Red Sox Life
Celebrating 100 Great Years of Boston Red Sox baseball...
Columns
Roster
Schedule
Fenway Park
Chatroom
Pictures
Minors
Multimedia
Weather
History
Sox Links
Contact
5 - Garciaparra, Nomar
shortstop
Height: 6-0 Weight: 180 lbs. Throws: Right Bats: Right Born: July 23, 1973, Whittier, CA Notes: Nomar Garciaparra is building strength in his wrist by doing simple range-of-motion excercises. The team is confident he'll begin baseball-related activities in about a month and return to the lineup around the All-Star break. Scouting Report 2000 Season Nomar Garciaparra, Boston's entry in the present-day Holy Trinity of shortstops, won another batting title, ranked fifth in the American League with a .434 on-base percentage and placed seventh with a .599 slugging percentage. What's remarkable is that Garciaparra played hurt much of last season. Though a wrist injury clearly affected his power, he probably would have reached 100 RBI had the top of the Red Sox lineup not struggled and had he not been intentionally walked a league-high 20 times. This just in the man can hit. Hitting The 3.05 pitches he saw per plate appearance in 2000 (fewest in the majors) prove Garciaparra to be what he is a slasher. He sees the ball and he hits it. Whether it's over his head or a foot outside or off the ground, he almost always hits it on the same spot on his bat. Check his bat someday and you'll find a small circle where he makes contact, a tribute to his remarkable hand-eye coordination and balance. Most of all, he is a great fastball hitter, and when his wrist is healthy his balls seem to carry an extra 25 feet. Baserunning & Defense Garciaparra's home infield has the largest error ratio in the major leagues, so his error totals can be deceptive. This past season was his best defensively, as his consistency was way up. He is unique in that he plays on the run, making plays in left field with the ability to throw strongly across his body while running in the opposite direction. At times last season he seemed frustrated by the Red Sox style of one base at a time. He likes to run, has above-average speed and is a daredevil. In every phase of his game, he has an X-Games style.
