When the late Ted Williams first saw the new crop of Red Sox rising to prominence in the late-1990s, one smooth-hitting shortstop commanded his attention.

“Boy, I’m looking at someone who is going to be as good as anyone who has ever played this game.  I say that, and boy, I believe it, too.”  Of course, The Kid was talking about Boston Red Sox shortstop Normar Garciaparra.

Three players at the six position dominate the American League: Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.  The Red Sox slugger received some well-deserved praise from Rodriguez, when the former Mariner spoke on the trio.  “I’m the youngest, Derek’s the richest and Garciaparra’s the best,” A-Rod said.  Today, the Ranger shortstop has overthrown Jeter as the richest player, but Nomar Garciaparra is still the best. 

A management major at Georgia Tech, Normar has managed to hit a higher career batting average than the other two shortstops.  Garciaparra lead the majors in batting average in the 1999 and 2000 seasons.  This Red Sox’s hitting mirrors Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Yogi Berra.

Nomar Garciaparra has played in five All Star Games in his seven summers in the majors.  As a rookie he earned the highest honor awarded to a player during an inaugural campaign: the 1997 Rookie of the Year Award.  In five seasons, Boston’s number five ranked in the top 10 in MVP voting. Find Nomar statistics and more on the About Nomar page.

Besides a fluid hitting motion, the Splendid Splinter found great character in number five as he bragged, “and the best thing about it is that he’s a terrific kid.” Wanna see what Nomar and the Boston Red Sox are doing now? ! Click here for LIVE score updates