More so than usual I'm dying for the Red Sox to make the playoffs in 2016 so David Ortiz can get one last taste of the postseason. After absolutely carrying the Sox to the 2013 World Series Ortiz has lost some of his fire the past two seasons. Two straight last place finishes will do that to you. He finally got his guaranteed contract a couple of seasons ago and since then hasn't gotten into it with the media as much as he used to. This is the guy who once interrupted the manager's press conference to let him know he was pissed that the official scorer took away his RBI:
That type of intensity is what has made Ortiz great throughout his career. Caring that much over a single statistic is the same fire that helped him become the second greatest Red Sox player of all time (Ted Williams). But he's 40 now and while he can still put up big numbers in the regular season (35 and 37 homers the past two years) he knows it's time to move on. Ideally his supporting cast will be good enough this season so that Ortiz can sit against tough lefties and get enough regular rest to stay healthy until the playoffs where he can turn it on. Similar to how the Spurs use Tim Duncan now. And if the Sox do have enough to get to the playoffs then watch out. I have a feeling Ortiz would be pretty motivated to add to one of the most impressive playoff resumes of all time.
GOAT
ReplyDelete