December 27, 2007 No comments

12-27-07 - Hey, Didn’t You Used to be Nomar Garciaparra?

Dodger fans have never seen the MVP Nomar Garciaparra in LA. Nomar hit .283 last year, but his .371 slugging percentage pales in comparison to his .526 lifetime SLG%. He had back-to-back seasons where his OPS were over 1.02. Can he recapture some of that magic again? The answer is no, but he can be a very good player for us in 2008, maybe even a key player for us if Joe Torre does one thing - make Andy LaRoche the starting 3B right about NOW! I believe that Nomar can play the position, in fact I believe that Nomar could do a credible job at any infield position, maybe even LF… as a sub. But, Andy LaRoche deserves the 3B job and the opportunity to play himself into or out of that job. Say it now, Joe: “The 3B job is Andy LaRoche’s to lose.” Yes, I know we did that with Joe Thurston, and he fell flat on his face (maybe off the face of the earth), but Andy LaRoche is no Joe Thurston.

Joe, you need to give Nomar time to accept and prepare for his new position as a Super Sub and pinch hitter. Nomar still is a clutch hitter, maybe not home run clutch anymore, but he’s still a guy who can drive in a key run when you need it. Yes, he’s expensive, but with the team we have around him, he just might embrace that concept in order to get that elusive ring.

I’m not sure what happened to him last year - he had ZERO power and he will be 35 this year, but he is a fittness buff who stays in great shape - it just seems that his body is betraying him sooner than most. I won’t speculate as to why… I’ll just focus on the fact that he could be a guy who gets 300 AB’s and hits over .300 with some key hits as a pinch hitter and caddy to LaRoche, Loney and Kent with maybe a game or four at SS in place of Raffy. Get on board with the new plan, Nomar. You are the Sixth Man of the Year!