David Ortiz’s Hall of Fame Bid: C&C Staff Discussion
Last Saturday David Ortiz crushed two home runs against the Tampa Bay Rays to get himself into a very exclusive club, becoming just the 27th player in MLB history to reach 500 career home runs. This week C&C staff weighed in on Ortiz’s candidacy for a spot in the Hall of Fame and whether or not Big Papi deserves to be enshrined.
Jason Haskins:
In hitting his 500th home run last weekend, Ortiz has joined an elite group of players, a club that should no doubt cement his eventual election into the Hall of Fame.
If the number of home runs isn’t enough, one needs to look no further than last year’s election to Cooperstown of Frank Thomas. The former two-time American League MVP became the first player to be officially elected to the Hall as a designated hitter. Career numbers of 521 home runs, 1704 runs batted in, and 5 All-Star appearances are similar to those of Ortiz.
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Ortiz has now hit 501 home runs, driven in 1630 runs, and has a career batting average of .284. He has made 9 All-Star appearances and although he’s never won the regular season MVP, Ortiz has made a habit of saving dominating performances for the postseason. In his postseason career, he has simply hit 17 home runs, with 60 RBIs, and has won two postseason MVP awards: the 2004 ALCS MVP and the 2013 World Series MVP.
Yes, Thomas played more first base than Ortiz ever has, but in the end, especially in a sport that placed such an emphasis on stats in Ortiz’s heyday, Big Papi deserves to be elected into the Hall of Fame.
Shreyas Laddha:
David Ortiz is a baseball legend, simple as that. As a Red Sox fan I love him and will always remember him as an all-time great. He has fantastic regular season stats and even better postseason numbers. Ortiz is the definition of clutch and come October the ‘Large Father’ has been out there hitting bombs and getting postseason records for years.
In fact, Papi is one of the only four players in MLB history to have 500 home runs and 3 World Series titles. The other three players? Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, and Mickey Mantle. Now though, I’m going to take off my homer goggles and tell you my view on whether I think he should get into Cooperstown or not.
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Things get a little fuzzy for me as a baseball fan first and Red Sox fan second. We hold these athletes accountable for cheating and Ortiz was on the list of nearly 100 players that allegedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during spring training in 2003. According to Ortiz, the MLB never told him what substance showed up on the test specifically. Did he test positive for steroids? We may never know, but we have to hold these guys to a higher standard if we make cheating as big a no-no as the Hall of Fame has done by not electing a single guy with PEDs on his record.
My stance is if Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens can’t be in the Hall of Fame, why should guys who were on that 2003 list get the chance? If we could see the results and what Ortiz failed for that would make this debate much simpler for everyone. Unfortunately, the list is sealed and that ends my argument for Papi’s Hall chances.
Does he have the numbers? Yes. Is he one of the best designated hitters of all-time? Yes, but Edgar Martinez has not been elected into the Hall, so it will even be tougher for Ortiz. Until that list is revealed I believe Papi belongs outside of Cooperstown. Still though, he is and always will be a Red Sox legend. Don’t let anybody forget it.
In all honesty, I’m not a huge baseball guy. The season is way too long for me, and it’s difficult for me to watch Red Sox games on television, due to living in Georgia and all. However, I do know that Big Papi should be a Hall of Famer. The fact that he’s only the fourth player in baseball history to hit 500 home runs and win three world championships is amazing. And to be the only player out of those four to not be a Yankee is simply mind-blowing to me. If Frank Thomas is in the Hall of Fame as a designated hitter put Ortiz in as well.
Next: Staff Takes Continued...Big Papi Only Plays Half The Game,
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