Top 5 Under-The-Radar Additions Include Red Sox Rookie, MLB Insider Says

The Boston Red Sox had three players named to the American League All-Star team. But that total could have been higher had rookie catcher Carlos Narvaez been given more consideration.

When it comes to under-the-radar finds for the 2025 MLB season, Narvaez has proven to be one of baseball’s top five hidden gems, according to CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson.

“The Red Sox plucked Narváez from the Yankees last December in exchange for lefty pitcher Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz, Anderson wrote Saturday. “While Rodriguez-Cruz has a 2.26 ERA in 15 appearances at the High-A level and may impact New York’s roster in a few seasons, Narváez has been an immediate factor for Boston.”

Indeed, Narvaez is hitting .273 with eight home runs and 31 RBIs. Among American League catchers with at least 30 games played this year, he’s third in OPS (.786). But that’s not all Narvaez adds to the Red Sox roster.

“What’s more is that he’s been one of the top defensive backstops in the game,” Anderson continued.

“Baseball Prospectus’ Catching Defense Added metric attempts to quantify any and every aspect of a catcher’s game. Narváez ranks fifth in that metric (it’s a counting stat), behind Patrick Bailey, Alejandro Kirk, Austin Wells and Cal Raleigh,” Anderson added.

“In other words, even if Narváez hadn’t hit this well, he would still be a nifty addition for a Red Sox team that has recently caught fire,” Anderson concluded.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora doesn’t take Narvaez’s defense for granted. “His footwork is really good. If you see him during pregame, when we’re taking ground balls, he goes to second and short and he has good footwork,” Cora said Wednesday, per Masslive.com’s Christopher Smith.

The 26-year-old Narvaez made his MLB debut last season, playing in six games with the New York Yankees.

This year, he’s making $763,500 and has two pre-arbitration seasons remaining, according to Spotrac. So Narvaez figures to be in the Red Sox lineup for years to come.