318 | 629 | 108 | 383 | .240 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-09-25 | BOS | NYY | W | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011-09-21 | BOS | BAL | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011-09-19 | BOS | BAL | W | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2011-09-16 | BOS | TBR | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011-09-14 | BOS | TOR | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011-09-11 | BOS | TBR | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2011-09-08 | BOS | TOR | L | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2011-09-05 | BOS | TOR | L | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2011-09-02 | BOS | TEX | L | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2011-08-31 | BOS | NYY | W | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1488 | 1372 | 10166 | 541 | 69 | 72 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | BOS | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | BOS | C | 75 | 56 | 367 | 32 | 5 | 3 |
| 1999 | BOS | C | 140 | 130 | 972 | 66 | 11 | 8 |
| 2000 | BOS | C | 128 | 119 | 867 | 46 | 7 | 3 |
| 2001 | BOS | C | 50 | 47 | 425 | 32 | 2 | 2 |
| 2002 | BOS | C | 127 | 121 | 912 | 54 | 4 | 8 |
| 2003 | BOS | C | 137 | 119 | 854 | 43 | 9 | 8 |
| 2004 | BOS | C | 130 | 121 | 880 | 49 | 2 | 11 |
| 2005 | BOS | C | 130 | 127 | 784 | 32 | 8 | 4 |
| 2006 | BOS | C | 99 | 94 | 647 | 28 | 4 | 3 |
| 2007 | BOS | C | 125 | 121 | 937 | 39 | 6 | 8 |
| 2008 | BOS | C | 131 | 120 | 903 | 42 | 4 | 7 |
| 2009 | BOS | C | 108 | 106 | 856 | 37 | 3 | 4 |
| 2010 | BOS | C | 39 | 27 | 242 | 13 | 0 | 2 |
| 2011 | BOS | C | 68 | 64 | 519 | 28 | 4 | 1 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1488 |
| Designated Hitter | 12 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Gold Glove | C |
| 2005 | Silver Slugger | C |
| 2005 | TSN All-Star | C |
| 2001 | Player of the Week | Week of 2001-05-19 |
Salary History
Jason Varitek's recorded salaries total $67,124,530 over 14 seasons, 1998 to 2011. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Varitek's career ran from 1997 to 2011. No salary is recorded for 1997.
| Year | Team | League | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | BOS | AL | $2,000,000 |
| 2010 | BOS | AL | $3,000,000 |
| 2009 | BOS | AL | $5,000,000 |
| 2008 | BOS | AL | $10,442,030 |
| 2007 | BOS | AL | $11,000,000 |
| 2006 | BOS | AL | $10,000,000 |
| 2005 | BOS | AL | $8,000,000 |
| 2004 | BOS | AL | $6,900,000 |
| 2003 | BOS | AL | $4,700,000 |
| 2002 | BOS | AL | $3,500,000 |
| 2001 | BOS | AL | $1,800,000 |
| 2000 | BOS | AL | $375,000 |
| 1999 | BOS | AL | $237,500 |
| 1998 | BOS | AL | $170,000 |
| Total recorded salary (partial) | $67,124,530 | ||
College History
| School Name | City | State | Years Attended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Atlanta | GA | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 21th | 4.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 2004 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 30th | 1.0 | 392 | 0 |
| 2003 | Most Valuable Player | AL | 24th | 4.0 | 392 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Jason Varitek (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Jason Varitek
Jason Varitek: the record in brief
The profile opens with Jason Varitek's first major league game on September 24, 1997; the last one listed came on September 25, 2011. The team column never changes: it is the Boston Red Sox from 1997 to 2011. At 230 pounds on a 6-foot-2 frame, Varitek is listed as a catcher. Varitek switch-hit and threw right-handed, per the bio block. The recorded birth is April 11, 1972, in Rochester, MI, USA. Jason Varitek was the playing name; the full given name is Jason Andrew.
Varitek finished with 1,307 hits from 5,099 at bats in 1,546 games, which works out to .256, plus 193 home runs, 757 runs batted in, and 25 stolen bases. Varitek got on base at a .341 rate and slugged .435 (.776 OPS). Varitek hit .256 while the league hit .265 over the same span, a figure close to average. The home run peak was 25 in 2003 with the Boston Red Sox. The highest hit total in a season was 137, in 2004.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jason Varitek
- What years did Jason Varitek play?
- Jason Varitek played in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2011.
- Was Jason Varitek a pitcher?
- No. Jason Varitek was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Jason Varitek hit?
- Jason Varitek hit 193 career home runs with 1,307 hits.
- What teams did Jason Varitek play for?
- Jason Varitek played for one team, the Boston Red Sox (1997–2011).
- Did Jason Varitek win an MVP award?
- No. Jason Varitek did not win the MVP award.
- What awards did Jason Varitek win?
- Jason Varitek won the Gold Glove (2005) and the Silver Slugger award (2005). He was selected to 3 All-Star Games.
- What were Jason Varitek's career stats?
- In 1,546 games, Jason Varitek had 1,307 hits, 193 home runs, 757 RBI, 664 runs, and 25 stolen bases, with a .256 batting average.
- How much did Jason Varitek earn in his career?
- Jason Varitek's recorded salaries total $67,124,530 over 14 seasons, 1998 to 2011. This total is partial: the salary data covers 1985 to 2016, and Varitek's career ran from 1997 to 2011. No salary is recorded for 1997.
- What was Jason Varitek's salary?
- Jason Varitek's last recorded salary was $2,000,000, in 2011. His highest recorded salary was $11,000,000, in 2007, and his lowest was $170,000, in 1998. The Salary History table lists each season from 1998 to 2011.
- What position did Jason Varitek play?
- Jason Varitek played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Jason Varitek and how much did he weigh?
- Jason Varitek was listed at 6 feet 2 inches and 230 pounds.
- How many home runs did Jason Varitek hit each season?
- Jason Varitek's home runs by season: 0 in 1997, 7 in 1998, 20 in 1999, 10 in 2000, 7 in 2001, 10 in 2002, 25 in 2003, 18 in 2004, 22 in 2005, 12 in 2006, 17 in 2007, 13 in 2008, 14 in 2009, 7 in 2010, and 11 in 2011. His most in one season was 25, in 2003.
- What was Jason Varitek's career batting average?
- Jason Varitek batted .256 over his career, with 1,307 hits in 5,099 at bats.
- How many RBI did Jason Varitek have?
- Jason Varitek drove in 757 runs in his career.