Kudos to David Ortiz

[60'sfan]

I am amazed by David Ortiz. He was a great hitter for many years but his career seemed to be spiraling downhill in 2009 when he turned 33 and hit only .238 with 134 strike outs. He could not hit left handers and Tito was pinch hitting for him. He was almost a liability on the base paths and the rumors were that he was a juicer and with the increased testing and no opportunity to continue, he was done. I admit that I thought the Sox should dump him. 2010 was a little better. He hit .270 with 32 Hrs and 102 RBIs. He still struck out a lot and struggled against lefties.
However something happened last year. Suddenly he started hitting left handers and his strikeout total plummeted. He was going from first to third on singles to right and scoring from second on base hits. This year he has been even better. He is fourth in the league in OPS and has scored 8 times from second on singles. He strikes out less than he walks, a statistic that I always have felt is important. I hate to think about where the Red Sox would be without him. Good thing they didn't listen to me.

 

[zyron]

He was almost a liability on the base paths and the rumors were that he was a juicer

He tested positive, they aren't rumors.

 

[NHUConnfan]

He tested positive, they aren't rumors.

Never got banned. It was reported that he tested positive. If he did, he would have been banned for 50 games.

 

[zyron]

Never got banned. It was reported that he tested positive. If he did, he would have been banned for 50 games.

Nope, not true at all. He tested positive in the survey year to determine the % of players who tested positive. If enough players tested positive, I believe 5%, then the punishments would go into effect the next year. Enough players tested positive so the next year the punishments started.

In a statement he released Thursday afternoon,​

Red Sox​

slugger​

David Ortiz​

acknowledged that a​

New York Times​

report that said he was one of the players to have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003 was accurate.​

​

​

 

[mauconnfan]

Sox fans continue to amaze me. He was a juicer period and more than likely is again. His bat was so slow in 09 he was done but it miraculously But there's plenty of guys who still are just check the numbers.....

 

[NHUConnfan]

Sox fans continue to amaze me. He was a juicer period and more than likely is again. His bat was so slow in 09 he was done but it miraculously But there's plenty of guys who still are just check the numbers.....

Like Yankees fans are any better (A-Rod, Giambi, Pettite, Clemens, etc.). C'mon mau...gotta defend the guys

 

[zyron]

Like Yankees fans are any better (A-Rod, Giambi, Pettite, Clemens, etc.). C'mon mau...gotta defend the guys

A-Rod, Giambi and Pettite all admitted they did it. Ortiz still uses the lame excuses. And Clemems is a Red Sox, never wanted him on the Yanks.

 

[NHUConnfan]

A-Rod, Giambi and Pettite all admitted they did it. Ortiz still uses the lame excuses. And Clemems is a Red Sox, never wanted him on the Yanks.

For the record, Clemens left the Red Sox when his career was declining. If you're going to look at numbers, start looking when he joined the Blue Jays.

 

[mauconnfan]

Pretty sure we all know about those.....guys since they admitted to it.....and as zyron said Rog is Rog.

It's on baseball anyway as they seem to really not care.......heck Ben Braun is still piling up the numbers lol

 

[60'sfan]

Sox fans continue to amaze me. He was a juicer period and more than likely is again. His bat was so slow in 09 he was done but it miraculously But there's plenty of guys who still are just check the numbers.....

The things that I have noticed about him is that he strikes out a lot less, is a better base runner and takes the outside pitch to left field much better. I profess that I don't know a lot about steroids, but do they help you there. I think he got himself in better shape and started watching Adrian Gonzalez pepper the monster.

 

[zls44]

I think he got himself in better shape and started watching Adrian Gonzalez pepper the monster.

Agree on the better shape part. Dude lost 30 lbs.

As for the other half, I fail to see how watching Adrian Gonzalez lose nearly all of his power and turn into a pathetic singles hitter could have helped David Ortiz.

 

[60'sfan]

Agree on the better shape part. Dude lost 30 lbs.

As for the other half, I fail to see how watching Adrian Gonzalez lose nearly all of his power and turn into a pathetic singles hitter could have helped David Ortiz.

I was referring to last year when he began to take the outside pitch to left field. Adrian was very good at that. In all fairness to Adrian, he is leading the league in doubles plus I believe that he has an injury that for some reason he is concealing. Lackey did the same thing last year. Is he in denial, is he too embarrassed with all of the others on DL, is management putting pressure on him to continue to play??? Who knows?

 

[Danzz]

The things that I have noticed about him is that he strikes out a lot less, is a better base runner and takes the outside pitch to left field much better. I profess that I don't know a lot about steroids, but do they help you there. I think he got himself in better shape and started watching Adrian Gonzalez pepper the monster.

The steroids help with bat speed and power but you are right as long as they do the required weight training, he isn't trying to pull the outside pitch and hitting weak ground balls to the right side into the shift. He has lost weight and that has helped a lot.

 

[NHUConnfan]

The steroids help with bat speed and power but you are right as long as they do the required weight training, he isn't trying to pull the outside pitch and hitting weak ground balls to the right side into the shift. He has lost weight and that has helped a lot.

Makes you wonder if he did this years ago, what could have been...

 

[zls44]

Apparently Gonzalez hurt his back greeting a child at the mall.