To say Nomar Garciaparra is an upgrade over Alex Gonzalez is like saying that Greg Maddux wins more games than Francis Beltran.
Garciaparra is a two-time American League batting champion and five-time All-Star who has also led the league in doubles and triples.
Put it this way: At the time of the trade, Gonzalez was hitting .217 with three homers and eight RBIs in 35 games; Garciaparra was hitting .321 with five homers and 21 RBIs in 38 games–and is having an off year.
Here’s the way one of Garciaparra’s good friends, Cubs second baseman Todd Walker, puts it: “Overall, I think Gonzo might pick better [on defense], but Nomar has an advantage in average and power.”
Let’s take a closer look at Garciaparra, who on Saturday came to the Cubs from the Red Sox in a four-way trade that included Gonzalez.
Essentials: Garciaparra turned 31 on July 23. He was a first-round draft choice of the Red Sox (12th overall) in 1994 and has played his entire nine-year career in Boston. He was voted AL Rookie of the Year in 1997 and has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting five times, including second in 1998.
Salary: Garciaparra is being paid $11.5 million this season but is a free agent after the season. The Cubs will try to sign him to a long-term deal.
Club relations: Remember last winter? That’s when Red Sox management thought it had worked out a deal to acquire Alex Rodriguez from Texas to play shortstop and ship out Garciaparra, who had rejected a four-year, $60 million contract extension, to either the White Sox or Dodgers. Instead Rodriguez went to the Yankees and Garciaparra’s relations with the Red Sox front office have been icy since. Rumors have been rampant Garciaparra would be traded because he was unsigned and didn’t appear eager to return to Boston. He also has had an off-and-on stormy and sometimes silent relationship with the Boston media.
Fan reaction: Garciaparra is one of the most popular players in Boston history and the trade surely will be greeted with disdain by some of the toughest fans in sports. Young Red Sox GM Theo Epstein will be on the hot seat for this one unless shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz have great seasons.
The person: Garciaparra has never minded getting dirty. He plays the game hard, the way it is supposed to be played, letting his statistics do the talking. “He’s a baseball player, he’s a throwback,” said Cubs reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who faced Garciaparra many times as a member of the Twins.
“Just a good person,” said Walker, who played alongside him in Boston last year. “A standup guy, all-around quality people.”
This season: Because of Achilles’ tendinitis (the same injury Cubs pitcher Mark Prior had), Garciaparra missed the first 57 games of the season. He rehabbed at Triple-A Pawtucket for six games and was activated June 9, though he was slow to get into the flow of things.
2001 season: Surgery on his right wrist April 2 virtually wiped out his season, limiting him to 21 games. Nonetheless he hit four homers and drove in eight runs.
The routine: Fans who aren’t used to Garciaparra’s quirky ritual will be in for a surprise. Before every pitch, he steps out of the batter’s box and adjusts his batting gloves, then readjusts them, then readjusts them again. It could start a whole new trend for local Little Leaguers.
Hitting: Before this season, the California native had a .323 average (fifth all-time in Boston history) and a .555 slugging percentage (fourth all-time). In his six full healthy seasons, he has batted .326 with an average of 45 doubles, 28 homers and 108 RBIs in 147 games.
Fielding: While he is not a butcher, Garciaparra is obviously not one of those slick good-field, no-hit shortstops, certainly not in Gonzalez’s category. Though his range is somewhat limited, his arm is adequate.
