Boston Red Sox rookie Carlos Narváez’s emergence caught many by surprise, but there was at least one man who saw it coming.
It’s the enemy…
“He’s hitting fourth. I don’t know if I saw that coming, but I know how much I love the player and the person,” New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said prior to Friday night’s matchup at Yankee Stadium, as seen on NESN. “I’m not surprised he’s having success, this is a really talented catcher, a really smart guy with an amazing head on his shoulders — an amazing person.
“I’m not surprised by his success, maybe being at this level offensively this early, maybe that caught me off guard a little bit, but there was no doubt in my mind he was a big league player.”
Narváez, of course, was acquired in an offseason trade that sent prospect Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and cash considerations back to The Bronx.
Story continues below advertisement
It’s been an incredible few months for the rookie, who entered this weekend slashing .288/.356/.456 with five home runs, 12 doubles and 19 RBIs. The Red Sox have elevated him to the primary catching role, as he’s started in five of the last six games and essentially took over two weeks into his big league career while also taking over as the cleanup hitter.
Not bad for barely-publicized offseason trade fodder…
