Red Sox, Cape League a perfect match

Eight current Boston Red Sox players prepped for their Major League careers by spending at least one summer playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League, and most of them played in the annual All-Star game.

Heading that impressive lineup are catcher Jason Varitek (Hyannis), third baseman Mike Lowell (Chatham), first baseman Kevin Youkilis (Bourne) and his backup, Sean Casey (Brewster).

The remaining four Red Sox - Jacoby Ellsbury, David Aardsma, Javier Lopez and Kevin Cash - all played their Cape League ball with the Falmouth Commodores. To this day Chuck Sturtevant, the retired general manager for the Commodores, remembers all of them and their Cape League stints.

It makes one wonder which Jason Variteks of tomorrow are playing here now.

Jason Varitek

Former Hyannis Mets (1991 and 1993) catcher and current Red Sox captain was inducted into the Cape Cod League Hall of Fame in 2002. He was the Cape League's MVP in 1993 and led the league in batting with a .371 average.

No in his 12th season with Boston, he has a career .264 batting average and .993 fielding average and was named to the American League All-Star team this year.

Hyannis Mets fan and volunteer Everett Martin, a former foreign correspondent for Newsweek magazine and The Wall Street Journal, told our Joe Burns in 2006 that Varitekwas his favorite player.

"I used to stand behind the dugout and talk to Doug Mirabelli, Jason Varitek and a couple of guys that didn't make it. He [Varitek] was just such an outstanding person. He was a leader," Martin said, remembering how Varitek made sure Met players kept the dugout clean.

Martin also recalled how he progressed as a player. "When he came here the first year he was the backup catcher, and he would drop every ball that came to him. The next year he was on the Olympic team."

Former Sturgis Charter School baseball coach Jason Michonski, a pro baseball prospect after graduating from Barnstable in 1992, called Varitek a student of the game. "I learned so much from him; he took notes on every pitcher and he helped me adjust my hitting."

Varitek is Boston's all-time postseason leader in games (53) and at bats (194), ranks 2nd in doubles (12) and runs (33), and is 3rd in hits (50), homers (10) and RBI (32).

Mike Lowell

Third baseball Mike Lowell, who played for the Chatham A's during the summer of 1994, led the Red Sox to a four-game sweep over the Colorado Rockies and was named 2007 World Series MVP.

While with the Florida Marlins in 1999, after a brief rookie stint with the New York Yankees the previous year, Lowell was diagnosed with testicular cancer, but has been treated for the disease and is currently cancer-free.

The Red Sox Web site calls Lowell Mr. Consistency, noting he has appeared in at least 140 games in seven of the last eight seasons with four straight years of at least 150 games. … has hit 20-plus homers six of his last eight seasons … has driven in at least 80 runs and hit 35 or more doubles seven of the last eight seasons ... 310 doubles since 2000, third in the majors.

Lowell is the all-time major league leader at third base (1,000 or more games) with a .976 (82 errors on 3,349 chances) fielding percentage in 1,253 games. Brooks Robinson (.971) ranks second.

He is a four-time All-Star selection - 2002-03-04 with Florida and 2007 with the Red Sox. He was the 2007 Red Sox Most Valuable Player in voting by the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, who also gave him its Good Guy Award.

Kevin Youkilis