Boston Red Sox all-time starting lineup based on WAR

All-time best Red Sox lineup: 9. Nomar Garciaparra, SS

Indulge me for a second here: YES, YES, OH MY GOD I'M SO HAPPY THAT NOMAR MAKES THIS TEAM! YES! YES! YES! All right, back to objective, serious writing.

When one thinks of the ideal male physical form, people think of Brad Pitt in Fight Club or Michael B. Jordan during his Creed and Black Panther run, but I think of Nomar Garciaparra gracing the cover of the March 5, 2001 issue of Sports Illustrated. Injuries sadly derailed a career seemingly destined for Cooperstown, but the Red Sox got the absolute best out of Nomar during his run with the team.

Garciaparra just missed out on the top 10 of the all-time rankings, with his 41.3 WAR placing him 11th, right behind Mookie Betts. Rico Petrocelli came up just short of being the starting shortstop on this team, with his 39.1 WAR making him a solid bench piece for this team. However, I am proud to have Nomar Garciaparra make the starting lineup.

I think Nomar batting ninth works out perfectly for this lineup because he's basically a second leadoff guy at the bottom of the lineup. He hit .323 throughout his stint with the Red Sox while being able to add some pop too. If Nomar had been able to stay healthy, he would have had a better total career than Derek Jeter, and he fits in perfect with the all-time Red Sox lineup.

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