Big Papi Overrated... I Think NOT!
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by user Bobbyjim45
Disclaimer: This article is in direct response to this, written by Dukeboy999. I was going to just leave this as a comment, but once it got to be over 700 words, I figured it may take up a little too much room. Here it is:
You write an article like this and you better be ready to take some crap from everyone, so here's my rant.
First of all, the point about him not being a great player now because he wasn't great with Minnesota is just plain ridiculous. Have you ever heard of a breakout? It happens to guys all the time. He played with the Twins from age 21-26, still incredibly young. Most guys don't enter their prime until they are 27 or 28 anyway, exactly what David Ortiz did. Just because he was a bit of a late bloomer doesn't make him any less of a hitter right now. Sure, he may not have the career numbers yet, but he'll get there when he keeps hitting 40-50 homers every year. He’s well on his way to putting up these great numbers when you consider that for every 162 games he’s played, his average is 35 homers and 119 RBI, and that includes his seasons with Minnesota where he hadn’t truly developed his power hitting. That’s right on par with guys like Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, and Manny Ramirez.
He also wasn't getting regular playing time in Minnesota since they didn't know what they had. Most guys with skill like that are getting playing time from an early age, allowing them to develop younger. Look at most great hitters like Manny, Guerrero or Derek Jeter. They were regulars at age 23 or 24. Ortiz didn’t have that privilege.
Not only is Ortiz a superstar, I'm going to say he's at least a top 3 hitter in baseball. He leads the world in homers and RBI to go along with a .397 OBP and .628 SLG. Nobody else can boast about having production like that. And that’s not even touching his numbers when given clutch situations.
As for Ortiz being so slow as it’s said, he's really not. While he may not be a blazing speedster, he can really hold his own on the base paths for a guy who’s weight is generously listed at 230. He currently has 21 doubles and 1 triple; more than your beloved Vladimir Guerrero has in each category (19, 0). Not that it’s saying much, but he also has a stolen base and hasn’t been caught stealing. In fact, he’s only been caught stealing twice in his career and both were in 2002 with the Twins.
As for Ortiz getting good pitches simply because he hits in front of Manny, you are simply dead wrong. He's fourth in the league in walks and first in the league in intentional walks. Yes, he is feared so much that hitters would rather face Manny with an extra man on than have to pitch to Ortiz. Basically, late in the game, if first base is open, it's almost a guarantee that pitchers will take their chances with Manny instead of pitch to Big Papi. They don't give him anything to hit if they don't have to.
And don't even tell me that he is not clutch. He isn't the only guy on every major league team who gets into these late game positions, because that is going to balance out in the end. That's what baseball does. He's the only guy who can frequently capitalize on the opportunity when it arises. It's not that easy to do and Ortiz just has a knack for getting it done. If you've ever watched a baseball game, you'd notice that in a lot of games, there are multiple chances for guys to have walkoffs or game tying hits. Every one run game, every extra inning game, every close game with men on base, it happens all the time, but only makes news when somebody comes through and Ortiz usually comes through.
It is also stated that Ortiz has “the best hitter in his era” behind him. Well, if Manny really is the best hitter in his era, why is he hitting BEHIND David Ortiz??? Wouldn't you think Ortiz, and not Mike Lowell or Wily Mo Pena, should be protecting the best hitter in his era? Doesn't that tell you a little something about just how highly Ortiz is valued? And you know what? He backs it up with his numbers. He proves that right now, in his prime, he's even better than "the best hitter in his era". David Ortiz is at least a top 5 player in the MLB right now and he's got the numbers, the talent and the personality to prove it.
Date
Fri 08/11/06, 6:21 am EST
