Nomar Gone? Be Careful What You Wish For
I’ve heard all the criticisms. I’ve seen the writing on the wall, read the articles, listened to the talk shows, examined the proverbial “body language,” and thought of every conceivable angle that any and all comments or actions by both Nomar Garciaparra and Boston Red Sox ownership could possibly be construed.
I’m still dumbfounded.
After all, do people forget when the likes of Spike Owen, Luis Rivera, and Jody Reed were patrolling the left side of the middle infield for the Boston Red Sox?
Several arguments have been made against wanting Nomar to stay in Boston – he’s damaged goods, he doesn’t want to be here, he isn’t a leader, they should trade him while his value is high, and he isn’t worth the money. I plan to refute each notion, one by one.
Damaged goods? You may not realize that in 2003, his first full season back from major wrist surgery, that until his dreadful September/October performance, he was on pace for his second-best offensive season of his entire career? Yes, that is a fact. Moreover, despite his sub par final month and a half, did it occur to anyone that, down the stretch, Nomar was a major reason why the Red Sox earned a 2003 Wild Card berth in the first place?
In addition, he rushed back from his unfortunate Achilles injury in 2004. Rightfully so - this team desperately needed him. And although his critics bashed him for struggling out of the gate, he had just 21 at-bats in a minor league rehab assignment before his return. Most players have three times as many at-bats in spring training before hitting the season in full stride. Now that his timing has returned, through 9 games in the month of July, he’s accumulated 19 hits (batting .487), with 3 homers and 7 RBI. Does that sound like damaged goods to you? I’m not buying the damaged goods argument.
There seems to be a pervasive sentiment among Red Sox nation that he doesn’t want to be here. Yes, he was disgruntled early in the season about the A-Rod situation, but who wouldn’t be at least mildly upset if their bosses were openly trying to get rid of them? That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to be here. He has never said a bad word about the team, the city, or more importantly, the FANS. Yes, he’s had his run-ins with the local media, as has virtually every superstar that’s ever played here. But outside of a few small disputes with the media, Nomar has been as quiet as a superstar could possibly be in this intensely magnified (on a number of levels) Boston baseball market.
He has always spoken highly of the fans, and for his deep appreciation and affection for them. He even called a local sports radio talk show from his honeymoon to disprove the notion that he doesn’t want to be here. During that conversation, he had nothing but great things to say about the organization, his teammates, the city, and the fans. Period. To me, that doesn’t sound like a guy that doesn’t want to be here.
There also seems to be a conception that Nomar Garciaparra isn’t a leader. This begs the question, what exactly qualifies as a leader? Are Red Sox Nation and/or the media looking for a “vocal” clubhouse leader or mouthpiece of the team, if you will? That isn’t his personality; it never has been and never will be. The fact that he largely remains quiet in the clubhouse doesn’t discount his ability to be a leader on this team.
One need not look any further to see what type of leader he is than the way he plays the game. He plays the game the way it was meant to be played – runs hard, hustles, and plays at full tilt, every single pitch of every single game. He leads by example, runs out every single grounder and pop-up, and dives for every ball within his grasp. He is a good clubhouse guy, doesn’t ruffle any feathers, and has suffered through severe injuries to come back as soon as possible - even if it means a drop-off in production - in order to help this team win. He is an excellent role model, and in fact the one you would tell your son or daughter to watch when providing an example of how to play the game. To me, all of these characteristics describe a quintessential leader.
I’ve also heard the belief that he should be traded while his value is high. Well, if he’s so valuable, then why trade him in the first place? Last time I checked, this team was right in the center of a grueling, four team race for the AL wild card spot. Trading Nomar and his high value would do nothing but hurt this team, on both sides of the ball. Furthermore, who exactly is going to take his place in the lineup? How exactly can you replace 50+ runs, 50+ RBI, and 13+ homeruns in the second half of 2004, especially at shortstop – historically one of the most offensively inept positions in baseball?
Is Pokey Reese the answer at shortstop if Nomar is traded? I love Pokey as much as anyone else, and he certainly has captured the hearts and imaginations of Red Sox fans everywhere with his miraculous defense and two-homerun game (don’t hold your breath, because you will never see that again). But for all his defensive accolades, and I fully admit that he’s an absolute magician in the field, his offensive production is downright pathetic. You may not have noticed, but Reese is in the midst of a laughable 1 for 31 swoon (this is the most positive word I could think of for it), and is 0 for his last 19 with 10 strikeouts – dipping his season average to .234. So the argument is, replace one of the best hitters in all of baseball during the past decade with Pokey Reese? At best, this suggestion can only be described as laughable.
Now let’s turn to the contract situation (or lack thereof). Of course, it’s all about the money. Yes, prior to the 2003 season, Garciaparra was offered a somewhat exorbitant amount of money ($60 million over 4 years) from the Red Sox. He then made a counter-offer (yes, there is a difference between a refusal and a counter-offer), of $1 million more per season, with an extra year added to the contract. This is standard negotiating practice in baseball. He didn’t refuse or balk at the original offer, or criticize it for that matter, he did what anyone else would’ve done – made what he thought was a fair and valid counter-offer, based on his perceived market value at the time. Red Sox management then decided to play out the season. It was a business decision on both ends.
As far as his market value now, I’m not sure where people get the idea that he would be vastly overpaid, even if the Red Sox accepted that counter-offer from 2003. He figures to receive at or around $14 million per year. This is still significantly less than Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, who are considered his peers at the position (although Rodriguez now has moved to third). In fact, Nomar is considered to be statistically superior to Derek Jeter, whom he would (and will) earn much less than. Nomar isn’t looking to be overpaid; he’s looking for fair value, given his position and what he brings to the table. Is he worth it? Let’s take a closer look…
It starts with loyalty. Does it matter than Nomar is the second-longest tenured player on the Red Sox, having been drafted in 1994 and come up through the Red Sox minor league system? Is it meaningful that he’s given his heart, soul, and body to the organization and fans of this great baseball enterprise over much of the past decade? Should it be taken to account that he is among the great players to ever wear the Red Sox uniform?
Or perhaps statistics can answer the question. For statistical purposes, I will exclude Nomar’s 2001 season, during which he sustained a wrist injury and played only 21 games. This gives us six full seasons to work with, which should be enough to determine what he has meant to this baseball team, this city, and these fans. I know that all of the short sighted, “Johnny-come-lately” zealots tend to forget about the previous seven seasons because of a bad six week stretch at the conclusion of 2003, but some of the following facts are rather intriguing.
He started off his major league career by winning the AL rookie of the year award in 1997. In six full seasons, he has been an all-star five times. He’s finished in the top 5 in hits in 5 out of those 6 years, and in the top 10 in extra base hits in all 6 years.
He has also amassed two batting titles. In fact, Nomar Garciaparra is the first right-handed hitter since hall-of-famer Joe DiMaggio to win back-to-back batting titles. Ladies and gentlemen, just in case you’re counting, that is a span of 40 years. He also has the third highest average among active players in all of Major League Baseball. Do these things happen by accident?
Probably the most telling statistic, though, is one that is no doubt overlooked by the short-sighted, hypocritical mass that continues to berate Nomar. In his six full seasons, he has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting FIVE times. That means in every single full season (except one) that he’s played here, he has been one of the top 10 Most Valuable Players in the American League. This seems to be forgotten by the people who, by choice, only remember September and October of 2003.
Finally, Nomar has accomplished all of this while averaging just under $5 million per year ($4.8M to be exact). For anyone who knows baseball (and even the biggest Nomar bashers would admit), this has to be called this a bargain.
So I ask all of you disgruntled Nomar critics, what exactly did Nomar do to deserve the harsh beating you have recently given him?
Assuming he isn’t traded this year, I can say unequivocally that Garciaparra will indeed be a vital cog in the Red Sox’ 2004 run at the World Series. Feel free to say that I told you first. I’m hoping then people will start to again realize how valuable he really is. I’m just not confident of that, though.
Unfortunately, because of the attitudes of fans and media members that have turned on him, I think there is only one thing that will allow everyone to fully appreciate all that he has accomplished here and, more notably, the manner in which he’s accomplished it. And that is his departure. There’s an old cliché that you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. There is no question that those words of wisdom apply here.
In my mind’s eye, the Red Sox uniform will never look the same without #5 playing shortstop at the friendly confines of Fenway Park. Perhaps he’ll be run out of town, just like Clemens, Vaughn, et al. Then maybe, just maybe Nomar too will win some World Series rings and various other prestigious awards like many who have gone before him. I sure hope so.
Please don’t go, Nomar. But if you do, we’ll miss you. Or should I say, I’LL miss you.
What a shame.
(Note: all of the statistics included in this article were obtained from www.stats.com and/or www.baseball-reference.com. Feel free to email me if you have any questions as to how they were obtained or calculated.)
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