Nomar Garciaparra born July 23, 1973, in Whittier, California is a former Major League Baseball player. He previously played third base, first base, and Designated Hitter for the Oakland Athletics, first base and third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and shortstop and third base for the Chicago Cubs, after a decade as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox.
The rookie of the year, batting champion and All-Star whose trade began a bitter back-and-forth in Boston and, for Garciaparra, an inglorious slide into irrelevance, signed a ceremonial one-day contract with the Red Sox on Wednesday for the purpose of retiring in the uniform of his original team.
Garciaparra announced he’s leaving baseball at 36 to become an ESPN analyst, ending a 14-year career in which he was a six-time All-Star and two-time batting champion. But the career that started with the 1997 AL Rookie of the Year award began to crumble when the Red Sox tried to acquire Alex Rodriguez after the 2003 season – a deal that probably would have forced them to trade Garciaparra.
With the Red Sox struggling at midseason, general manager Theo Epstein traded Garciaparra for shortstop Orlando Cabrera and defensive first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz. Accusations of disloyalty flew, and Red Sox fans were stunned to lose their “No-mah.”
Nomar Garciaparra appeared destined for the Hall of Fame, and a back-and-forth rivalry with Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter for years and years. By 2004, when he was traded to the Cubs, it appeared Nomar may be able to continue his production against weaker pitching in the National League Central.
