David Ortiz

David Ortiz

Position	Designated hitter/1st base
Team	Boston Red Sox
Years of Experience	11 years
Age	32
Height	6 ft 4 in
Weight	230 lb.
Bats	Left
Throws	Left
College	N/A
2008 Salary	$12,500,000
Place of Birth	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Selection	Amateur free agent, 1992.
Drafted by	Seattle Mariners
Major League Debut	September 2, 1997
Nickname	"Big Papi"

You can't say enough about him. Obviously, David, he's a freak. He's like a superhero. He's like that in real life, too, and I think that's why everything about him is so endearing, because he is a genuine person and people here love him, and there's a reason why.

—Josh Beckett

David Ortiz (born November 18, 1975 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, as David Américo Ortiz Arias), is a Major League Baseball designated hitter who plays for the Boston Red Sox (since 2003). Previously, Ortiz played for the Minnesota Twins (1997-2002). Nicknamed "Big Papi," Ortiz bats and throws left-handed. He has been elected to five American League All-Star teams, and holds the Red Sox single season record for home runs. He was a dominant player on the 2 Red Sox World Championships (2004 and 2007).

Seattle Mariners

1993-1995

Ortiz graduated from Estudia Espillat High School in the Dominican Republic, where he played baseball and basketball. In 1992, at the age of 17, Ortiz was signed by the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners listed him as David Arias. He made his professional debut for the DSL Mariners in 2003, where he batted .264 with 7 home runs and 31 RBI in 61 games. The next season, Ortiz was promoted to the Mariners rookie league club in Arizona. He remained there for the 1995 season, when he hit .332 with a league-high 18 doubles, 4 homers and 37 RBI (tied for the league lead) in 48 games. He also led all ARL first basemen with a .989 fielding percentage and was named the league's MVP. In 1996, Ortiz continued to have stellar numbers, now playing for the Single-A Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, hitting .322 with 18 homers. He was selected to the Midwest League All-Star Game, and was named the league's Most Exciting Player, Best Defensive First Baseman, and #6 overall prospect.

Minnesota Twins

I think of him like he’s my brother. When he’s not going good, I worry about him. When he’s going good, I worry about him more.

—teammate Corey Koskie

1997

Ortiz was traded to the Minnesota Twins following the 1996 season, and had stops with Single-A Fort Myers, Double-A New Britain and Triple-A Salt Lake before making his Major League debut in September, at the time still known as David Arias. Not long after, he informed the team that he would prefer to be listed as David Ortiz. He got his first hit on September 3, a double off Chicago Cubs' pitcher Mark Pisciotta. He hit his firts major league home run on September 14, off Texas Rangers' pitcher Julio Santana. Ortiz led the Twins organization with combined 31 home runs and was named the Twins Minor League Player of the Year., as well as being named the #4 prospect in the Florida State League and the #6 prospect in the Eastern League by Baseball America.

1998

Ortiz began the 1998 season with the Twins, but on May 10 he fractured the hook of the hamate bone on his right hand and was on the DL until July 9. After an 11-game rehab stint with Salt Lake, Ortiz returned to the lineup and proceeded to homer in his first two games back. He stole his first career major league base on August 19 against the New York Yankees. Over the course of the season, Ortiz was ranked 2nd among A.L. rookies with 39 walks, tied for 5th with 46 RBI, tied for 5th with 20 doubles and tied for 6th with 29 extra-base hits. He finished the season hitting hitting .277 with 9 home runs and 46 RBI in 86 games.

1999

In 1999, Ortiz spent most of the season with Triple-A Salt Lake, before being called up to the majors once again on September 13. During his time in Triple-A, he batted .315 with 35 doubles, 30 homers and a league-high 110 RBI in 130. He was tied for the PCL lead with 68 extra-base hits, tied for 2nd with 79 walks and ranked 3rd with 291 total bases and a .412 on-base percentage...finished 4th in the league in slugging (.590) and tied for 4th in doubles and home runs. He was a PCL All-Star and was named a Triple-A All-Star by Baseball America. After being called up, however, he slumped badly , going 0-20 for the Twins.

2000

In his first full major league season, Ortiz batted .282 with 10 home runs and 63 RBIs. On April 4, Ortiz hit a 2-run single in the ninth inning to defeat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He had his first career 4-hit game on July 19 vs. the Chicago White Sox, part of a career-best streak from July 19-21, where he had 8 hits in 8 at-bats. On September 7, Ortiz hit his first career grand slam against Boston Red Sox pitcher Ramon Martinez. He finished 2nd on the club in doubles (36), 3rd in walks (57), 4th in homers and 5th in RBI.

2001

2001 was an injury shortened season for Ortiz, who underwent surgery on his right wrist on May 17, and was transferred to the 60-day DL on June 5. He rehabbed in the minor leagues from July 15-20, and was activated by the Twins on July 21. Ortiz returned with a vengeance, homering in consecutive games on August 9 and August 12, and in three straight games September 3-5, a streak which included his first career multi-home run game on September 5 against the Texas Rangers. Despite missing the majority of the season with his injury, he still managed to hit 18 home runs, one every 16.8 at bats.

2002

In his final season with the Twins, Ortiz hit .272 with 20 home runs and 75 RBI in 2002. Ortiz was on the disabled list from April 19-May 13 with bone chips in his left knee. From July 17-August 6, Ortiz enjoyed a career best 19-game hitting streak. During the streak, he batted .419 (31-for-74) with 5 doubles, 7 homers and 18 RBI. On July 20, Ortiz hit two home runs in a game for the second time in his career, this time against the Detroit Tigers. On September 25, Ortiz hit a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 12th inning against Indians reliever Dave Maurer. The Twins made the playoffs, but were eliminated in the ALCS by the Anaheim Angels. After the season, Ortiz tore up the Dominican Winter League, hitting .351 with 4 home runs, 23 RBI, a .422 on-base percentage and a .622 slugging percentage in 20 games for Escogido. He then led his native Dominican Republic to a Caribbean World Series win, and was named the MVP of the series, hitting 2 home runs and leading all batters with a .480 average, 11 RBI, 8 runs and 5 doubles. The Twins released Ortiz from his contract on December 16.

Boston Red Sox

It doesn't matter if we were down 3-0. You've just got to keep the faith. The game is not over until the last out."

—David Ortiz

2003

On January 22 David Ortiz joined Bill Mueller and Kevin Millar as new signees of the Boston Red Sox. He only played in 31 of the club's first 54 games, as Jeremy Giambi and Millar held the first base and designated hitter spots in the lineup. During that period, Ortiz hit .272 with 2 home runs and 19 RBI. On May 29, Shea Hillenbrand was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim. This made Mueller the everyday third baseman, which, combined with the benching of Giambi, led to increased playing time for Ortiz. Ortiz became the full time designated hitter (with Millar taking over every day at first base) and hit fifth in the batting order, collecting 21 home runs after the All-Star Game. In his first 163 at-bats, Ortiz hit 3 homers, or one every 54.3 at-bats. In his remaining 285 at-bats, he hit 28 home runs, or one for every 10.2 at-bats. His season average of a home run every 14.5 at-bats ranked him 5th in the league in that category. He also had 6 multi-home run games that season, a number surpassed by only three players in Red Sox history. Also, 56% of his hits went for extra bases and, from July 27-August 7, he saw 12 hits in a row go for extra bases, hitting 5 doubles, 2 triples, and 5 home runs during that stretch. He finished the season hitting .288 with 31 home runs and 101 RBI in only 128 games, all of which were career highs. He finished 3rd in the A.L. with a .592 slugging percentage and his ratio of an RBI every 4.4 at-bats was 2nd in the American League. Ortiz finished fifth in the American League MVP vote behind Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Delgado, Jorge Posada, and Shannon Stewart. He was named Baseball's Outstanding DH.

The 2003 regular season saw many instances of the heroics he would become known for during his Red Sox career. He went 3-for-4 with a game-tying 2-run single off Lance Carter in the bottom of the 8th in a 6-4 win April 16 vs. Tampa Bay. He hit a tie-breaking pinch-hit home run off Mickey Callaway to lead off the 14th in a 6-4 win April 27 at Anaheim. That was the first pinch hit home run of his career. Ortiz ripped a 2-run double off Jose Contreras to highlight a 5-run 7th in a come-from-behind 10-7 win over the New York Yankees May 20 at Fenway Park. Facing Jeff Tam, Ortiz doubled home Manny Ramirez to snap a 7-7 tie in the top of the 9th, lifting the Sox to an 8-7 win July 9 at Toronto. Ortiz gave the Red Sox a walk-off win against the Yankees July 26 at Fenway when he clocked a pinch-hit double high off the wall in left-center field off Armando Benitez, scoring Jeremy Giambi for a 5-4 win. The very next night he helped defeat the Yankees again, this time delivering a 2-run triple off Jesse Orosco to cap a 6-run 7th, as the Sox overcame a 3-0 deficit for a 6-4 win. He went 3-for-5 with 2 homers and matched his career-best with 4 RBI in a 5-4 10-inning win September 3 at Chicago. In the game he hit a go-ahead 2-run homer off Scott Sullivan in the 8th, then, after the White Sox tied it on a Jose Valentin homer in the bottom of the inning, Ortiz crushed a 10th-inning solo shot off Tom Gordon to give Boston a 2-game sweep of the series. He also provided what may have been the most dramatic moment of the regular season, leading off the bottom of the 10th with a walk-off homer over the Green Monster to give the Red Sox a 6-5 win September 23 vs. Baltimore...the home run, off Kurt Ainsworth, came after Todd Walker had forced extra innings with a 3-run homer on a 3-2 pitch with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning.

The 2003 postseason saw a continuation of Ortiz's regular season antics. Despite only batting .191 in two postseason series (the ALDS vs. the Oakland Athletics and the ALCS against the Yankees), Ortiz did rip a game-winning 2-out 2-run double off Keith Foulke in the 8th inning of Game 4 of the ALDS. Prior to that hit he had been 0-16 in the series. In the ALCS, Ortiz hit a 4th-inning 2-run homer off Mike Mussina to open the scoring en route to a 5-2 Game 1 win. He was also instrumental in forcing a Game 7, as he was 2-for-5 with 3 RBI and a run scored in the Red Sox' 9-6 Game 6 win . His 2-run single highlighted a 4-run 3rd, then he hit a game-tying RBI single in the top of the 7th and came around to score the go-ahead run. The Red Sox eventually lost Game 7 on the infamous Aaron Boone home run, but Ortiz had cemented himself into the hearts of Red Sox fans as one of the top stars on the team.

2004

In 2004, David Ortiz was part of the 2004 Red Sox World Champions team. He helped lead the team to victory, after more than 80 years of not winning a World Championship. This was Ortiz's second year with the Boston Red Sox. He hit multiple game-winning hits in the post-season to help Boston win the World Series. He hit a walk-off home run to win the ALDS against the Angels, a walk-off home run against the Yankees in Game 4, and a walk-off single in Game 5 against the Yankees, which earned him MVP honors for the ALCS. He was voted onto the All Star Team. This year, Ortiz received $4,587,500.

2005

• In 2005 he set a new career record of 47 home runs in the season, 43 of them as designated hitter, beating Edgar Martinez's record of 37 set in 2000. Twenty of his home runs either tied or gave Boston the lead, and over the period 2003-2005, he hit .326, with 22 home runs and 73 RBIs in only 221 at bats in the late innings of close games. He also led the American League in RBIs with 148, and his 47 homers were second in the AL to the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez. He also finished second to Alex Rodriguez in MVP votes.
• The 2005 AL MVP was a significant debate among baseball circles as both Alex Rodriguez and Ortiz finished the regular season with impressive offensive statistics. He finished with new career highs in runs (119), RBIs (148), walks (102), on-base percentage (.397), and slugging percentage (.604). Two sportswriters left Ortiz completely off the ten player ballot, citing Ortiz's position as a designated hitter.

2006

• 2006 was a year of walk-offs (the act of winning a game in the bottom half of the last inning) for Ortiz. Excelling in Late Inning Pressure Situations (LIPS), he hit more walk-off base hits (five, including 3 home runs) that year than most teams and came one hit away from the most walk-offs since divisional play started in 1969.[1]
• On August 27, 2006, David Ortiz tied his career high in home runs by hitting his 47th homer of the year off of Cha Seung Bak of the Seattle Mariners. On September 20, 2006, Ortiz tied Jimmie Foxx's single season Red Sox home run record of 50 set in 1938; in the 6th inning against Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Boof Bonser, Big Papi launched the ball into the center field bleachers behind the Red Sox bullpen. Ortiz has the unique honor of having increased his season home run tally in each of seven consecutive seasons (starting from 2000, year-by-year he has hit 10, 18, 20, 31, 41, 47 and 54 HRs).
• On September 21, 2006, Ortiz broke Jimmie Foxx's single season Red Sox home run record by hitting his 51st home run off his former teammate, Johan Santana of the Minnesota Twins. The longball came on a 1-0 pitch in the first inning and it was his 44th home run as a designated hitter in 2006, which broke Ortiz's own American League single-season record. Ortiz then proceeded to hit his 232nd home run off reliever Matt Guerrier on a full-count in the seventh inning.

Health issues

• Ortiz also said he began feeling ill between games of a day-night doubleheader on August 18, 2006, against New York that dragged into the early morning. Between games, he had gone home and tried to sleep but couldn't. Ortiz was reportedly driven to the hospital by a team assistant. An irregular heartbeat was the cause for the stress according to his doctors. Ortiz would not originally talk about his condition, but opened up to the media on August 25, 2006, reportedly saying "I'm a healthy son of a [gun]".[2]
• August 28, 2006, Ortiz had recurring symptoms from his irregular heartbeat and was a last minute scratch in the Red Sox game at Oakland. Manager Terry Francona and General Manager Theo Epstein agreed that Ortiz fly back to Boston where he was reevaluated and cleared to play again in early September.

2007

In 2007, while leading the Red Sox to their 2nd World Championship in 4 years, he hit .332 qith 35 home runs, 117 rbi's, and 52 doubles. (The batting average and doubles were career highs, and the doubles were 2nd in the league to Maglio Ordonez). In the Playoffs and World Series, he was 17 for 46, for a .370 average with 3 home runs and 10 RBI's in 14 games.

2008

Ortiz began the 2008 season slumping badly. The entire month of April, he batted only .198 with 5 home runs, 3 of which he hit in the last 5 games of the month. However, by the end of May he had brought his average all the way up to .252, hitting .318 on the month. In May, he also hammered 8 home runs, bringing his total for the season up to 13. However, Ortiz partially tore the tendon sheath in his left wrist while swinging at a pitch during the May 31 game against Baltimore. After meeting with team doctors, Ortiz was placed on the disabled list on June 2. Initial diagnostics were not good, with some saying Ortiz would likely miss the rest of the season. However, Ortiz was out of his cast in about 3 weeks and began baseball activities shortly thereafter. He was activated from the DL on July 27, after a very successful rehab stint with Triple-A Pawtucket and Double-A Portland, during which he hit 2 home runs. In 6 games in July, Ortiz batted .391 with a home run and 4 RBI. However, following the July 31 trade of cleanup hitter and good friend Manny Ramirez, Ortiz began a slump which saw him go 1-15 (as of August 4) with no home runs and a single RBI.

Salary History

[3]

• 1999 (Minnesota Twins) - $170,000
• 2000 (Minnesota Twins) - $220,000
• 2001 (Minnesota Twins) - $260,000
• 2002 (Minnesota Twins) - $950,000
• 2003 (Boston Red Sox) - $1,250,000
• 2004 (Boston Red Sox) - $4,587,500
• 2005 (Boston Red Sox) - $5,250,000
• 2006 (Boston Red Sox) - $6,500,000 (+ $100,000 bonus for finishing third in the AL MVP voting)
• 2007 (Boston Red Sox) - $13,500,000
• 2008 (Boston Red Sox) - $13,500,000
• 2009 (Boston Red Sox) - $13,500,000
• 2010 (Boston Red Sox) - $13,500,000
• 2011 (Boston Red Sox) - $13,500,000

-Signed a 4-year, $52 million extension with the Red Sox on April 10, 2006, keeping him with the team through 2010. There is a team option for 2011 included. (A $2 million signing bonus makes his annual salary $13 ,500,000 a year.)

Career highlights

• Three time All-Star (2004-2006)
• Top 5 MVP vote-receiver four times (5th, 2003; 4th, 2004; 2nd, 2005; 3rd, 2006)
• 2005 Hank Aaron Award winner
• 3 time winner of the Silver Slugger Award
• 4 time winner of the Edgar Martinez Award (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
• Led the American League in extra base hits (2004)
• Was the MVP for the American League Championship Series (2004)
• Led the American League in Home Runs (2006)
• Led the American League in Runs Batted In (2005, 2006)
• American League Player of the Month for September 2005 and July 2006.
• Member of the 2004 Boston Red Sox team that won the World Series.
• 2003 Caribbean Series MVP[4]
• Red Sox single season home run leader (54; 2006)
• Tied with Babe Ruth for AL single season home run record in road games (32; 2006)
• First player ever to hit two walk-off home runs in the same postseason (against the Angels (ALDS) and Yankees (ALCS), 2004)
• First player in Red Sox history to hit 40 or more home runs in three consecutive seasons (2004-2006)
• Set new record for home runs by a DH in 2005 (47), then again in 2006 (54)

Charity and Community causes

• On Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, Ortiz was slated to be one of more than 50 hitters who brandished a pink bat to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation. The game was rained out and he did not use the bat.
• On October 14, 2006, Ortiz played wiffleball with a group of over 40 local kids as part of a 'Big Papi Backyard Wiffle Ball' game that was auctioned off to benefit 'Good Sports', a Boston-based non-profit organization that ensures disadvantaged youth have opportunity to play sports. David also gave 'Good Sports' a donation of $50,000.

Book

• In 2007, David released a book about his life called "Big Papi: My Story of Big Dreams and Big Hits", ISBN 0-31-236633-7, written with Boston Herald columnist Tony Massarotti.

Family

David Ortiz points to the sky, saluting his mother, after hitting a home run.

Ortiz sports a tattoo of his mother on his biceps. His mother, Angela Rosa Arias, died in a car crash in January 2002 at 46.[5] Ortiz' son D'Angelo is named after her.[6]. Ortiz has become a Green Bay Packers fan since marrying a native of Kaukauna, Wisconsin, southwest of Green Bay and has been spotted along the sidelines during the MLB off season. The family recently put their home in Newton, Massachusetts up for sale. The family now resides in Weston, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston.

Career statistics

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See also

• MLB players who have hit 30 or more home runs before the All-Star break
• 50 home run club
• Players from Dominican Republic in MLB
• Top 500 home run hitters of all time

External links

David Ortiz at:

• MLB Player Profile - David Ortiz
• Baseball Reference (career statistics and analysis)
• ESPN (profile and daily updates)
• MLB article on breaking the HR-by-DH record in 2005

Preceded by: Mariano Rivera	American League Championship Series MVP 2004	Succeeded by: Paul Konerko
Preceded by: Alex Rodriguez	American League Player of the Month September, 2005	Succeeded by: Jason Giambi
Preceded by: Miguel Tejada	American League RBI Champion 2005, 2006	Succeeded by: Alex Rodriguez
Preceded by: Manny Ramirez	American League Hank Aaron Award 2005	Succeeded by: Derek Jeter
Preceded by: Joe Mauer	American League Player of the Month July, 2006	Succeeded by: Travis Hafner
Preceded by: Alex Rodriguez	American League Home Run Champion 2006	Succeeded by: Alex Rodriguez