Garciaparra 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. Garciaparra was drafted by the
Seattle Mariners as a
shortstop in the supplemental first round (36th overall) of the
2001 Major League Baseball draft with the pick awarded to the Mariners after the
free agent departure of
Alex Rodriguez. He signed with the Mariners with a $2 million signing bonus, forgoing a baseball and
football scholarship offer from the
University of Tennessee. Garciaparra was highly touted as a prospect, and in 2001
Upper Deck put his image on the packaging for one of its brands, Prospect Premieres. He played in Seattle's minor league system in five seasons, topping out with the
Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers in , where he
hit .316 with one
home run in 42 games. He primarily played
second base in 2005 and 2006, as the Mariners gave the starting shortstop job to
Yuniesky Betancourt. Garciaparra was
designated for assignment by the Mariners on April 2, 2007, as the team needed roster space for
catcher Jamie Burke and
pitchers Arthur Rhodes and
Brandon Morrow. The
Philadelphia Phillies claimed Garciaparra on April 12. He played most of season with the
Double-A Reading Phillies, also suiting up for four games for the Triple-A
Ottawa Lynx and three games for the
High-A Clearwater Threshers. He hit poorly, with a .234 batting average and .643
on-base plus slugging in his season in the Phillies organization, primarily playing shortstop. In 2008, Garciaparra signed with the
Milwaukee Brewers and played for the Double-A
Huntsville Stars. His third year in Double-A was his best, as he his .340. He also played every defensive position except catcher and
center field. He started the season with five games with the Triple-A
Round Rock Express, then was assigned to the Double-A
Corpus Christi Hooks on April 24. He returned to Round Rock on May 17. In his final
at-bat in
Minor League Baseball, he
struck out against the
Iowa Cubs on July 23. The Astros released Garciaparra on July 27. ==Post-playing career==