David Ortiz - Hall of Fame Worthy?
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| Photo Courtesy of Harvard |
Conor Frederick
Contributing Writer
Unless you've been living under a rock, then you'll know that David Ortiz just set a new record for most hits by a designated hitter Wednesday night against the Seattle Mariners. So, with that new record begs the question: Does Big Papi have a shot at the Hall of Fame? You could make a compelling argument for both sides. On one side, you have the people who say "Of course he belongs in Cooperstown! He has great numbers, he's been so clutch and he was a huge player in winning 2 World Series rings!" On the other side, people might say "Oh, well he was a DH, he's been linked to performance enhancers, etc." According to a CSNNE discussion, even if he has another stellar season like this, he might end up not even close to Cooperstown because he won't be that high up on the all-time home run list, not to mention the accusations of steroid usage that will surely stem from him having a great year so late in his career (he's 37 now).
No doubt David Ortiz has been one of the great pure hitters of all time. And every Red Sox diehard fan will forever be grateful for his role in breaking the Curse of the Bambino, I'm sure. I know I am and will always be. David Ortiz will always be one of my favorite Red Sox players. He's top 5, easy, but I'm going to have to disappoint him and say that I agree with the guys from CSNNE and say he won't get in. He's a DH, so he doesn't have to worry hardly at all about defense, unless it's an inter-league game or a World Series game. The other thing is the accusations of performance enhancing drugs. Let me be clear - I stand by David here, and I don't believe he has used PEDs, but once you get accused of that, it doesn't go away. People (cough Shaughnessy cough) will keep bringing up the accusations again and again. Like the CSNNE panel said, these accusations will increase if he keeps a consistently high level of production through this year and beyond if he keeps playing.
Like I mentioned, I love the guy and I have the deepest respect for him, but I don't think he comes close to Cooperstown. Sorry, Papi.
Tweet me @ConorJF1016 or leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Contributing Writer
Unless you've been living under a rock, then you'll know that David Ortiz just set a new record for most hits by a designated hitter Wednesday night against the Seattle Mariners. So, with that new record begs the question: Does Big Papi have a shot at the Hall of Fame? You could make a compelling argument for both sides. On one side, you have the people who say "Of course he belongs in Cooperstown! He has great numbers, he's been so clutch and he was a huge player in winning 2 World Series rings!" On the other side, people might say "Oh, well he was a DH, he's been linked to performance enhancers, etc." According to a CSNNE discussion, even if he has another stellar season like this, he might end up not even close to Cooperstown because he won't be that high up on the all-time home run list, not to mention the accusations of steroid usage that will surely stem from him having a great year so late in his career (he's 37 now).
No doubt David Ortiz has been one of the great pure hitters of all time. And every Red Sox diehard fan will forever be grateful for his role in breaking the Curse of the Bambino, I'm sure. I know I am and will always be. David Ortiz will always be one of my favorite Red Sox players. He's top 5, easy, but I'm going to have to disappoint him and say that I agree with the guys from CSNNE and say he won't get in. He's a DH, so he doesn't have to worry hardly at all about defense, unless it's an inter-league game or a World Series game. The other thing is the accusations of performance enhancing drugs. Let me be clear - I stand by David here, and I don't believe he has used PEDs, but once you get accused of that, it doesn't go away. People (cough Shaughnessy cough) will keep bringing up the accusations again and again. Like the CSNNE panel said, these accusations will increase if he keeps a consistently high level of production through this year and beyond if he keeps playing.
Like I mentioned, I love the guy and I have the deepest respect for him, but I don't think he comes close to Cooperstown. Sorry, Papi.
Tweet me @ConorJF1016 or leave a comment and let me know what you think.
