Remembering the Next Generation
By
Nomar Garciaparra officially announced his retirement yesterday, although it caught no one off guard considering the non-exist market for older players. It seems like just yesterday that Nomar, along with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, had effectively taken the shortstop torch from Cal Ripken Jr. and Barry Larkin, and represented the new wave of offensive shortstops.
Despite being the youngest of the trio, A-Rod made his big league debut first, racking up 11 hits in a 17 game cameo during the summer of ’94. An extended look in 1995 resulted in a 72 OPS+, though Alex certainly made his mark in 1996, when he began the season as a 20-year-old. He led the league with a .358 batting average, 379 total bases, 141 runs scored, and 54 doubles. Overall, his .358-.414-.631 batting line with 36 homers earned him an All Star selection, a Silver Slugger Award, and a second place finish in the MVP voting. At 9.4 WAR, it remains one of his three best individual seasons to date.
A-Rod would go on to spend another seven years at shortstop, winning an MVP and a bunch of Gold Gloves and other stuff along the way. As you know, he slid over to third base in the prime of his career, at age-28, to join the Yankees. Had he remained at short, he would have hit more homers than anyone else at the position in history by now, and we’d be talking about him as one of the two or three best players ever given his positional value.
The current Yankee captain was the next to debut, getting into 15 games during the 1995 season before his Rookie of the Year campaign in 1996. He’s unquestionably the most decorated of great shortstop trio, with his five World Series rings and all. A career .317-.388-.459 hitter, the Yankee icon is within striking distance of 3,000 hits and will soon hold several of the franchise’s all-time records. Well, more than he does now, anyway.
And then there’s Nomar. The oldest of the group, he was also the last the debut, getting a September call-up in 1996 before becoming Boston’s full-time shortstop in 1997. His first four full seasons were nothing short of epic, as he piled up a .337-.386-.577 batting line while averaging over 28 homers per year. Fans in Boston claimed their young shortstop was better the Yankees’ young shortstop, and up until the 2000 season they were right. Of course, Jeter had the rings, so none of us were complaining.
But unlike Jeter and A-Rod, Nomar’s career just didn’t have the longevity. Wrist issues would sabotage his 2001 season, when he appeared in just 21 games and his OPS dropped from 1.033 to .822. He was never really the same after that, hitting .305-.349-.523 while battling the ailment through the 2003 season. Obviously, that’s still outstanding production from a shortstop, but a far cry from his glory days.
Nomar reportedly turned down a four-year, $60M contract extension following the 2003 season, which led to his name appearing in trade rumors. The Red Sox were slated to acquire another Next Generation shortstop – A-Rod – from the Rangers for Manny Ramirez, and in a sister move they would have shipped Garciaparra to the White Sox for Magglio Ordonez. The deal(s) fell apart and a few weeks later the Yankees boasted two Next Generation shortstops compared to Boston’s one.
In his final 38 games as a Red Sox in 2004, Nomar hit .321-.367-.500 with five homers. He was famously shipped to the Cubs at the trade deadline in a four team megadeal that netted Boston Doug Mientkiewicz and Orlando Cabrera. Nomar would play just 99 more games at shortstop the rest of his career, as injuries reduced him to a corner infielder and eventually a part-time player.
Garciaparra retired as a .313-.361-.521 career hitter on Wednesday, the first of the Next Generation of shortstops to call it quits. Always a Yankee killer, he hit .326-.360-.556 with 14 homers in 95 games against the Bombers, including .298-.342-.528 in the Old Stadium. Garciaparra missed 633 of 1,647 possible days due to injury after the 2000 season (38.4%), which was ultimately his last hurrah. More than 13 years after the Next Generation of shortstops took the game by storm, just one of the three players remains at the position, and the player who looked most destined for Cooperstown in the early going called it quits after failing to find so much as a minor league deal on the open market.
Just as Joe Nathan’s injury allows us to appreciate Mariano Rivera’s longevity, Nomar Garciaparra’s retirement reminds us just how amazing Derek Jeter’s career has been, especially as he has remained at such a tough position.
Photo Credit: Mark Lennihan, AP
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How many countless careers have been shortened or otherwise destroyed by injury?
That number is too high to count
Would you say… Countless?
Somewhere in Sarasota, FL, Miguel Tejada sheds a single tear.
Meh, he was always in the next tier down. If we included him, we’d have to include Orlando Cabrera, Jimmy Rollins, Edgar Renteria, etc.
I don’t know–Tejada had a six year stretch of .300/.351/.501/.852 (123+) while playing every single game (and in those six years he only played 14 games at DH, 12 of them in the final year). Cabrera, Rollins, and Renteria are all sub-100 OPS+ players
GMTA.
what is this GMTA of which you speak
Great minds think alike.
Got it. There has to be a brew for that, no?
false. Get more tits & ass
Oh, I agree, but in the general public consciousness, the Big Three quickly became the Big Four.
Fun Fact: in Tejada’s athletic prime (2001-2006, age 27-32), he hit .300/.351/.501 (123+) and played in every single game for 6 years straight. That’s on par with any single six-year stretch of Jeter’s career (but below the peak-years of either ARod or Nomar).
Of course, Tejada was pretty meh outside of that six-year stretch, but… whatevs.
In terms of WAR, almost any 6 year stretch in Jeter’s career is fairly close to those 6, and he has a number of 6 year terms that were better.
Career OPS+
Cabrera – 86
Renteria – 94
Rollins – 97
Tejada – 112
Jeter – 121
Garciaparra – 124
Rodriguez – 147
Tejada is much closer to Jeter & Nomar than the other guys you mentioned. He had an above average bat and a nice peak while all the other non-big-three are below average.
I think this (specifically, OPS and OPS+) might overrate Tejada a bit. He’s had better power than Jeter, but he’s never had Jeter’s ability to take a walk.
and the player who looked most destined for Cooperstown in the early going
I’m pretty sure A-Rod was always the one who seemed most destined for Cooperstown.
Nomar’s first four years: .337-.386-.577
A-Rod’s first four years: .314-.371-.567
That’s full years, not counting Sept. callups and all that jazz.
yea, but Nomar was three years older, A-rod did that from 20-24
Yeah, but the HOF doesn’t care about that. Nor do they care about OBP, but that’s another discussion for another time.
OBP is irrelevant, only fear matters
sincerely,
Andre Dawson
OBP isstats are irrelevant, only fear matterssincerely,
Andre DawsonJim Rice (and not Edgar Martinez)It is fair to say that A-Rod and Nomar were both building HOF careers from the start, but I certainly wouldn’t say Nomar was “the player who looked *most* destined for Cooperstown in the early going.” I think it would be more fair to say that “both look equally destined.”
A-Rod always had the buzz. Greatness was expected. He did not disappoint. Nomar was a surprise. A slightly built, .260ish-hitting SS with single-digit power in AA, he suddenly got bigger and better in AAA.
Nomar is once again more slightly built. I think time has given us a greater understanding and perspective on what was going on here.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c...../index.htm
ROIDS!
Alex also stole 111 bases out of 141 tries and was always considered the better defender.
And he averaged 36 HR, something the HOF definitely looks at.
Nomar was taking better steroids than Arod.
They all seem destined for C Town
http://www.brownstoner.com/bro.....4thAve.jpg (safe)
nicely done. so bo isn’t part of operation: shutdown?
Yeah, he probably is. He’s just slightly more fun to mess with, I guess… whatevs.
The Town so good they towned it 1.19 times.
Fare thee well, Nomaaaahhhh. It’s been (and it will continue to be) fun to pronounce your name in a Boston accent all these years.
Also, his peak was just gross. Nomaaahhh was, indeed, bettahhhhh. And in a sort of masochistic way, it’s interesting to think about what would have happened in 2004 if he’d taken that deal. Dave Roberts probably doesn’t STEAL SECOND BASE!!!!!!! for one.
Don’t pick at that scab
Heh, sorry.
Meh, whatever. The 2004 MLB strike was inevitable.
You mean before or after the tragic volcano eruption?
His 1999 and 2000 seasons were just insane.
http://www.baseball-reference......g_standard
Adios Nomahh.
I always saw Nomar as the BoSox equivalent to Bernie Williams: the classy guy that the other side’s fans always respected and rarely, if ever, hated on.
Btw, had A-Rod remained at SS he might’ve been the greatest ever at the position. I’m sure many feel that way, regardless.
Yeah, … no. Honus Wagner?
Since HW was probably one of the 6 greatest position players of all time, if A-rod ever was the best ss of all time, he would also be one of the top 5 players ever, position be damned. And I´m not sure that staying at ss would be good for A-rod long term, his switch will lead to something like3 or 4 more years of playing time, IMHO.
Honus Wagner played 1887 games at SS (890 at other positions). A-Rod is at 1272 (868 at 3B) and Jeter is at 2123. If A-Rod had stayed at SS through 2009 then moved to 3B, he would have more games at SS than Wagner and still have the opportunity to extend his career at 3B.
Is there anyone left alive who can tell me how good Honus Wagner was by using their own eyes?
tcwa
Old Hoss Radburn.
I always saw Nomar as the BoSox equivalent to Bernie Williams: the classy guy that the other side’s fans always respected and rarely, if ever, hated on.
Are you kidding me? They threw Nomar out because he was so classless and being a baby. Actually, both sides were pretty classless.
Remember that night Derek Jeter dove into the stands in July of 2004? Nomar was asked to pinch hit and refused…telling everyone “I didn’t get enough time to loosen up.” Nomar pouted and sat out while his adversary did the exact opposite.
Then the Red Sox organization and management smeared his name in the mud saying he couldn’t hack it and calling him every name in the book.
Nomar Garciaparra was most certainly no Bernie Williams…
Kind of mis-read what you wrote…missed the part where you said “the other side’s fans” but Nomar still wasn’t all that classy either way.
There has always been a lot of speculation in New England that Nomar was a steroid user. First it was raised by Sox haters in the area (yes there are a few!) but once the injuries started piling on and the power production started slipping more people started believing it. Guess we’ll never know if its true or not, unless the all the names on the mitchell report get leaked
It’s too bad that Mitchell didn’t have sources in the Boston area and just kept it strictly to 2 NY based trainers.
Great investigating George
I’ll never figure out how Mitchell, a Director for the Boston Red Sox, was chosen to investigate steroids in baseball. Even if he’s the most honest man in the world, why set yourself up for that conflict of interest?
Bud Selig is an idiot. That’s why.
Why was Arod forced to explain his steroid use immediately…while Manny Ramirez wasn’t bothered…and David Ortiz was given as much time as he needed to “get the information” which is actually code for “talk with my lawyers until we find the best possible position to use.” Which of course ended with the inevitable “David, pretend you want to know what you did because they aren’t able to tell you. It would be illegal and the union would never let it happen. As long as you pretend to demand you want to know what you did…people will think you’re innocent”
What a joke.
It seems like just yesterday that Nomar, along with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, had effectively taken the shortstop torch from Cal Ripken Jr. and Barry Larkin, and represented the new wave of offensive shortstops.
Remember Arod’s “I’m the youngest, Derek’s the richest, and Nomar’s the best” quote…from what I believe was the All Star Game in 1999 at Fenway Park?
Derek’s the last man standing (in that position anyway)…
Derek’s the cleanest
If Nomar could has just been healthy and put up 5 league average seasons at SS, he’d be on his way to the Hall. His counting numbers as a SS would be good (250+ HR’s/2000 hits/1000 RBI), and his triple slash lines would be great. That’s how dominating he was at the beginning.
Nomar, pre-ABH (Aaron Boone Homer):
7 seasons, 904 games played (129 per season), .325/.372/.557 (135+)
Nomar, post-ABH (ages 30-35):
6 seasons, 506 games played (84.3 per season), .291/.343/.446 (102+)
He’s like Boston’s version of Donnie Baseball.
Only they got rid of him before the decline…
And then did an underhanded smear job against him, burning their bridges and tarnishing the long-term relationship.
Just par for the course in RSN.
I’ve had the Mattingly comparison in my mind since this post went up. The big difference, obviously, is that Mattingly stuck around in NY and cemented his legacy here even while injuries wrecked his abilities on the field, while Nomar had a quick peak and flamed out quickly and was out of Boston for years, kicking around the league as an afterthought.
Yeah, Mattingly’s injuries wrecked his abilities on the field, Nomar’s injuries kept him off the field altogether.
And, actually, Mattingly had a better career, post injury, than Nomar.
Nomar ’04-’09
84 GP/season, 102 OPS+
Year: GP, wRC+
04: 81, 121
05: 62, 101
06: 122, 127
07: 121, 87
08: 55, 108
09: 65, 89
Mattingly ’90-’95
128 GP/season, 104 OPS+
Year: GP, wRC+
90: 102, 74
91: 152, 104
92: 157, 112
93: 134, 121
94: 97, 118
95: 128, 99
Really classy to compare a juicer to a guy that played it straight.
Man, you guys are fucking morons.
“The big difference, obviously, is that Mattingly
stuck around in NYwas allowed to stick around in NY and cemented his legacy here even while injuries wrecked his abilities on the field…”Fixed. It’s not like Nomar left to sign a FA deal elsewhere; they traded him away.
I wonder how Mattingly’s career would be viewed if we’d decided in, say, midseason 1991 to cut bait with him and his injury woes and traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals for IF Geronimo Peña and P Omar Olivares.
Say Mattingly kicks around the Cardinals, Royals, and Brewers for the last 4 years of his career… how much does his Yankee fanlove decrease?
70%? 90%? I bet it’s a whole shitload.
I knew that wording would prove troublesome to some. I meant just that he was in NY, not that he chose to stay while Nomar didn’t or was responsible for staying or anything like that.
And you’re right, it would have decreased some if he’d been sent elsewhere, because part of what we love about Mattingly, and part of what helps us identify with him so closely, is that he’s a tragic hero who was flawed and unable to stay on top. He was human, and we went through the whole thing with him.
I don’t think 70%-90% are good guesses, since the guy was beloved before ’91 and we can’t assume he would have had an acrimonious exit like Nomar did. I think fans would have kept right on loving the guy, he just wouldn’t have quite the same impact as he does. Fans still loved Bobby Murcer and others who were sent away from the team, it’s not like those guys automatically become persona non grata around here. During that time in Yankees history I think a lot of fans were just as into Mattingly himself as they were into the Yankees, and I bet a heck of a lot of fans would have kept right on loving the guy even if he was wearing a different uniform for a few years.
I said that poorly… I think some of the love would have decreased had we not gone through ’91-’95 with the guy, but not nearly to the extent you seem to think it would have decreased, is what I meant.
I just think the whole “lifelong Yankee” is a GIGANTIC component to being a “True Yankee©®™” which Donnie was.
I think playing even a few meaningless years in a non-pinstriped uniform would knock Donnie down a huge amount in the mental resonance of Yankee fans. He wouldn’t be the same in a way they can’t quite put their fingers on (because they’re dumb, but I digress).
I totally disagree, and I’ll point to Murcer again. If the guy is shipped out (i.e. he doesn’t decide to leave), I don’t see why fans would lose their connection with him. People feel bad for Murcer for getting shipped to San Francisco, they didn’t stop rooting for or liking the guy. The relationship with the player would be different in that you would lose a few years of seeing the guy every single night, but that doesn’t necessarily change the love/respect for the player.
Also… Don’t discount how much the opinion of the old-guard matters to the fans. The old guys, the legends… They LOVED Mattingly, they accepted him as one of them. Listen to Scooter in those old highlights and the way he talks about Mattingly, it’s different than the way those guys talked about other players. Whether fans realize it or not, I think that stuff matters a lot to them and helped shape Mattingly’s legacy.
I get what you’re saying and obviously it matters if someone plays his whole career with one team or not, but I think you’re massively overstating the possible affect on Mattingly’s Yankees legacy here.
He’s like Boston’s version of Donnie Baseball.
But at shortstop. He was an absolute beast.
minus the back injury but with a whole lot of different ones. it just goes to show you how a wrist injury can really derail a career. like pat kelly. he was HOF bound til he hurt his wrist.
but as far as which of the 3 are biggest douches…
I fortunately have had the chance to meet all 3.
Nomar: during BP in a Trenton Thunder game. He was the coolest of the bunch. gave me his batting gloves and took photos…
Arod: In a hotel in Seattle . I got lucky and stayed in the same hotel as the yanx. He was hanging with Cano by the bar and he let me chill with them and Arod asked if he could see a highlight of himself of the previous game (it was one of the coolest moments ever!)
Jeter: Ill give him the benefit of the doubt, but on the same Seattle trip he totally brushed me off and wouldnt look in any fans direction.
So I rank them (in being cool with fans)
Arod Nomar then DJ
I heard Jeter has a hard time with fans outside of the Stadium. He’s openly said he doesn’t trust a lot of people and gets nervous around them. I believe it was either 60 Minutes or another similar show that did an interview with him when he talked about being creeped out by fans running up to him taking pictures with their phones and such.
My ex-girlfriend’s sister lived in the same apartment building as him many years ago (her husband worked for Gucci or one of those kinds of deals) and saids he saw him in the elevator and he tried to leave with saying as little as possible. She could just notice the tension.
Then again, Nomar and even Arod have never been in the same spotlight as Derek Jeter. Arod might be one of the best players to play the game…but if Arod is on one side and Derek Jeter is on the other…people are going to run to Derek Jeter.
Could also be how Derek keeps his clean image. Just stays away from things that might tarnish it. While Arod clearly doesn’t care about much as he’s done a good job of ruining his outside-of-baseball image himself. And Nomar wasn’t much of anything outside of Boston.
I know this was just a comment sharing your anecdotes but…SSS applies here too.
I wish Nomar was caught juicing that way the Boston media can’t fawn over his retirement and relieve a bunch of shitty memories.