WHY I THINK NOMAR GARCIAPARRA SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

WHY I THINK NOMAR GARCIAPARRA

SHOULD BE IN COOPERSTOWN

By- Damien 

Nomar Garciaparra was perhaps the greatest of the clean hitters of the steroid era. Hall of Famer Ted

Williams once said that Garciaparra’s swing and batting style reminded him greatly of that of fellow Hall of

Famer Joe DiMaggio, which is really saying something. He had a lifetime batting average of .313, batted

over .300 seven times, hit 30 or more home runs in a season twice and 20 or more five times, had 95 or

more RBI’s six times and captured two batting titles. He was also a good fielder at shortstop and a great

postseason hitter. Nomar Garciaparra started his career with the Red Sox in 1996 for 24 games. He was

the 1997 AL Rookie of the Year after batting .306 with 30 home runs. Garciaparra rose to .323 with 35 home

runs in 1998 and hit .357 in 1999 to capture his first batting title and .372 in 2000 for his second. He only

played in 21 games in 2001, hampered by a wrist injury, but came back strong in 2002 to bat .310. After

another .300 season Garciaparra split his 2004 season between the Red Sox and the Cubs, batting a

combined .308 in half a season. He played only 62 games for the Cubs in 2005 and was traded to the

Dodgers for the 2006 season. He was converted into a first baseman in 2006 and batted .303 and .283 in

two full seasons there and was traded to the A’s for the 2009 season after only 55 games in 2008, mostly

as the shortstop again. Garciaparra played 65 games for Oakland in 2009, providing a dangerous bat and a

useful glove, before retiring. Nomar Garciaparra was a phenomenal hitter with speed, power and consistency,

and he also played pretty good defense as well. He was better than most Hall of Famers. 

LIFETIME STATISTICS

Games career: 1,434 season high: 156 in 2002 and 2003 

At Bats career: 5,586 season high: 684 in 1997 led AL: 684 in 1997 

Hits career: 1,747 season high: 209 in 1997 led AL: 209 in 1997 

Doubles career: 370 season high: 56 in 2002 led AL: 56 in 2002 

Triples career: 52 season high: 13 in 2003 led AL: 11 in 1997 

Home Runs career: 229 season high: 35 in 1998 

Runs career: 927 season high: 122 in 1997 

Runs Batted In career: 936 season high: 122 in 1998 

Stolen Bases career: 95 season high: 22 in 1997 

Walks career: 403 season high: 61 in 2000 

Strikeouts career: 554 season high: 92 in 1997 

Batting Average career: .313 season high: .372 in 2000 led AL: .357 in 1999, .372 in 2000 

On Base Percentage career: .361 season high: .434 in 2000 

Slugging Percentage career: .521 season high: .603 in 1999 

Total Bases career: 2,908 season high: 365 in 1997 

Sacrifice Hits career: 5 season high: 2 in 1997 

Fielding Percentage career: .975 season high: .996 in 2006 

Double Plays career: 765 season high: 113 in 1997 and 2006 led AL SS: 113 in 1997 

Putouts career: 3,422 season high: 1,059 in 2006 led AL SS: 249 in 1997 

Assists career: 3,211 season high: 467 in 2002 

DID YOU KNOW? 

-nicknamed “Nomah” and “No Nonsense Nomar” 

-was a six time all-star 

-went 2-for-3 on his last MLB game 

-finished second in the AL MVP Award voting in 1998, seventh in both 1999 and 2003, eighth in 1997,

ninth in 2000 and 11th in 2002 

-was 13th in the 2006 NL MVP Award voting 

-was the 2006 NL Comeback Player of the Year 

-was the AL Player of the Month in May of 1999 

-led the AL with 20 intentional walks in 2000 

-batted .321 with 36 hits, seven doubles, one triple, seven home runs, 16 runs scored, 24 RBI’s, 12 walks

and two stolen bases in 32 career postseason games 

-was the first player in MLB history to hit safely and score runs in his first five career postseason games 

-had a 30-game hitting streak in 1997, which is the AL rookie record 

-set MLB records for the most RBI’s (98) in a season by a leadoff hitter and for the most homers by a rookie

shortstop in 1997 

-his 209 hits in 1997 are the Red Sox record for rookies 

-garnered his 1,000th hit in his 745th game, making him the fastest Red Sox player to reach that milestone,

even faster than Ted Williams 

-his .372 batting average in 2000 is currently the highest mark by a right handed batter since the end of WWII 

-hit three home runs, including two grand slams, on May 10, 1999, in a game in which he had ten RBI’s 

-hit three home runs and had eight RBI’s in one game on July 23, 2002, which was also his 29th birthday 

-also played 94 games at third base, one at second base, 25 at DH, 64 as a pinch hitter and three as a pinch runner 

-was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2014 and into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall

of Fame in 2002