Milestone for the captain

Jason Varitek hit his 158th home run as a catcher last night in Tropicana Field, moving him ahead of Carlton Fisk for the club record at the position. Listening to the Rays broadcast on MLBTV, they were shocked that Varitek would be ahead of the Hall of Famer Fisk. Which begs this question, who is the best catcher in Red Sox history?

To me, the answer is simple, and it's not even really close. Sure Fisk is a Hall of Famer. He has ridiculous numbers and set a standard of longevity and consistency that may never be matched at the position.

Varitek will never be a Hall of Famer, because his career numbers don't match the great ones in Cooperstown, but he has been a rock for the Red Sox in their greatest era of all time. He is a .263 hitter (Fisk hit .269 in Boston and Chicago), with 161 HR's at all positions (far fewer than Fisk's 376) and 651 RBI (again far fewer than Fisk's 1330). But he has also caught four no-hitters (MLB record) with two young pitchers (Lester and Buchholz) and two borderline washups (Lowe and Nomo). He also led a team that won two world series (something Fisk can never say). 

I'm not trying to put Fisk down, because I think he is one of the best catchers at all time. And I know Varitek has gone downhill the last few years in a Sox uniform. But in their times at the Red Sox, I don't think anyone has been more important behind the plate than 'Tek.