Nomar Garciaparra
From BR Bullpen
Anthony Nomar Garciaparra
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 165 lb.
- High School St. John Bosco High School
- School Georgia Institute of Technology
- Debut August 31, 1996
- Born July 23, 1973 in Whittier, CA USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Nomar Garciaparra is a major star and member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Most of his major league career has been spent with the Boston Red Sox, for whom he was a five-time All Star and American League batting champ in 1999 and 2000. Through 2005, his career batting average was .320 over 10 seasons. In 2006 with the Dodgers he was again among the league leaders in batting average, finishing the season with a .303 average.
Garciaparra was a 1st round pick by the Red Sox in the 1994 amateur draft, but his minor league stops in Sarasota, Trenton, and with the Gulf Coast Red Sox from 1994-96, while decent, did not make it obvious that he would be a tremendous major league star. However, he blossomed in 43 games in 1996 with Pawtucket in the International League where he posted .343/~.396/.733 with 16 homers, and got a ticket to the majors.
As a regular from 1997-2000, his average went up each year, from .306 to .323 to .357 to .372. He had highs of 35 home runs and 122 RBI in 1998. From 2001 to 2005, though, he has not hit above .310 and has struggled with injuries. He recovered after moving to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006, winning the National League's Comeback Player of the Year Award after playing in 122 games, but he injured himself again during the post-season, which limited to a pinch-hitting role after the second game of the NLDS.
- Played for the 1992 United States Olympic baseball team.
- Played for the Boston Red Sox from 1996 to 2004.
- Traded to the Cubs at the trading deadline in 2004 in a four-team trade that sent Orlando Cabrera to the Boston Red Sox.
- American League Rookie of the Year 1997.
- In 2003, he married soccer star Mia Hamm, who played in the Olympics in 1996, 2000, and 2004.
- Has played more games than any other major leaguer from Georgia Tech (which has contributed 38 players to the major leagues) except Del Pratt.
His unique name comes from his father. Anthony is his given first name, his middle name Nomar is the reverse of his father's name, Ramon. His brother, Michael Garciaparra, is a minor leaguer in the Seattle Mariners system.
Garciaparra held the record for fewest games (869) to reach 2,000 total bases, but this record was broken in 2006 by Albert Pujols.
Once saved two drowning women in Boston.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1997 AL Rookie of the Year Award
- 1997 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
- 6-time All-Star (1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 & 2006)
- AL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1997)
- 2006 NL Comeback Player of the Year
- 2-time AL Batting Average Leader (1999 & 2000)
- AL At Bats Leader (1997)
- AL Hits Leader (1997)
- AL Doubles Leader (2002)
- AL Triples Leader (1997)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 7 (1997-2000, 2002, 2003 & 2006)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 2 (1997 & 1998)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 4 (1998, 1999, 2002 & 2003)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 6 (1997-2000, 2002 & 2003)
- 200 Hits Seasons: 1 (1997)
| AL Rookie of the Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
| Derek Jeter | Nomar Garciaparra | Ben Grieve |
