No baseball player has ever captured my imagination quite the way Nomar Garciaparra did. I have lost hours of my life arguing his virtues over those of Derek Jeter. My heart
was broken over the trade and my first sad thought following our World Series Game 4 victory in 2004 was mourning the fact that Nomar was not on the field. I’ve been
aggravated by the games missed, the ridiculous media treatment of him, etc., etc., etc.
I also remember the brilliant rookie year of 1997 as if it were yesterday. 30 home runs, 123 OPS+, .306/.342/.534 slash line, elite defense, a 6.6 WAR. After one season, it was
easy to wonder if he was the best shortstop in franchise history. His skill was spellbinding and Boston was excited to have a player of this caliber.
Surely, you remember pairing him with Pedro Martinez after that season and being certain that the World Series was not too far behind. Unfortunately, Duquette was still
making Boston’s moves, and had not yet received the memo that it takes more than 2 superstars to win a championship. But that is water under the bridge, as Ben Cherington
is the ultimate anti-Dan Duquette, what with the farm system and depth and talent all over the diamond.
The question when one considers Nomar and that rookie season that so captured the imagination is this: can Xander Bogaerts reinvigorate our collective imagination? Of
Xander Bogaerts
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course, Boston in 2014 is much different than it was in 1997. The Big Dig is complete, Fenway is presentable, and the Red Sox are coming off of a World Series season and
three in nine years.
Nomar spoiled us in 1997. Xander arrives to an already spoiled fan base.
But there are some interesting similarities. Passable and potentially good defense, surprising power, a great hitting approach, and a top 10 ranking of prospects by Baseball
America (Xander is actually higher, as the second rated prospect – Nomar was 10th).
While Red Sox Nation is ready to anoint Xander, and rightly so, there is another similarity in their arrivals: the need for a lead off hitter.
Xander Bogaerts is not a classic leadoff hitter and will not end up there, but neither was or did Nomar. Meanwhile, Shane Victorino has been a poor leadoff hitter across a much
larger Major League sample, the middle of the lineup is set with Pedroia, Ortiz, Napoli, Gomes/Nava, and Jackie Bradley, Jr. is not as developed or proven against big league
pitching as Xander is after starring in the World Series win last year.
The fact of the matter is this: it would be better to have Xander get the extra AB’s across the season that the lead off spot would offer over the 6th or 7th position in the order.
And, while his power and lack of stolen base game seems to rate against the profile of a typical lead off hitter (Jacoby Ellsbury), surely we have not forgotten his shockingly patient
at bat against the Rays in Game 4 of the ALDS that lead to one of the 2 runs the Red Sox scored in the late innings to win 2-1.
Such a patient, mature approach, lack of a spot in the middle of the order, and lack of a lead off hitter at least makes Xander a plausible option in the lead off puzzle.
Plus, we need more reasons to compare him to Nomar, right?