Michael Garciaparra (born April 2, 1983 in Whittier, California) is an American former professional baseball

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

. He is the brother of Nomar Garciaparra.

Career

Garciaparra was drafted by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

in the supplemental 1st round (36th overall) of the

2001 Major League Baseball draft The 2001 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft, was held on June 5 and 6. First round selections Supplemental First Round Selections Compensation Picks Background On June 1, 2001, Rolando Viera, a Cuban ba ...

with the pick awarded to the Mariners after the

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

departure of Alex Rodriguez. Garciaparra was so highly touted,

Upper Deck The Upper Deck Company, LLC (colloquially as Upper Deck and Upper Deck Authenticated, Ltd. in the UK), founded in 1988, is a private company primarily known for producing trading cards. Its headquarters are in Carlsbad, California, United State ...

put his image on the pack wrappers and promotional materials for one of their brands, UD Prospect Premieres. He spent six years in Seattle's minor league system, topping out with their Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers in . In , after being claimed off of waivers by the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, Garciaparra was assigned to their Double-A

Reading Phillies Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

. By the end of the year, he had been promoted to Triple-A

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. He began 2008 as a member of the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

organization, playing for their Double-A

Bowie Baysox The Bowie Baysox are a Minor League Baseball team located in Bowie, Maryland. They are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, and play in the Eastern League. Their home ballpark is Prince George's Stadium. History From 1989 to 1992, ...

. He was later released and signed by the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

and was assigned to their Double-A Huntsville Stars. In 2009, he began the season with the Triple-A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

, but was sent back to Huntsville on June 27. In 2010, he split his time between

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

of the

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

and Corpus Christi Hooks of the

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

before he retired from baseball.

Post career

Garciaparra is now an area scout in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

for the St. Louis Cardinals and former instructor for

USA Baseball USA Baseball is the national governing body for organized baseball in the United States, and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Basebal ...

. He and father Ramon Garciaparra operate Garciaparra Baseball Group.

Personal

Garciaparra resides in Redondo Beach, California, and graduated from Don Bosco Technical Institute in June 2001. While there, he was named First Team All-Camino Real League in baseball for three years, handled kicking duties for the school's football team, and played varsity soccer. He missed most of the 2001 high school baseball season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL sustained in a football game.

References

"Michael Garciaparra."
Nashville Sounds. Retrieved on 26 June 2009.

External links

* Career statistics and player information fro
MiLB
* Career statistics and player information fro
CBS Sportline
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garciaparra, Michael 1983 births Living people American baseball players of Mexican descent American expatriate baseball players in Canada Arizona League Mariners players Baseball second basemen Clearwater Threshers players Corpus Christi Hooks players Everett AquaSox players Huntsville Stars players Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players Nashville Sounds players Ottawa Lynx players Peoria Javelinas players Reading Phillies players Round Rock Express players San Antonio Missions players Sportspeople from Redondo Beach, California Sportspeople from Whittier, California St. Louis Cardinals scouts Tacoma Rainiers players Wisconsin Timber Rattlers players