With the MLB in a lockout for what seems like an infinite amount of time, there hasn't been much going on with the Red Sox. But, of course in baseball there's always something to write about no matter the circumstances. At the current time, the only interesting news coming out of the baseball world are Minor League deals, CBA negotiations, and winter leagues. None of those being something I'm particular interested in writing about, I've decided to go a slightly different route.
Here are my top ten greatest Red Sox players of all time, starting with number ten. Please keep in mind, these are just my opinions and I'd be happy to hear your thoughts. You can reach out to me over on my twitter, @redsoxreactions or my instagram, @bra.ydenb. Every player will have their own blog post, and number nine should be out sometime next week. With that being said, enjoy!
Ten, Nomar Garciaparra: Now I know what you may be thinking, how can I put a guy with no world series rings, an excellent but not hall worthy career, and a constantly injury riddled player on my list? And to be honest, those are all fair criticisms of the shortstop. Sure he may not have had as big of an impact stat wise as Tris Speaker. He didn’t have the rings like Veritek and Ramirez. And he definitely didn’t have the longevity as some other great shortstops of his time like Derek Jeter. But what gives Nomah the upper hand against the others is two things. First, a little bit of favoritism. And second, his impact on the position in which he played. Let me explain.
For a long time shortstop was traditionally a very defensive first position. Think of guys like Ozzie Smith and Omar Vizquel, two of the most well known shortstops. Neither of them were above average hitters, but they were both elite defenders, arguably the best of all time. When Nomar Garciappara entered the league he started to revolutionize the position. Not only did he bring great defensive qualities to the position, but also superb offense.
Nomar burst onto the scene in 1997 winning ROTY honors for the Red Sox and finishing 8th in MVP vote. Garciaparra brought great baserunning, defense, and hitting to the table, leading the league in doubles and base hits. His 123 OPS+ was good enough to earn him the silver slugger award at shortstop, the only one of his career, along with his first of six career All Star appearances. Nomar introduced himself in the biggest way possible and showed that he would be a force in the American League for years to come.
He followed up 1997 with another excellent year, finishing second in MVP voting along with 35 home runs, a career high. In each of Nomah’s next two seasons he was an all star and batting title champion as well as a contributor to the ALDS winning 1999 Red Sox.
Though Nomar’s career was once on a hall of fame pace, injuries ended up getting the best of him, ruining his chances of Cooperstown. But the peak of Garciaparra was as good as anyones and he was a force at the shortstop position for many years.
Garciappara finished his career with a 41.5 fWAR and a 124 wRC+ along with an .882 career OPS. His impact on the shortstop position and long list of achievements with the Sox are why he gets the number ten nod over other well deserving candidates. The greatest shortstop in Red Sox history, and one of the best to ever do it, Nomar holds a special place in the game.
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