Five things to know about Ryan Lavarnway, who will join the Isotopes broadcast booth this week

With a Pacific Coast League playoff position still very much in play, one voice in the Albuquerque Isotopes broadcast booth Thursday and Friday simply won’t be enough.

Joining the team’s longtime radio play-by-play announcer Josh Suchon for the live radio and online call for the next two nights at Isotopes Park against the Reno Aces will be former Major League journeyman catcher Ryan Lavarnway, who has had an interesting journey through the sport, including some pinch hit broadcast help with Colorado Rockies games.

Here are five things to know about the man who will be sharing the booth with the Isotopes Thursday and Friday night:

1. After being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2008, Lavarnway played in parts of 16 professional seasons, including 10 in the majors with eight different franchises.

While he only played in a grand total of 165 MLB games in those 10 seasons in the Big Leagues (the MLB regular season has 162 games), he does have plenty to brag about, including a World Series ring as part of the 2013 Boston Red Sox.

2. Lavarnway has penned a children’s book titled “Baseball and Belonging,” which is on sale now.

As described on the book’s website linked off Lavarnway’s personal website, the book is “written to inspire children to believe in themselves and imagine their possibilities.”

Describing Lavarnway as more than a baseball player, the book explores how his confidence soared on the field, but he struggled to find his identity off it until playing for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic and the Olympics.

“By embracing his Jewish identity, Ryan found where he belonged.”

3. Lavarnway has a philosophy degree from Yale.

4. Lavarnway played for Team Israel in the 2017 in the World Baseball Classic, the 2020 Olympics and will represent them again later this month in the European Baseball Championship.

5. In 2008, Lavarnway set the Ivy League career home run record with his 33rd round tripper of the season. He now sits alone in second place in the storied Ivy League baseball record books behind former Brown slugger Pete Greskoff, who hit 34 home runs from 2008 to 2011.