Actually Papi has been hitting well of late.
Not counting todays's DH where he was 4 for 8 with 5 runs scored with 3 RBI and 2 homers -- Big Papi is 9-for-20 with four extra-base hits (one double, one triple and two home runs) and nine RBI over the past five games prior to today..
I would say he has stepped it up a bit.
wil..
Not counting todays's DH where he was 4 for 8 with 5 runs scored with 3 RBI and 2 homers -- Big Papi is 9-for-20 with four extra-base hits (one double, one triple and two home runs) and nine RBI over the past five games prior to today..
I would say he has stepped it up a bit.
wil..
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Has Red Sox legend David Ortiz finally become underrated?
Dan Lamothe, Red Sox Monster
Posted: 06/03/2011 7:18 AM
Let's face it: The Red Sox are back from the dead, but it hasn't exactly been a banner week in Boston.
On the field, the team has lost four games in a row, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the mediocre Chicago White Sox. The pitching staff gave up at least seven runs in each game Chicago, even the one started by struggling ace Jon Lester. Off the field, Boston has been slammed with bigtime injuries to Daisuke Matsuzaka and Rich Hill.
For a few minutes, though, let's leave all that behind. Let's focus on an underplayed story so far during this Red Sox season, even though it has been a notable and uplifting part of the team's recovery from a 2-10 start.
For all the drama about injuries, slow starts and big-name players like Carl Crawford and Dustin Pedroia struggling, one thing hasn't entered the conversation: David Ortiz slumping.
In fact, the Large Father is having something of a career rennaissance, putting together his best season through June 1 since 2007, when he hit .315/.431/.579 with nine home runs and 38 RBI on his way to a .332/.445/.621 year with 35 home runs, 117 RBI, 111 walks.
That 2007 season marked the tail end of the pinnacle of Ortiz's career. After breaking out as a true international star in the 2004 championship run, he terrorized pitchers from 2005 to 2007, leading the American League in homers once, RBIs twice, walks twice, on-base percentage once and total bases once while averaging 45 home runs and 134 RBI.
For a while, it seemed like there always was something wrong after that. His 2008 season started well enough, but is best remembered for injuries that limited him to 109 regular season games and caused him to struggle in the postseason.
From then on, fans began wondering if the downward spiral was on. Early-season slumps dogged him in 2009 and 2010, and he began to struggle mightily against left-handed pitching. He failed to turn on fastballs he used to crush, and he bristled at some of the criticism.
Not this season, though. Somewhere lost in the spotlight behind Adrian Gonzalez's slugging, Ortiz has been fantastic. He currently leads Red Sox regulars in home runs (13), on-base percentage (.382), slugging percentage (.582) and OPS (.964), following a torrid May in which he hit .342/.387/.694 with 10 home runs and 16 RBI.
Overall, he's hitting .313/.382/.582 with 13 home runs and 28 RBI, but that tells only half the story. After ringing up a career-high 145 strikeouts in 2010, Ortiz has whiffed only 23 times through 54 games this year. He's also hitting .286/.394/.500 in 54 at-bats against lefties, after struggling to stay above the Mendoza line against southpaws in recent years.
Considering some fans and analysts questioned the wisdom Boston showed in picking up his one-year, $12.5 million contract option in the offseason, that's striking -- and a testament to Ortiz's ability to keep bouncing back.
In light of all the past criticism and the new stars grabbing the attention, however, some questions need to be asked.
Is one of Boston's greatest hitters of all-time now underrated?
Underappreciated?
A victim of anti-designated hitter sentiment, which likely cost him at least one MVP earlier in his career?
Ortiz currently has the fourth-best OPS in the American League, trailing only Jose Bautista, Matt Joyce and Miguel Cabrera.
If this is indeed Big Papi's farewell tour in Boston, that's one heck of a way to go out.
Has Red Sox legend David Ortiz finally become underrated?
Dan Lamothe, Red Sox Monster
Posted: 06/03/2011 7:18 AM
Let's face it: The Red Sox are back from the dead, but it hasn't exactly been a banner week in Boston.
On the field, the team has lost four games in a row, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the mediocre Chicago White Sox. The pitching staff gave up at least seven runs in each game Chicago, even the one started by struggling ace Jon Lester. Off the field, Boston has been slammed with bigtime injuries to Daisuke Matsuzaka and Rich Hill.
For a few minutes, though, let's leave all that behind. Let's focus on an underplayed story so far during this Red Sox season, even though it has been a notable and uplifting part of the team's recovery from a 2-10 start.
For all the drama about injuries, slow starts and big-name players like Carl Crawford and Dustin Pedroia struggling, one thing hasn't entered the conversation: David Ortiz slumping.
In fact, the Large Father is having something of a career rennaissance, putting together his best season through June 1 since 2007, when he hit .315/.431/.579 with nine home runs and 38 RBI on his way to a .332/.445/.621 year with 35 home runs, 117 RBI, 111 walks.
That 2007 season marked the tail end of the pinnacle of Ortiz's career. After breaking out as a true international star in the 2004 championship run, he terrorized pitchers from 2005 to 2007, leading the American League in homers once, RBIs twice, walks twice, on-base percentage once and total bases once while averaging 45 home runs and 134 RBI.
For a while, it seemed like there always was something wrong after that. His 2008 season started well enough, but is best remembered for injuries that limited him to 109 regular season games and caused him to struggle in the postseason.
From then on, fans began wondering if the downward spiral was on. Early-season slumps dogged him in 2009 and 2010, and he began to struggle mightily against left-handed pitching. He failed to turn on fastballs he used to crush, and he bristled at some of the criticism.
Not this season, though. Somewhere lost in the spotlight behind Adrian Gonzalez's slugging, Ortiz has been fantastic. He currently leads Red Sox regulars in home runs (13), on-base percentage (.382), slugging percentage (.582) and OPS (.964), following a torrid May in which he hit .342/.387/.694 with 10 home runs and 16 RBI.
Overall, he's hitting .313/.382/.582 with 13 home runs and 28 RBI, but that tells only half the story. After ringing up a career-high 145 strikeouts in 2010, Ortiz has whiffed only 23 times through 54 games this year. He's also hitting .286/.394/.500 in 54 at-bats against lefties, after struggling to stay above the Mendoza line against southpaws in recent years.
Considering some fans and analysts questioned the wisdom Boston showed in picking up his one-year, $12.5 million contract option in the offseason, that's striking -- and a testament to Ortiz's ability to keep bouncing back.
In light of all the past criticism and the new stars grabbing the attention, however, some questions need to be asked.
Is one of Boston's greatest hitters of all-time now underrated?
Underappreciated?
A victim of anti-designated hitter sentiment, which likely cost him at least one MVP earlier in his career?
Ortiz currently has the fourth-best OPS in the American League, trailing only Jose Bautista, Matt Joyce and Miguel Cabrera.
If this is indeed Big Papi's farewell tour in Boston, that's one heck of a way to go out.
