WEEI.com's Lou Merloni reports that Nomar Garciaparra will sign a one-day, minor league deal with the Red Sox and then announce his retirement as a member of the organization. Garciaparra will then commence a career as a baseball analyst for ESPN.
Garciaparra was selected as a first-round pick by the Red Sox in 1994, and reached the majors late in 1996. The next year, his first as a full-timer, he won the American League's Rookie of the Year Award by hitting .306 with a .342 OBP, .534 slugging mark, 30 homers and 22 steals.
He went on to spend parts of nine seasons as a member of the Red Sox, hitting .323 with a .370 OBP, .553 slugging and .923 OPS. He was a five-time All-Star in Boston, and ranks fourth in franchise history in batting average, fifth in slugging and sixth in OPS. He won back-to-back batting titles in 1999 and 2000, hitting .357 and .372, thus becoming the first right-handed hitter to win consecutive batting titles since Joe DiMaggio in 1939-40.
The Red Sox are holding a 10:30 a.m. press conference in Fort Myers at which Garciaparra will announce his retirement.
For more from Lou Merloni on Garciaparra's desire to bring his career full circle and return to the Red Sox, click here [1]. For more on the shortstop's career in Boston, click here [2].
Links:
[1] http://utilitylou.weei.com/sports/boston/2010/03/10/nomars-career-comes-full-circle/
[2] http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2010/03/10/garciaparra-to-retire-as-a-red-sox/