FORT MYERS, Fla. - As a boy growing up in Colombia, Jorge Alfaro's exposure to Major League Baseball was minimal. Occasionally, he would be able to watch some games, and when he did, his options were somewhat limited.
"We didn't have too many games to watch on TV,'' recalled Alfaro, "and most games were Yankees vs. Red Sox. So you become a fan of one of those teams. I've been watching (the Red Sox) since I was a little kid, when Manny Ramirez, Big Papi, Pedro (Martinez)...all those guys...Jason Varitek. I watched all of those guys growing up, so when I had a chance to sign with this organization, I was excited to be with this team.''
Imagine, then, how Alfaro felt yesterday morning. Just outside the Red Sox clubhouse, Alfaro was performing catching drills with 1-on-1 instruction from Varitek himself.
"Man, whenever he gives me advice on anything, it's like a dream come true,'' said Alfaro, beaming at the thought. "Watching him play when I was a little kid and now having the opportunity to work with him, it's a blessing. You just have to listen and learn whatever you can from that guy. I will never say no to anything about catching. Whatever can help me to get better, I'm always going to put my work into that.''
Varitek's work with Alfaro had a purpose. Over the last two years, Alfaro committed 20 passed balls -- a National League-leading seven with the San Diego Padres last season and 13 the previous year with the Miami Marlins, the most in all of baseball. The Red Sox believe making some changes to his set-up will result in far fewer pitches getting past him.
"We're trying to get back to catching on one knee,'' Alfaro said. "I'm just going to work on that and (do) the best that I can.''
"He'll tell you that he needs to get better receiving-wise,'' said Alex Cora.
Otherwise, there's a lot to like about Alfaro's game. He's flashed power before, hitting 18 homers in 2019 while with the Marlins. And his powerful throwing arm has limited the running game. He threw out 42 percent of baserunners in 2021, though that number dipped to just 17 percent last year.
As a non-roster player on a minor league deal, Alfaro faces an uphill battle to beat out Connor Wong for the backup spot. Making the task even more difficult is the fact that Alfaro will be leaving soon to go play for Team Colombia in the World Baseball Classic, taking him out of camp for a time.
"It's not going to be easy,'' acknowledged Alfaro. "They have good catchers here and young catchers. So I have to be ready to compete.''
In all likelihood, Alfaro will probably open the season at Triple-A Worcester while the Red Sox get a longer look at Wong. At the end of May, Alfaro has an opt-out to his deal that could see him leave for a better opportunity elsewhere if he's not promoted to the big leagues before that.
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Cora understands that rookie first baseman Triston Casas has a different personality than most, but likes what he sees.
"He has a great routine,'' said Cora. "He's really good about what he wants to accomplish. He doesn't take a day off, routine-wise When he's taking ground balls, there's always structure. In his batting practice, there's always structure. Everybody's making a deal about (the fact that he's got painted nails) or whatever it is. But it is what it is. We're glad that he's with our team.
"He's a very open guy. The cool thing with me and him is that we can go back and forth in Spanish and English. His Spanish is really good but it can always get better and having a bilingual guy in the clubhouse is always helpful. We're very proud of the way he works, the way he looks, so, so far, so good.''
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Brayan Bello, who was shut down for a week experiencing some tightness in his right forearm, was cleared to long-toss Monday and did so without incident. He'll likely repeat that again Tuesday before returning to throwing off a mound later in the week... Yu Chang, who was signed to a major league deal by the Sox last week, is with Team Taiwan for the start of the World Baseball Classic and will not join the Sox in camp until his team is eliminated... Corey Kluber threw a live BP Monday, and there are several more starting pitchers lined up to follow with that task Tuesday and Wednesday... Cora said the Sox will pitch "a lot of non-roster invitees'' Friday against Northeastern... He said he won't use a member of his starting rotation until Monday, with tentative plans to have Kluber start that game.