The Triumphant Red Sox Blog

Rumor has it that the Red Sox are working on a deal trading David Ortiz. In return, the Sox will get Aunt Jemima because she's a better batter. ("Batter" — get it?)

In all seriousness, though, I am worried about Big Papi. Don't count me among those people who think he's washed up, finished, cooked, stick a fork in him. But I'm with Jerry Remy, who said on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan show this morning that he thinks Ortiz is pressing to get that first home run.

It isn't that he isn't hitting. His season average of .238 is misleading, reflecting a very slow start in the first five games, during which he hit only .125. In the next seven games, he hit .194 and had his first extra-base hit, a double. But since then, Ortiz has an eight-game hitting streak with an average of .333, eight RBI, and six doubles — good by anyone's standards. The homers, though, remain elusive.

Papi has never been a high-average guy, excepting the 2007 season when he finished the season at a career-high .332. Last year, his average fell significantly (.264) and his home run total (23) was the lowest since he left the Minnesota Twins. For the last eight games, he has been a high-average guy with no power.

The question is what kind of hitter is David Ortiz now? And perhaps more appropriately, what kind of hitter do the Red Sox need him to be? With Kevin Youkilis, Jason Bay, Mike Lowell, and Jason Varitek (!) on a pace to top 140 total home runs this season, there is an argument to be made that Ortiz doesn't have to be a slugger. His most useful role may be to move Ellsbury and Pedroia ahead of him and then be batted in by Youk and Bay. As a fan, I'd take that and be happy with it.

Still, there are many who would see that as a failure, as the end of Big Papi. That isn't fair.

Labels: hitting, players