Nomar Garciaparra of Chicago, Illinois – Mr.
Garciaparra currently plays shortstop for the Chicago
Cubs. He played shortstop for the Boston Red Sox from
1996 to 2003. Originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers
in 1991, Mr. Garciaparra chose instead to attend Georgia
Tech and played for the Yellow Jackets, where he was
only the fourth player in Georgia Tech history with
100+ hits in a single season. He was named 1992 Atlantic
Coast Conference (ACC) Rookie of the Year. Also in
1992, Mr. Garciaparra went to the Olympic Games in
Barcelona as a member of the USA Olympic Baseball Team.
He was the only freshman to start for the USA Olympic
Team. Mr. Garciaparra made his Major League debut on
August 31, 1996, and his first Major League hit was
a home run. In 1997, he led all American League (AL)
players with 209 hits and 11 triples and set an AL
rookie record with 684 at bats. On May 10, 1999, Mr.
Garciaparra became the 11th player in Major League
Baseball (MLB) history with two grand slams in the
same game, and he is only the fifth player in Major
League history with 30+ homeruns in his first two seasons.
Additionally, Mr. Garciaparra has earned numerous awards
in his career, including the following: he had the
distinction of being unanimously named the 1997 American
League Rookie of the Year – only
the sixth unanimous vote in history; he was named MLB
Player of the Month for May, 1999; he was the 1999
American League batting champion (.357 average); and
he was the 2000 American League All Star and American
League batting champion (.372 average).
