David Ortiz (Hall of Fame, 2022)


Date of Birth: 11/18/1975
Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Nickname: Big Papi

David Ortiz was a top baseball and basketball player in high school. He was first signed by the Seattle Mariners in 1992. He played in their minor league system from 1994 through 1996. He never played with the Mariners.

Minnesota Twins

Ortiz was traded in 1996 to the Minnesota Twins. He spent six seasons with the Twins, playing both for the team and for their minor league teams. Due to injuries, Ortiz played in over 100 games in only two seasons with the Twins.

Ortiz had his first chance in the major leagues in 1997, when he played in 15 games with the Twins. He had 16 hits in those first games. He also played in 140 games in the minors. He played in 86 games with the Twins in 1998, and he batted .277 with 77 hits, 20 doubles, and 46 RBIs.

Ortiz spent most of the 1999 season in the minors, playing in just 10 games with the Twins. The next year, he had his first full season in the majors. In 2000, he had 117 hits, 36 doubles, 63 RBIs, and a .282 batting average in 130 games.

Ortiz played in only 89 games with the Twins in 2001. He had 71 hits, 48 RBIs, and a .234 batting average. The next year, he had 112 hits, 32 doubles, 20 home runs, 75 RBIs, and a .272 batting average in 125 games. He played in his first postseason in 2002, and he had 8 hits and 4 RBIs in 29 at-bats in 9 games.

Boston Red Sox

The Twins released Ortiz on December 15, 2002, and he signed with the Boston Red Sox on January 22, 2003. He became the full-time DH for the Red Sox in July, 2003. He was named the DH of the Year in 2003. He finished the season with 129 hits, 39 doubles, 31 home runs, 101 RBIs, and a .288 batting average in 128 games. In the postseason, he had 9 hits and 8 RBIs in 47 at-bats in 12 games.

Ortiz had a strong regular season and postseason in 2004. He won his first Silver Slugger award and the newly renamed DH of the Year award (now called the Edgar Martinez award). For his postseason accomplishments, he won the ALCS MVP award. He finished the regular season with 175 hits, 47 doubles, 41 home runs, 139 RBIs, and a .301 batting average in 150 games. His postseason numbers include 22 hits, 3 doubles, 5 home runs, and 19 RBIs in 55 at-bats in 14 games.

Ortiz won three awards in 2005 - his second Silver Slugger award, the Edgar Martinez award, and the AL Hank Aaron award. He led all of major league baseball in RBIs with 148. He finished the season with 180 hits, 40 doubles, 47 home runs, and a .300 batting average in 159 games. In the postseason, he had 4 hits in 12 at-bats in 3 games.

Ortiz again won the Edgar Martinez award and a Silver Slugger award in 2006. That year, he led the AL in home runs, RBIs, and walks, and he had career highs in home runs and walks. He had 160 hits, 29 doubles, 54 home runs, 137 RBIs, 117 strikeouts to 119 walks, and a .287 batting average in 151 games.

Ortiz had an even better season in 2007, when he again won a Silver Slugger award and the Edgar Martinez award. He led the AL in walks and on-base percentage, and he had career highs in hits, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS. He finished the season with 182 hits, 52 doubles, 35 home runs, 117 RBIs, 103 strikeouts to 111 walks, .332 batting average, .445 on-base percentage, and 1.066 OPS. In the 2007 postseason, he had 17 hits, 6 doubles, 3 home runs, and 10 RBIs in 63 at-bats in 14 games.

Ortiz played in only 109 games in 2008. He had 110 hits, 30 doubles, 23 home runs, 89 RBIs, and a .264 batting average. He had 8 hits in 43 at-bats in 11 games in the postseason. The following year, his batting average dropped to .238. He finished the 2009 season with 129 hits, 35 doubles, 28 home runs, and 99 RBIs in 150 games. He had a better season in 2010, when he batted .270 with 140 hits, 36 doubles, 32 home runs, and 102 RBIs in 145 games.

Ortiz was back to top form in 2011, once again winning the Edgar Martinez award and a Silver Slugger award. He also won the Roberto Clemente award. He finished the season with 162 hits, 40 doubles, 29 home runs, 96 RBIs, and a .309 batting average in 146 games. He played in just 90 games in 2012, and he had 103 hits, 26 doubles, 23 home runs, 60 RBIs, and a .318 batting average.

The 2013 season was another award winning one for Ortiz. He won his sixth Silver Slugger award, another Edgar Martinez award, and, for his postseason performance, the AL Babe Ruth award and the World Series MVP. He finished the regular season with 160 hits, 38 doubles, 30 home runs, 103 RBIs, and a .309 batting average. In the postseason, he had 18 hits, 3 doubles, 5 home runs, and 13 RBIs in 51 at-bats in 16 games.

Ortiz had a down season (for him) in 2014. He batted .263 with 136 hits, 27 doubles, 35 home runs, and 104 RBIs in 142 games. His numbers for 2015 were similar: 144 hits, 37 doubles, 37 home runs, 108 RBIs, and a .273 batting average in 146 games.

On November 18, 2015, his fortieth birthday, Ortiz announced that he would retire after the 2016 season. He had an outstanding final major league season in 2016, again winning a Silver Slugger award, the Edgar Martinez award, and the AL Hank Aaron award. He led the AL in RBIs and all of major league baseball in doubles and OPS. He finished the 2016 season with a .315 batting average, 169 hits, 48 doubles, 38 home runs, 127 RBIs, and a 1.021 OPS in 151 games. He didn't do well, however, in his final postseason. In 9 at-bats in 3 games, he batted just .111 with one hit.

Awards and MLB Records

  • Silver Slugger award (7 times)
  • DH/Edgar Martinez award (8 times)
  • AL Hank Aaron award (2 times)
  • ALCS MVP
  • World Series MVP
  • Babe Ruth award
  • Roberto Clemente award
  • Led MLB in RBIs in 2005
  • Led AL in home runs in 2006
  • Led AL in on-base percentage in 2007
  • Led MLB in doubles in 2016
  • Led MLB in OPS in 2016
  • Led AL in RBIs (2 times)
  • Led AL in walks (2 times)

Career Statistics

Statistics for Ortiz in 14 seasons (2003-2016) as the DH for the Boston Red Sox include:

  • 7 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .332 in 2007
  • 7 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 182 in 2007
  • 11 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 52 in 2007
  • 10 seasons with 30 or more home runs, with a high of 54 in 2006
  • 9 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 148 in 2005

Career batting statistics for Ortiz include:

  • 2,408 games played
  • 2,472 hits
  • 632 doubles
  • 541 home runs
  • 1,768 RBIs
  • 1,750 strikeouts to 1,319 walks
  • .286 batting average
  • .380 on-base percentage
  • .931 OPS

Career postseason statistics for Ortiz include:

  • 85 games played
  • 304 at-bats
  • 88 hits
  • 22 doubles
  • 17 home runs
  • 61 RBIs
  • 72 strikeouts to 59 walks
  • .289 batting average
  • .404 on-base percentage
  • .947 OPS

Charitable Work

Ortiz established the David Ortiz Children's Fund in 2007. The purpose of the charity is to provide funds for pediatric care for patients in the Dominican Republic and the Northeast United States. Information is available at davidortiz.com.

Ortiz has a charity wine, Vintage Papi. All proceeds from sales of the wine go to the David Ortiz Children's Fund.

Post Playing Career

Ortiz was a sports analyst for the World Series in 2017. He became a full time analyst with Fox Sports in 2019.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - David Ortiz
ESPN Sports - David Ortiz
Baseball Reference - David Ortiz