The 1997 Players' Choice Award selection for best A.L. Rookie in 1997, Nomar also captured A.L. Rookie of the Year honors for a season in which he hit .342 with 30 home runs and 98 RBI from the leadoff slot in the order. Nomar also set an A.L. rookie record with a 30-game hitting streak that season.

A four-time All-Star, Nomar played in just 21 games in 2001 due to a wrist injury but appeared in 156 contests in 2002 and hit .310 with 24 home runs and 120 RBI. A graduate of Georgia Tech, where he played college baseball with current Red Sox teammate Jason Varitek, Nomar won the A.L. batting title in 1999 and 2000 and has finished in the top 10 for A.L. MVP four times, including his runner-up season of 1998.

He led the league in triples with 11 in 1997 and in 2002 led the league in doubles with 56, brilliantly utilizing the Green Monster at Fenway Park. On May 10, 1999, he hit two grand slams in one game for Boston and on July 23, 2002, he had an amazing day with three home runs and eight RBI. He posted career-best power numbers in 1998 with 35 home runs and 122 RBI. Nomar hit .400 in the 1999 ALCS against the Yankees.

-BigLeaguers.com