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Nomar Garciaparra turns 45-years-old today. Roughly 22 years ago, as a wiry young shortstop, he made his MLB debut as a member of the Boston Red Sox. By any measure, his contribution to the franchise we all love has been
epic. Garciaparra hit .323 over 966 games for Boston (getting him batting titles in 1999 and 2000). His on-base percentage as a member of
The Carmine Hose was an absolutely crazy .370—and, on top of that, he slugged at a .553 rate
and posted an OPS of .923. He was
AL Rookie-Of-The-Year in 1997 and a five-time All-Star while wearing Boston laundry. His .372 average in 2000 remains a
ridiculous (and almost unbelievable) achievement. In his
total 14-year MLB career, Nomar hit .313 with an .882 OPS. No matter what you think about the atmospherics surrounding the 2004 trade, there is no doubt that Nomar is an all-time Red Sox great.
Thanks, Nomar—and Happy Birthday!
