Josh Bard is getting what many yearn for: a second chance to prove himself at the site of his greatest failure, and the Red Sox’ newest catcher vows he is ready.

“Obviously, last time I didn’t leave on the terms I would have liked to. To get a second chance to play for what I consider the best organization in baseball, from top to bottom, is a privilege,” Bard said. “I’m grateful for it, and I know this time is going to be different for a lot of reasons.”

The Red Sox announced yesterday that they signed Bard to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract that will reportedly pay him $1.7 million this year, with a team option for 2010.

The last time Bard played for Boston, he left under dramatic — and painful — circumstances. Acquired before the 2006 season to back up Jason Varitek, Bard flamed out badly, proving unable to catch Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball and allowing 10 passed balls in April. After only a month, Bard was quickly shipped to San Diego in exchange for former Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli, who flew cross country and arrived just in time to catch Wakefield in that night’s game.

Bard looks at that failure as a blessing, one that made him appreciate every day in the majors.

“It’s the best thing that one, happened to my career, but also one of the better things that ever happened to my life. It made me grow up in a hurry…. I’ll never take for granted another day in the big leagues,” he said.

And he expects that this time, he’ll be ready to catch Wakefield, both because he’s more experienced as a player, and more mature as a person. The last time, he didn’t trust his instincts on how to catch the knuckler, trying to imitate Mirabelli’s approach. Now he is confident he knows what to do.

“In my immaturity, I think I tried to be somebody I wasn’t,” he said, noting that he let the ball get too deep before he tried to catch it.

“This time around, I’m going to be aggressive and attack the baseball the way I would catch a normal pitch,” Bard said.

Bard is not expected to be the starting catcher, and the Red Sox are still trying to acquire another catcher, whether it’s through a trade or by resigning free agent Jason Varitek.

Bard, a switch hitter, had a difficult, injury-marred year in 2008, hitting only .202. But before that, the 30-year-old was a valuable part of the Padre offense, hitting .333 with 9 home runs and 40 RBI in only 249 at bats in 2006, following that up with a .285 average and 51 RBI in 118 games in 2007.

For his career, Bard has a .993 fielding percentage and has thrown out 16 percent of opposing base stealers. When he is behind the plate, pitchers have compiled a 4.01 ERA, fifth best among active catchers with over 350 games caught.

dbarbari@projo.com