Nomar Garciaparra

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Anthony Nomar Garciaparra (born July 23, 1973) is an American retired Major League baseball player and current Sportsnet LA analyst.

He appeared for the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Oakland Athletics, for nine seasons as an All-Star shortstop.

He is one of 13 players in Major League history to reach two grand slams in a single game, and the first player to do so at his home stadium. Garciaparra is a six-time All-Star (1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2006, and 2006), and he was the AL Rookie of the Year and AL Silver Slugger Award winner at shortstop.

He suffered a wrist injury in 2001, the first in a string of serious ailments that dogged his remainder of his career.

Garciaparra is a lifetime hitter who is best known for his ability to hit for average.

He had the highest single-season batting average for a right handed batter in the postwar period, batting.372 in 2000, and was the first right handed batter to win the AL Batting Championship in consecutive seasons since Joe DiMaggio in 1999 and 2000.

Early years

Garciaparra, a Mexican-American immigrant, was born in Whittier, California, and attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California. Ramon, his father's name, is used in Nomar; Nomar is pronounced backwards. Nomar was a boy when his dad emphasized the importance of not striking out, his dad warned him 25 cents for every strike in tee ball, and he was fined 50 cents per strikeout. When Nomar was 13, Ramon once put him in a batting cage against a college pitcher who could throw 90 mph (140 km/h). Nomar hit solid line drives on the next two pitches after missing the first pitch. Nomar was known as "No Nonsense Nomar" as a youth for his systematic and ardent preparation as an athlete.

Garciaparra was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fifth round of the 1991 draft, but he did not sign. Rather, he attended Georgia Institute of Technology, where he played college baseball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Garciaparra helped the Yellow Jackets win the College World Series Championship game in 1994, but they lost to Oklahoma. Garciaparra was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Star team and the first team All-American twice in 1993-1994. In his last season at Georgia Tech, he batted.427 runs. Garciaparra was a member of the United States Olympic Baseball team in Barcelona in 1992. He played collegiate summer baseball for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 1993 (CCBL). Garciaparra batted.321 and led Orleans to the league championship. In 2002, he was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Michael Garciaparra, Garciaparra's younger brother, was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the first round of the 2001 MLB draft and spent in Minor League Baseball until 2010.

Garciaparra married Olympian and World Cup champion soccer player Mia Hamm on November 22, 2003. Grace Isabella and Ava Caroline, who were born in Los Angeles on March 27, 2007. Garrett Anthony, the couple's first child, was also welcomed by the couple in January 2012. Hamm and Garciaparra first met in Boston in 1998, where Hamm defeated Garciaparra in a soccer shootout. Hamm, who was married at the time, later expressed her dissatisfaction with Garciaparra's passion for the sport, and the two kept in touch as colleagues. The two couples began dating some time after Hamm's 2001 divorce.

Garciaparra is best known for his intricate organization of pitches when batting. This includes bat glove adjustments and alternating toe taps on the ground prior to an ensuing pitch.

Garciaparra and his uncle Victor Garciaparra were alerted to the screams of two women who had fallen into Boston Harbor outside his condo on October 7, 2005. One of the women sustained head injury after being pushed into the pier on her way in. Garciaparra jumped into the harbor and saved both women, who were later admitted to the hospital.

Garciaparra made Los Angeles, Calif., a minority investor in November 2014.

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Professional career

Garciaparra was a first round draft pick of the Red Sox in 1994 and into the Red Sox farm system during his time at Georgia Tech. Following his NCAA appearance, he began his professional career in Class A Advanced as a member of the Sarasota Red Sox. Garciaparra joined the team early in the season, but he played in 28 games for the first time. However, he batted.295 for his first professional home run.

Garciaparra made the move to join the Double-A Trenton Thunder in 1995. He batted.267 with 8 home runs and then walked more than he struck out in 125 games. He also displayed his speed by stealing 35 bases and increasing his knowledge at shortstop. Garciaparra started an ambitious off-season training program to gain 15 pounds of muscle after the 1995 season rather than going home. In 1996, he discovered himself at the highest level of the minors competing for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox. Garciaparra batted.343 with 16 home runs and 46 RBI in just 43 games and earned a late-season call up to the Major Leagues in the 1980s.

Garciaparra made his Major League debut against Oakland on August 31, 1996 as a defensive replacement. He was 0-for-one. On September 1, John Wasdin, Oakland's home run, was his first Major League hit, and Garciaparra recorded three hits in the game. Garciaparra's rookie season with the club ended in.241 with 4 home runs, 16 RBI, and 5 stolen bases. Garciaparra stole his first major league base against the Tigers on September 18, 1996, the same night when Roger Clemens tied his own MLB record for striking out 20 batters in a game.

Garciaparra's rookie season, when he returned to the league in 1997, set the league on fire in his rookie season. In 209 base hits (a Red Sox rookie record) and drove in 98 runs, setting a new MLB record for RBIs by a leadoff hitter and the most home runs by a rookie shortstop. He hit the.306, and his 30-game hitting streak made him an A.L. This is his first appearance. Garciaparra also stole 22 bases, and his 11 triples dominated the league. In a unanimous vote, he was named Rookie of the Year, competed in the Home Run Derby, his first MLB All-Star Game, finished eighth in MVP voting, and earned the Silver Slugger Award for AL Shortstop. He also earned the immediate respect of Red Sox fans, who referred to him as "NO-mah!" in Boston accents. "Irma" is the word that comes to mind.

Garciaparra and the Red Sox announced a five-year deal worth $23.25 million in the spring of 1998. The agreement also included two squad options (for 2003 and 2004) that, if used, could have boosted the sale to $44.25 million. It was unprecedented for a team to lure a player who had just completed his rookie season to a long-term deal. Garciaparra's order was usually batting third or cleanup when the 1998 season began, with most batting third or cleanup. In 1998, he was ranked runner-up for AL MVP with 35 home runs and 122 RBI, and was runner-up with 35 home runs and 122 RBI. His batting average of.323 was good for 6th in the AL among qualifiers. Both he and his partner Pedro Martnez were instrumental in the Red Sox's win over the playoffs. Despite the fact that the team lost to the Cleveland Indians in the 1998 American League Division Series, Garciaparra had an outstanding postseason debut in the series, batting.333 with 3 home runs and 11 RBI in the 4 game loss. In Game 1, the Red Sox's only game in the series, he had a spectacular 3-run home run.

Garciaparra came into his own in 1999, winning the batting title by hitting.357 against left-handed pitchers, winning the batting crown by a.400 against left-handed pitchers). With 27 home runs and 104 batted in only 135 games, he tied for the century mark in RBIs once more. In a game against the Seattle Mariners on May 10, he hit three home runs, including two grand slams, and drove in ten RBI. In 1999, he was named an MLB All-Star, earning the right to start shortstop and bat second for the game, which took place in front of his hometown fans at Boston's Fenway Park. Despite battling injury as he reached.417 in the four games he was able to attend, he led the Red Sox to the postseason, defeating the Indians in 5 games in the 1999 American League Division Series, and Nomar was a key cog in the Red Sox's 2005 season. Garciaparra was the first player in MLB history to hit safely and score a run in the first five games of his post-season (1998–99), a feat that was unmatched in Game 1 of the 1999 ALDS. He was first drafted by Ian Kinsler (2010) as the only other player to start his post-season career in this manner. Garciaparra was at his best against the New York Yankees in the 1999 American League Championship Series, winning.400 with 2 home runs, but the team lost in 5 games. He came in seventh place in MVP polls after the season, finishing 7th in MVP voting.

The year 2000 marked a period of transition for the Red Sox, but Nomar's did not change much. His average was at.396, prompting some to believe he was the first batter to reach.400 since Ted Williams. Garciaparra was certainly on target, batting.403 as late in the season as July 20. Garciaparra's batting average dropped from those high hopes as the summer progressed. He finished the season with a.372 batting average, the highest batting average for a right-handed batter in the postwar period. He also captured the American League batting title, becoming the first right-handed batter to win consecutive titles in the American League since Joe DiMaggio. He also homered 21 times and ran in 96 runs. Despite the good individual play, the Red Sox skipped the postseason in 2000.

A shirtless and muscular Garciaparra appeared on Sports Illustrated's front cover in February 2001, with the headline "A Cut Above... baseball's toughest out" in baseball. Later, Sports Illustrated characterized the cover photo as "controversial," adding that it "forever fuelled the inevitable rumors of steroid use." With new acquisition Manny Ramirez, baseball fans hoped to see if he would beat him to the.400 mark, and Red Sox fans wished he would help them return to the postseason. Garciaparra aggravated an old wrist injury and was forced to start the season on the disabled list this week, although the story made it to newsstands. He did not participate in his first game against 2001-to-date until July 29, but he did have a great home run on his return to the game. The wrist acted up again by the end of August, and Garciaparra missed the remainder of the season due to the injury. During the shortened season, he only saw action in 21 games, batting.289 with 4 home runs and 8 RBI. Many people believe that the wrist injury not only ended his season, but also changed the course of his career. Scott Boras had done a statistical analysis of Garciaparra for his own client (Alex Rodriguez), predicting that by age 40, Nomar will have 513 home runs, 3581 hits, and a.336 career batting average.

Garciaparra had recovered from his wrist injury by the start of the 2002 season. He hit a.310 run in 2002, homering 24 times and cruising in 120 runs. The league's 56 doubles were the best in the league. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, he homered three times and drove in 8 runs on July 23 (his 29th birthday). In a game against the New York Yankees on September 2, Garciaparra scored his 1,000th hit in his 745th game, making him the fastest Red Sox player to reach the record. Garciaparra was voted by baseball in his fourth MLB All-Star Game and finished 11th in AL MVP polling at the end of the season. Garciaparra played in 156 games, the highest single season total of his career. However, even with Nomar assisting the team in winning 93 games during the season, the Red Sox did not qualify for the postseason.

A new ownership group purchased the Red Sox prior to the 2002 season. During the offseason, labor talks between Garciaparra's agent (Arn Tellem) and the Red Sox brass continued, but no agreement could be reached, but no agreement could be reached. Despite a four-year, $60 million contract, Garciaparra's $8 million signing bonus was the sticking point. Garciaparra was still on the lookout for a new pact in the 2003 season. Garciaparra had another fruitful All-Star season in 2003. He won the Toronto Blue Jays 6–5 on April 20, on a walk-off home run. He batted.319 over the season's first half, earning yet another All-Star pick, but a late-season slump led him to finish at.301. His 28 home runs were the most he had hit in a single season since 1998, and he had 105 runs. He played in 156 games for the second time this year, tying his career high from the previous year. Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz were all back to baseball's postseason for the first time since 1999, mainly due to a strong lineup that featured Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz. In addition, new actors and cult heroes, led by Kevin Millar, are starting to appear in Boston. Garciaparra's September slump (he batted.170 per month) followed him into the postseason, unfortunately. Though he reached.300 in the 2003 American League Division Series against the Oakland Athletics, he did not run in a run. In the ALCS, the Red Sox won a series of five games to face the rival Yankees, although Garciaparra's results were even worse. Garciaparra batted only.241 with just 1 RBI and an unusual 8 strikeouts in a tense 7-game series. However, he did not have a memorable hit in Game 6, when tripling and scoring on an error in the seventh inning. Boston was down 6–4 and facing elimination, but the Red Sox came back and beat 9–6 to force a tense Game 7. Nevertheless, the Red Sox lost the game and the series on Aaron Boone's legendary extra inning walk-off home run.

With Nomar's employment situation still unanswered, Red Sox's general counsel considered trading Manny Ramrez to the Texas Rangers for shortstop Alex Rodriguez following the 2003 season. Simultaneously, the team held exploratory discussions with the Chicago White Sox about trading Garciaparra for Magglio Ordóz if the Alex Rodriguez trade was finalized. The Nomar talks had been intended to be secrecy but it came out quickly, enraging Garciaparra and his repulsing Garciaparra and his agent. The MLB Players Association opposed Rodriguez's decision to forego a large part of his $250 million contract to fund a move to Boston, so both contracts were terminated. And, ironically, it was the rival Yankees who instead acquired Rodriguez after Aaron Boone suffered his knee while playing off-season basketball. Garciaparra also returned to Boston for the 2004 season, without an extension, and it was immediately apparent that he was dissatisfied with the team's treatment of the situation. When Nomar's deal came to an end after the 2004 season, the Red Sox brass predicted that he would not return to Boston.

Garciaparra's future in Boston is uncertain in the 2004 season. An Achilles' injury kept him out until June, making them tumultuous. Garciaparra's return to action was a success, with 5 home runs and 21 RBI in 38 games. Garciaparra went 4 for 5 with three runs batted in on July 10, 2004 in a 14–6 victory over the Rangers. However, his defense suffered a significant decrease, mainly in his fielding range, which was due to the effects of his injury. Defense was the team's weak point, according to general manager Theo Epstein, who believed that if Boston had to improve it for a chance to win a World Series. In addition, Garciaparra's injury necessitated him to miss a few days, meaning his bat was not even expected to be in the lineup every day (and thus the less reliable bats of the backup players will be in the lineup every day). Boston finally decided against Garciaparra before the July 31, 2004 trade deadline.

Garciaparra's Red Sox career included a.323 average, 178 home runs, and 690 RBI over the course of nine seasons.

Garciaparra, the primary player in a four-team contract that sent him and Matt Murton to the wild-card-leading Chicago Cubs on July 31, 2004 (the MLB trade deadline). The Red Sox received shortstop Orlando Cabrera from the Montreal Expos and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz from the Minnesota Twins. In a address to the media and left for Chicago, Nomar expressed his admiration to Red Sox fans. Garciaparra was ranked number 8 at first because Cub catcher Michael Barrett wore number 5, but a few days later, they switched numbers. In his first three games as a Cub, Garciaparra drove in 3 runs. However, he continued to battle his Achilles' injury down the stretch, and in 43 games since the trade, he hit.297 in Chicago with 4 home runs and 20 RBI. His 2004 numbers were a.308 average, 9 home runs, and 41 RBI. The Cubs ruled the wild card until mid-September, but the 2004 season ended with 89 victories and out of the playoffs. In the meantime, the Red Sox defeated the Yankees en route to a World Series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, after which Nomar's former teammates won a World Series ring and three-fourths of a playoff share ($167,715). Curt Schilling said that if not for Nomar, the Red Sox would not have been in a position to win at all, despite Nomar's ascension as a player with talent like Pedro Martez, Manny Ramirez, and even himself to Boston.

Garciaparra had trouble finding the long-term deal he had aspired for after the season. His injury was the primary reason for his absence, as it was obvious that he could still be effective when healthy. So, Garciaparra signed a 1-year contract worth $8.25 million to remain with the Cubs in the offseason. A torn left groin forced him to the disabled list in late April for more than three months when the 2005 season began. Garciaparra was just.157 at the time of the injury. Garciaparra "not confidently denied" using steroids following the release of an op-ed in which Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan speculated that Garciaparra's numerous injuries could be attributed to steroid use, prompting Garciaparra's numerous injuries, which was "ridiculous." Garciaparra returned to action on August 5, 2005, and his batting average was almost immediately up. Garciaparra volunteered to play third base in late August, the Cubs' regular third baseman Aramis Ramrez's suspension for the remainder of the 2005 season, according to Cubs manager Dusty Baker. Nomar had played shortstop in all of his Major League games up to this point in his career, except for his first game in the Majors, where he played second base. Garciaparra debuted as a free agent in 2005, with a.283 average, 9 homers, and 30 RBI.

Garciaparra returned to Whittier in 2006 after signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were minutes from Garciaparra's childhood home. Following a good season, Garciaparra hoped that the one-year contract would result in a multi-year contract. The deal was worth $6 million, with another $2.5 million in performance allowances. Bill Mueller and Derek Lowe, as well as former Dodgers head coach Grady Little, were among the team's former Red Sox players who were still on the team. Despite being able to hold his original jersey number (5), he moved to first base as the Los Angeles Dodgers had already signed Rafael Furcal from the Atlanta Braves to step in for the Atlanta Braves' resurgent César Izturis at shortstop.

Garciaparra recovered his offensive stroke for the first time since 2003. As Nomar faced the New York Mets on June 6, the New York Mets no. 6 hit a two-run home run on the first pitch he ever saw against former teammate and Boston friend Pedro Martnez. Derek Lowe, of course, was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers the day before. Garciaparra's batting average stood at.370 on June 9, just days later. He made his 200th home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 25, his 200th home run in his career. Nomar was tied for the highest batting average among all MLB infielders and all NL batters with a.358 average, along with 11 home runs and 53 RBIs, and a 21-game hitting streak into the break. It was the second highest batting average in the All-Star Break since a Dodger moved to Dodger Stadium in 1962, with Mike Piazza's highest record being set (.363 in 1996). Garciaparra was rewarded for his solid first half with his sixth All-Star pick. The winner of the National League All-Star Final Vote Award was chosen after receiving over six million fan votes to merit the accolade. It was his first All-Star appearance since 2003, and it was his first pick at any position other than shortstop.

Nomar responded well to playing first base, with just one mistake in his first 588.2 innings played and 4 for the whole season. However, his batting average has steadily dropped to.303 by the season's end as nagging injuries recovered. Despite this, he maintained his position in the Dodgers' playoff series with two game-winning home runs. On September 18, the Dodgers won by four runs in a row against the San Diego Padres to tie the game. Nomar won the game 11–10 after the Padres scored a run in the tenth inning. Garciaparra won the Dodgers 5–1 victory with one week remaining in the regular season six days later on September 24, 1994. The Dodgers advanced to win their last seven games of the regular season, as well as qualifying for the playoffs. Garciaparra batted.303 with 20 home runs and 93 RBI, and only struck out 30 times in 122 games this season. Garciaparra was named National League Comeback Player of the Year for 2006 on October 7, 2006. He obtained 72,054 votes. In the 2006 NLDS, the Dodgers were swept by the New York Mets. Garciaparra batted only.222 in the series, but he did drive in 2 runs. Garciaparra was re-signed by the Dodgers to a two-year contract worth $18.5 million on November 20, 2006, the team's first pick in the team's history through the 2008 season.

Garciaparra got off to a good start in 2007, hitting.307 in April but not quite as well as he did in April, with only 1 home run in the first two and a half months of the season. Garciaparra announced on June 25, 2007, he volunteered to move from first to third base in order to make room for rookie James Loney. He missed time in August and September due to illness, but he did play in 121 games. His numbers were down, however, as he batted.283 with just 7 home runs and 59 RBI.

After a hit-by-pitch in 2008 spring preparations, Garciaparra sustained a microfracture to his hand. He had to begin his 2008 MLB season on the Disabled List due to his illness. In the interim, Rookie Blake DeWitt played third base. He started his game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 16, but he only had a strained left calf muscle the next day, resulting in another trip to the DL. He returned to shortstop on July 4 for the first time since 2005 due to Rafael Furca's injury. Manny Ramirez, who had been acquired in a trade, was put on the DL on August 1 to make room for him. In a July 27 game against the Washington Nationals, Nomar had sprained his knee, being slid into spikes first at third base, when Garciaparra had tried to field a throw and tag the runner, Lastings Milledge. On August 12, he returned to shortstop and then continued to do so until the end of the month. He scored a walk-off home run against the Philadelphia Phillies on August 13, giving the Dodgers a 7–6 victory. Garciaparra also spent more time at shortstop in 2008 than in any other position, to accommodate other Dodgers. However, by September, he was back to first base and third base, as well as being used as a pinch hitter. Despite his return to the position where he had the most success in his career, Nomar had a difficult season. He was ranked.264 for the year, with 8 home runs and 28 RBI, despite the fact that he appeared in only 55 games. After the 2008 NLCS season, the Dodgers welcomed the Phillies, and Garciaparra had a field day, going 3-for-7 (.429) with 1 RBI in the series. However, he did not appear in Game 1, and later did not play the entire game in the series as a substitute or was suspended as the game went on in Games 2–5. The Dodgers were defeated in fifth game by the Philadelphia Phillies, who then went on to win the 2008 World Series.

Garciaparra signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Athletics on March 6, 2009. Nomar was not given his accustomed number 5 after acquiring Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies in the offseason, instead wearing number 1. Eric Patterson was called up and given number 5 immediately following Holliday's trade to the St. Louis Cardinals. Garciaparra and Patterson then changed numbers. Garciaparra batted.281 with 3 home runs and 16 RBI in 65 games with Oakland in his last season.

Garciaparra had a.313 batting average (1747-for-5586), 229 triples, 936 home runs, 95 stolen bases,.360 percent on balls, and.521 slugging percentage in 1434 games over 14 seasons. He had a 97 percent fielding percentage when he finished his career. He was consistent in 32 games after losing (36-for-112) with 7 home runs and 24 RBI.

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