Green: We love Ortiz … but not that much
Don’t get me wrong: I’m happy that six members of the Sox were picked to go to the All-Star Game. And regular readers of this space know that after firefighters, teachers and Doctors Without Borders, David Ortiz is my biggest hero. But Ortiz had no business being at the All-Star Game this year. Not as a first baseman.
When the game is held in an American League park, and a designated hitter is called for, there’s no one better suited than David Americo Ortiz. But when the ballots came around this year, I just couldn’t bring myself to vote for him. Because though he might occasionally stand next to the first base bag during interleague play, Ortiz is not the starting first baseman of the Sox. What makes it worse is that our actual first baseman is having a fantastic year. Kevin Youkilis’s offensive numbers have been more than solid: going into the break, he was fifth in average in the AL, and the only Sox player in the top 10. Defensively, he’s the only regular first baseman who has yet to make a single error at the position.
What’s more, with Ortiz’s dip in production this year, the pair’s offensive numbers are surprisingly close. As you’d expect, the man higher in the lineup hits more for average, while the DH hits more for power. The line for Youkilis, at break-time, looked like this: .328 with nine homers and 44 RBI, an on-base percentage of .419 and a slugging percentage of .502, with 22 doubles and one triple. The line for Ortiz? .314 with 14 homers and 52 RBI, an OBP of .434 and an SLG of .556, with 29 doubles and no triples. Those numbers ain’t bad. But if we’re talking first base, Minnesota’s Justin Morneau has better ones.
Though Morneau’s average and OBP are a bit lower (.295 and .364), he’s hitting for more power this year than either Youkilis or Ortiz (74 RBI, 24 HR, SLG .581). By rights, Morneau should have been the All-Star Game’s starter, with Youkilis serving as the backup and Ortiz taking three days off. That’s the sad life of a DH. Yes, the All-Star Game itself is an over-hyped bit of tedium, with the same players often voted in year after year. But I just couldn’t go along with a wink and a nod, sending a “first baseman” who’s played just seven games at first.
It pained me that David received no first-place votes for MVP last year — after all, the DH is a legit American League position, and he’d had an amazing year. But it was nearly as upsetting that Derek Jeter almost got the award as a sort of “lifetime achievement” bonus. Unearned perks are unearned perks no matter who gets them. Our beloved Big Papi is no exception.
Sarah Green is a freelance writer who can be reached at sgreen@gmail.com.
