Sox Sign A.J. Pierzynski: AKA - The Most Hated Man in Baseball

Boston.com – The Red Sox have agreed to terms with veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski. The particulars of the deal are not yet known beyond that it is for one season. Pierzynski will be playing for his third team in as many years. After spending 2005-2012 with the White Sox, he joined the Texas Rangers last season and hit .272 with a .722 OPS. He had 17 homers and 70 RBIs. Pierzynski started 111 games behind the plate. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reported the deal was in place. … The lefthanded-hitting Pierzynski should make for a good match with righthanded hitter David Ross, whom the Red Sox view as being able to play more than the average backup. … Pierzynski has a league-wide reputation for having a difficult personality, something Red Sox executives said in recent weeks was overstated. Pierzynski also will be entering a clubhouse with leaders in place and playing for a strong manager in John Farrell. Any personality issues figure to be extinguished quickly.

I love it.  It’s not as if a 37 year old platoon catcher is going to make or break the 2014 Red Sox season, but I love this move nevertheless.  And I don’t care what Pierzynski’s OPS or VORP or splits are or any of that crap.  I just think he’s going to thrive in Boston because he’s such an asshole.  Say what you want about building a team around good guys the way the Sox did this year, but what it really takes to succeed in this market is balls.  Personality.  Whether you’re by nature an affable, chipper, upbeat guy like Papi or an insufferable dink like Pierzynski isn’t as important as being outgoing.  The more insufferable and attention-whorey the better.  Boston is no place for timid, weak souls like Carl Crawford who’d prefer to sit off in a corner and not be bothered.  AJP might hit here or he might not.  I haven’t the slightest handle on how he calls a game.  But I do know for sure he’s an asshole who can step right in here and fit in with 37,000 Massholes every night.  And that’s exactly the kind of guy that’ll make it here.  @JerryThornton1