Nomar Garciaparra, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers

November 28, 2006 @ 16:00:00

By Joshua Ellis
Edited by Ryan Dodson

After being one of the most active teams at the trade deadline last season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are now dealing with a team full of free agents. They have 11 in total but mixed throughout the bunch are a few big-time names.

Of those still in search of employment that played on the 2006 Dodgers are: outfielders J.D. Drew and Kenny Lofton, infielder Julio Lugo and pitchers Eric Gagne and Greg Maddux. With those big names still left in limbo, the Dodgers' front office has some big decisions to make as the winter meetings rapidly approach on Dec. 4.

One decision that was made, however, was the re-signing of six-time All-Star and first baseman Nomar Garciaparra. On Nov. 20, the Dodgers inked Garciaparra to a two-year contract that will keep him in blue and white until 2008. He will continue what has been a Hall of Fame career built on the strengths of what he did on the East Coast out on the sunny West Coast.

After being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1991 as the 131st overall pick, Garciaparra decided to go to Georgia Tech University instead and boost his draft status. He had a memorable career as a Yellow Jacket, and was named as a First-Team All-American Shortstop in 1994 and was then selected as the No. 12 pick overall in the draft that year by the Boston Red Sox. He's been a star ever since.

Garciaparra would spend the better part of two seasons in the Red Sox minor league system before seeing his first major league action on Aug. 21, 1996. He only hit .241 in 24 games that year but was named the starting shortstop the next season. “Nomahh” as he has come to be known by the fans in Boston, established himself as one of the best players in the game in his just over eight seasons there. 

Garciaparra did it all for the Red Sox in his tenure. He hit for a high average, six of his full seasons with an average of over .300 with a high of .372 in 2000. He hit for power, six 20-home run seasons in Boston with a high of 35 in 1998. He had six seasons with 100 runs scored and four with 100 RBI and Garciaparra could even steal bases when he wanted to. He was easily one of the best players in the game. That's why it was so hard for the Red Sox to deal him in 2004 to the Chicago Cubs.

After being traded, the 'Idiots' in Boston went on to win their illusive World Series without the guy that helped build the team into what it was. However, Garciaparra would go on to be a Cub for the remainder of 2004 and 2005. These seasons would be injury plagued and Garciaparra would only play in 105 games for the Cubs over those two seasons. He hit .283 with nine home runs in 62 games in 2005 and with a bad Achilles' and later, groin problems, people thought that Garciaparra's career was slowly coming to an end.

A move to the Dodgers organization proved to be career-saving for Garciaparra and although his injuries prevented him from playing shortstop, Nomar became a very good hitting and fielding first baseman. Last season, Garciaparra started very hot right out of the box with a tremendous first half. He earned his way into the 2006 All-Star game as the “Final Vote” winner. At the break, Garciaparra was hitting .358 with 11 home runs, 55 runs scored and 53 RBI. The second half of the season met him with ill fate though. 

Garciaparra had to battle a myriad of nagging injuries and his numbers were drastically affected. In the second half of the season, Garciaparra hit just .229 with nine home runs, 27 runs scored and 40 RBI. Despite the poor second half of the season, Garciaparra was named the NL Comeback Player of the Year.

A lot of questions remain about Garciaparra, who is married to U.S. soccer legend Mia Hamm, for the 2007 season. Fans of his would hope that the offseason has provided enough time for his nagging injuries to recover, but Garciaparra will turn 34 years old during the season so his body may not be able to recuperate as well as it once did. Garciaparra should remain the Dodgers first baseman, but it will be unclear how many games he will play this season but if there was something wrong with him, the Dodgers wouldn't have signed him for two seasons.

Garciaparra will be in a lineup that will be ever-changing before the 2007 season, but he should have decent bats to surround him and help his runs scored and RBI numbers. Garciaparra has a sweet swing and had six home runs in the last month of the season last year, so although his average was down, he continued to hit for power. He will return to Dodger Stadium where he has a career .314 average with 10 home runs in 236 at-bats. The Dodgers signed speedy outfielder Juan Pierre, who will hit atop the lineup with fellow bag thief shortstop Rafael Furcal. This will give the heart of the order, where Nomar should hit, a ton of run-producing opportunities.

Overall, Garciaparra is a risky pick this season in most fantasy leagues, but he could really pay off. His value is very similar to what it was going into last season. He is a guy that can roll out of bed and hit .300 with decent power and run production numbers. He won't steal many bases with his injuries, but he will swipe one from time to time. The main question will be how many games he will play this season. Garciaparra appeared in 122 games last season and racked up very nice numbers. If Garciaparra can have a healthy campaign in 2007 he will be worth the risk, it's up to you if you're willing to take it.

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Joshua Ellis
Joshua has been a KFFL contributor since 2006.

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