Players of the Past: Michael Garciaparra

The first time I had ever heard about Michael Garciaparra was when I watched his more popular brother, All-Star Shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. After I dug inside a little more to discover a little more about Michael through Minor League Profile sections of 2002 Mariner Magazines, I found that the potential of this Michael Garciaparra was virtually unlimited. Some scouts (even some Red Sox scouts) said that he would be as good, or better, as his superstar brother.
Despite a knee injury that limited his playing time during his senior season at St. Bosco High School, the Seattle Mariners made him the 39th player drafted overall in the country (as compensation for losing Alex Rodriguez to the Texas Rangers). Little known fact: The Mariners were afraid the Red Sox was going to nab him (could you imagine him and Nomar as a SS/2B combo?!), before they got a second chance to pick, so Seattle took a gamble and made him their #1 pick in the 2001 amateur draft. There was a block in the road for Seattle though. Michael had already made plans to attend University of Tennessee. With the help of a lucrative signing bonus worth $2,000,000, he eventually did sign with Seattle that fall and reported to the Arizona Fall League. "(Nomar) told me it better be a good number because college was an opportunity that was hard to pass up," Michael said, "My family helped me out a lot, but ultimately it was my decision to make." 
 In 2003, though, it was not a lot of fun being Michael Garciaparra. The shortstop was coming off his first full-length season in the minor leagues, and it was a miserable one. Fifty errors, among the most in all of professional baseball. An anemic season at the plate: .248 average, two home runs, an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of just .603. Some had already declared Garciaparra a bust, a scrawny guy with no track record on whom the Mariners wasted a first-round draft pick -- not to mention the $2 million signing bonus -- based on his last name.

Michael Garciaparra, circa 2003

"I've been through some of the worst stuff I can think of when I was younger," Garciaparra, said in 2006, while playing for the Tacoma Rainiers [Mariners Triple-A Affiliate]. "A lot of people have to experience failure, and I failed a lot when I was younger. "
"I've been through some low times, and I'm better for it."
In 2006, he was a lot better. Though he's missed a fair amount of time with injuries (sprained wrist in 2004, knee injury in 2005, calf strain in 2006), Garciaparra made steady progress, added 40 pounds to his frame and was once again a full-fledged top prospect. He batted .298 at high Class A Inland Empire in 2005 and .311 between Double-A San Antonio and Triple-A Tacoma in 2006.

"It took Michael awhile to get some strength to his body," said Bill Bavasi, then the General Manager of the Seattle Mariners "Also, I think it's taken him some time to figure out what kind of player he is, instead of trying to mimic his brother. He's found his own way to be successful and he's stuck with that." (Note: That's probably the smartest thing Bill Bavasi ever said, as he is considered one of the most inept GM's in not just Mariner history, but in baseball history!)
Though it's natural for anyone to want to emulate an older brother who is a six-time All-Star, it was key for the younger Garciaparra to quit trying to be the second coming of Nomar.  His hard work paid off and eventually, on June 20th, 2006, Michael Garciaparra made his MLB debut batting 2nd in the lineup & playing shortstop against older brother Nomar and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. When Michael was introduced by the Public Address System, he was given a standing ovation from the Dodger fans. Then Michael got his first Major League hit, a bloop single into center field off of pitcher Brad Penny. After hitting .313 in his rookie season with 3 home runs & 17 runs batted in, Michael was sent down and he never returned to the Major Leagues. He was never given another chance by another team.