He wears the tools of ignorance. He does hundreds of deep-knee bends every night. He willingly stands in the way of a ball hurtling through the air at 90, even 100 miles per hour. He serves as a human bowling pin and is occasionally crushed by professional athletes running his way.

He is Jason Varitek, Red Sox catcher. He should be an All-Star.

This is Varitek’s sixth season for the Red Sox, and like Fenway’s Green Monster, it’s easy to take him for granted. He’s simply always there, down in his squat, manning the plate.

He is a consummate leader. He handles the pitching staff, calls pitch sequences and is vocal when necessary.

This week, he stood up and made us take notice. In a four-game sweep of the hapless Tigers, Varitek hit a pair of home runs (one from each side of the plate), made a spectacular catch-and-tag play at the plate to keep his team up by a run and threw out speedy Alex Sanchez twice in one game.

We’ve come to expect the tags, the strong throws to second base and precision pitch selection.

With his bat heating up (.279, 12 home runs, 40 RBIs coming into the weekend), he’s more important than ever.

“Jason is one of the best things going on with this ball club,” said outfielder David Ortiz. “He sets the example.”

As the Sox were finishing up the sweep of Detroit, the team’s members were making their selections for the mid-summer classic. Manager Grady Little began his voting behind the plate.

“That was the only name I could think of to vote for,” said Little of Varitek.

Indeed, Varitek’s offensive numbers were superior to Jorge Posada of the Yankees, who led the American League in voting. And those numbers are almost a bonus.

“I’ve been watching him for so long, he doesn’t surprise me anymore,” said teammate Nomar Garciaparra, who played with Varitek at Georgia Tech.

“He’s one of the most powerful men on this team,” said second baseman Todd Walker.

“He hits home runs that are remembered,” said Little. “A lot of times you may see a player hit 15 or 20 home runs, but you don’t remember any of them.”

It’s becoming a memorable season for Varitek and the Red Sox. The team has plenty of offense, and getting production from a catcher at or near the bottom of the order is an added benefit. The biggest challenge for Varitek will be working this pitching staff — especially the relievers — into shape for a playoff push.

One of the great baseball debates in Boston this summer has been whom to keep: Garciaparra or Pedro Martinez. Both are under contract through next summer, and both will command top dollar on the open market.

It may be impossible for the Sox to retain both under any sort of budget.

Let’s not forget that Derek Lowe is up at that time as well. Guess what? Varitek is another member of that group facing free agency in the fall of 2004, and it’s becoming clear that he will be a sought-after player, too.

Chances are, you won’t hear fans arguing to keep Varitek over Nomar, Pedro or D-Lowe. His name doesn’t belong in the same stratosphere as Garciaparra or Martinez, and the importance of pitching dictates that Lowe is a more valuable commodity.

But don’t overlook the importance of this big, hulking man behind the plate. Like the Green Monster, you’ll miss him if he goes away.

Lewiston native Tom Caron covers the Red Sox for NESN.

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