Pedro Martinez and Nomar Garciaparra are two of the Sox best players on and off the field. Pedro is 28 years old and Nomar is 25. Pedro pitches and Nomar bats. Pedro throws 95-96 mph sixty feet to homeplate and Nomar throws 89-90 mph ninety feet to first base. Pedro is a 3-time Cy Young Award winner and Nomar is a 2-time AL Batting Champion. Overall, these two players are the ones Dan Duquette builds around. We tend to see Nomar Garciaparra labeled as the franchise player, but why not Pedro Martinez? He is honestly the best pitcher in the major leagues and maybe even in history. Pedro is not that old (only 28) and is the general on the field every fifth day. So, why isn't Pedro classified as a franchise player? I don't know, but Ican give you a good argument why Martinez should be. Let's take a deeper look into who these two players truly are.
First, lets clear up this idea of a franchise player. A franchise player is a player on a sports team who is the team's top draft pick or key free-agent and who their team builds around to fill in their weaknesses. This definition could fit Pedro Martinez or Nomar Garciaparra. The public likes to say Nomar is the franchise player because he is a young, exciting player who has the potential to be a Hall of Famer. Nomar, who is a product of Georgia Tech, was drafted by the Sox in the 1993 draft and shined at the end of the 1996 season. He earned the starting job at shortstop for the 97 season, beating out John Valentin who was eventually moved to third. Nomar would bat .306 that year with 30 homeruns and 101 RBI. He earned the Rookie of the Year Award for the American League for his spectacular freshman year in the majors. Nomar didn't let down in 98 or 99, proving why is he one of the brightest young stars in the league. He was named to his first All-Star team in 1999, which was held at Fenway Park. Finally, last year Nomar won the batting title for the American League, flirting with .400 going into late August. He would end the season batting .357. Not too bad, uh?
Pedro Martinez, who stands at 5'10", is a flamethrower who has complete control of the game when he is on the mound. He is an intimidator and stands up to anyone. He is fearless and is one of the best at pitching inside. Most importantly, he produces at crutial times. In the American League Divisional Playoffs, despite being hurt, this fearless warrior came in out of the bullpen to shut down the Indians for six innings in a decisive fifth game. That's what I call clutch. Did Nomar come up to the plate and hit a game winning home run to win a playoff game? No, I think not, but I'm sure he will later in his career. Don't get me wrong, I love Nomar and everything he does. He dazzles me with his plays at short, making the impossible, possible. Nomar is a tremendous player. I just don't see how you can say he is a franchise player when you have the best pitcher in the game in your clubhouse. Pedro's big win in the playoffs separates him from Nomar as the franchise player of the Boston Redsox. Pedro dominates games like noone else. He is unique. Duquette just better lock him up for his career and name him his franchise player.
Until next time, take care of yourself and cheer for those Sox.