David Ortiz: Not Getting the Credit he Deserves
Yes, the Sox lost Jason Bay, but people are already giving up on the team’s offensive chances, citing a lack of pop in the middle of the lineup and no legitimate slugger.
Well I beg to differ.
Apparently, few people remember what David Ortiz did at the end of last season, and choose to focus on the negative first half he had. After Papi hit his second home run of the season on June 6th, he was tied for the league lead in home runs. Not just in the AL, but in all of baseball (tied with Adrian Gonzalez).
I say that Papi will top 30 bombs this year (after leading the league after June 6th), and throw in Kevin Youkilis and a full season with Victor Martinez, and that supposed lack of pop seems a lot less legitimate. Also, Jason Varitek hit a lot of home runs early on in the year, but then cooled off. I think as he got more tired, his bat became less effective (not good). With more rest, I think he will hit a reasonable 15 home runs this year.
While the Red Sox lineup may not be as powerful as last season without Jason Bay, I would not say it will not be as good. Obviously Jason is a tough player to lose, but Papi showed signs of heating up last season and gave no reasons at the end of the year to change that.
So, do not forget that Ortiz has not completely fallen off the radar, and with better defense and pitching, the Sox are poised to make a deep playoff run.
What do you think? Will Papi be back to hitting monster home runs in clutch moments?
I think it’s safe to say Papi will bounce back..While he won’t be the Papi of old, bombing 40+ homers, (54 in ’06)..He can definitely make a case for 30..It’s also important to remember that he was delayed in his offseason workouts last year because of the wrist surgery from the ’08 season..He didn’t start swinging a bat until late December/early January..This past offseason, he’s been working out intensely in the Dominican, and came to Fort Myers in great shape..I think he’s going to play with a chip on his shoulder and show that he can still hit. If he has a repeat performance (2 homers by June 6th) he’ll probably be wearing another uniform by the trade deadline on July 31st..Let’s hope it doesn’t get that far..
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