Papi prepares to pick up his glove
Sam Galanis
Contributing Writer
It’s that time of the season again. You know, when the Red Sox play in a National League stadium and David Ortiz has to put on a glove for once. But having Ortiz as a position player for a game isn’t as bad as it may seem.
“The one thing people may overlook is that he’s a pretty darned good first baseman and we have no issue at all putting him at first base,” John Farrell said according to the Boston Globe.
Sure, it may seem silly. Ortiz is slower and bigger than most players in Major League Baseball. By first base standards though, that’s a good thing to have. First basemen don’t have to be as agile as the other position players. They don’t need as much range, and they don’t find themselves needing to make crazy throws or catches as often. Anyone who has read or seen Moneyball would know that you can just get a big guy to plant his feet near the base and call it a night.
That’s not to take away from the abilities first basemen have though. They need to have good hands, and most of them are power hitters. Of course, Ortiz has both of those abilities. Ortiz played seven games at first last season and committed no errors.
Ortiz practiced at first before Monday and Tuesday’s games against the Phillies and will play either Wednesday or Thursday when the Sox are in Philadelphia. Mike Napoli will play in whichever game Ortiz does not, giving each of them a day off over the upcoming four-day road trip.
Comment or follow me @_SamMG
Contributing Writer
It’s that time of the season again. You know, when the Red Sox play in a National League stadium and David Ortiz has to put on a glove for once. But having Ortiz as a position player for a game isn’t as bad as it may seem.
“The one thing people may overlook is that he’s a pretty darned good first baseman and we have no issue at all putting him at first base,” John Farrell said according to the Boston Globe.
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| AP Photo |
That’s not to take away from the abilities first basemen have though. They need to have good hands, and most of them are power hitters. Of course, Ortiz has both of those abilities. Ortiz played seven games at first last season and committed no errors.
Ortiz practiced at first before Monday and Tuesday’s games against the Phillies and will play either Wednesday or Thursday when the Sox are in Philadelphia. Mike Napoli will play in whichever game Ortiz does not, giving each of them a day off over the upcoming four-day road trip.
Comment or follow me @_SamMG
