David Ortiz. Period.

[WilliamPitt]

Game notes

The Red Sox last had four players with four hits on June 8, 1950, against the St. Louis Browns. ... Ortiz has 27 homers on the road, a Red Sox record. Ted Williams had 26 in 1957. ...

(snip)

Ortiz hit two-run homers off Seth McClung (6-11) in the first and third innings, giving him home runs in three straight at-bats over two games and his second consecutive four-RBI game against the Devil Rays.

Ortiz's first home run traveled an estimated 402 feet to right field. The second was an even more majestic 451-foot shot to right-center.

"On the second ball, Olerud had the best line: 'They need to put out a public address and tell the children to be careful.' It was a gorgeous swing from a very strong man," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

"He's one of the best hitters in the game, if not the best. The timing of some of his hits has made him extraordinary. ... When we need him to be that good, he's answered almost every time. It's fun to watch."

Ortiz boosted his major league-leading RBI total to 140 and is batting .447 with eight homers, 18 RBI and 13 runs scored during a 10-game hitting streak. His 46 homers are a club season record for a left-handed batter and tie Jim Rice for the second-most hit by a Red Sox in one year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=250920130

MVP.

[Bill219]

1. Tonight Don and Jerry said

that he tied Jim Rice for the most HR's during a season while playing for the Red Sox

he is an enigma

[BeyondGeography]

2. It's very simple

Sox win the AL East, Ortiz is MVP.

Yanks win the AL East, A-Rod is MVP.

A-Rod haters can bark all they want, but that's the way it will play out. A DH who doesn't carry his team to the division title won't beat an everyday player with comparable stats who does.

[WilliamPitt]

3. If he hits four more home runs and gets ten more RBIs

Ortiz will join Babe Ruth as the only lefties to ever reach that plateau. Just reported on Sportscenter.

Just sayin'.

[BeyondGeography]

5. Oh yeah, he's great

but he's got one more HR than A-Rod at this stage and he's hitting about 20 points less. In addition to that, A-Rod's in the running for a gold glove at 3B, and Ortiz sits in the dugout when his team is on the field.

Mind you, I'd rather have Ortiz up there in the late stages of a game than A-Rod, and I also think Ortiz is more valuable to the Red Sox than A-Rod is to the Yankees. But there's a bias against DH's winning MVP, and it will be invoked if Boston finishes behind NY in the regular season.

[Jersey Devil]

10. Even with Sox winning AL East Ortiz is no MVP

A-Rod may very well win a gold glove but even if he doesn't it will be close. He hit his 45th to the UPPER DECK in right field last night, something I've never seen done ever by a righty. He needs 1 more HR to tie Joe DiMaggio for most HRs by a right hander in Yankee history. If he was playing in that bandbox called Fenway he'd probably have 60 by now. Hell, Sheffield would probably hit 70 there.

[rinsd]

18. Naaahhh if the Sox win, Big Sloppy will win.

Speaking of winning games and glod gloves, how about that rifle down the line he snagged to start the DP in the 1-0 game this weekend.

[bigwillq]

26. A-Rod makes too many errors

to win the Gold Glove at Third. I know it's a tough position but I don't think he should win the Gold Glove.

[rinsd]

27. I don't know about that....

(all stats are for AL 3B and I have only counted guys with over 100 games at 3B)

He's 3rd in FP.

He's 9th in RF.

He's 6th in assists.

He's 4th in DP.

He's 4th in putouts which is good considering he has fewer chances than the leaders.

He does have 11 errors but that is less than the people ahead of him for FP or RF.

[DaveinMD]

33. 1 error

the second half of the season. He's saved two games this week with the glove.

[K-W]

19. But what about the wild card?

If both teams make the playoffs it wont neccessarily matter who wins the division. It will matter who has the biggest hits getting there. A-Rod needs to manhandle the remaining teams including the Red Sox to win it if both make the postseason.

[Botany]

4. I word

PRONK!

the tribe is alive in oh five .....

[KitchenWitch]

6. Oh how we miss him here in Minny!

:cry:

[Jersey Devil]

9. He wasn't all that good in Minny

Minny didn't have a bandbox for him to hit in like Fenway.

Most he hit in Minny was 20 HR, 75 RBI and .282.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/o/ortizda01.shtml

[KitchenWitch]

28. I know, but he was still very young in Minny...

Has a world of potential.

[DaveinMD]

29. he's a great hitter

he's just not the mvp.

[MaineDem]

7. M-V-P (nt)

[Jersey Devil]

8. He's very, very good, but no MVP

I just don't buy a DH being the league MVP, sorry, too much of a purist.

[MaineDem]

11. How did Bonds win MVP with his crappy defense?

His fielding certainly didn't help him win.

[Jersey Devil]

12. Tell me you are not comparing Ortiz with Bonds

Bonds has 7 MVPs including some from early in his career when he was a solid defensive outfielder. I am not a big Bonds fan but to compare Ortiz with one of the best sluggers of all time is going a bit too far. For Chrissakes, Ortiz has only had 3 years with more than 20 homers.

[MaineDem]

13. But we're only looking at one year

The MVP is for most valuable to his team THIS year.

Yes, I am comparing last year's MVP with a potential MVP this year. Not 10 years past.

Certainly last year's win as MVP was not based on fielding. And why isn't Ortiz as valuable to the Red Sox this year as Bonds was to SF last year?

[Jersey Devil]

14. I still don't think Bonds is a good example

You know that these awards are not based purely on stats. Bonds' recent awards (except for 2001 when he hit 73 HRs) were more of the Lifetime Achievement variety.

The fact that Ortiz is a DH will bias many against him in the voting, including those who think the DH is a bullshit invention anyway.

Look, Ortiz is having a really great season and you should root for him for the MVP. I am just saying that I don't think a DH will ever get it unless he does something truly extraordinary like hit 60+ HRs.

[nickgutierrez]

35. Bonds's recent MVP's weren't "Lifetime Achievement" awards.

I highly doubt he would have won them if they were. Barry beat Pujols the past few years because he was the only player in baseball that changed the way the game was played. A guy that gets on base over 60% of the time does not get a "Lifetime Achievement" award, he gets the Most Valuable Player award, and earns it.

[DaveinMD]

20. Ortiz's ops

is about 300 points lower than Bonds in those years. Those were completely off the charts. A-Rod has a higher ops and is a very good defensive player. A-Rod is the mvp.

[rinsd]

25. Well let's look at his fielding last year....

He played 133 games in LF. He did have 11 assists, 4 errors and a .980 fielding percentage. His range factor was down compared to previous years though (1.69). But we should consider his knee an issue at that point.

Ortiz has 2 errors in 10 games this year, a FP of .976 (putting him at 72nd among AL 1B) and a range factor of 9.23 (46th in the AL for 1B). He's not at 1B because he is a liability in the field.

So while Bonds wasn't exceptional in the field like Arod has been this year, he was okay. Which is a whole lot better than liability that hardly ever plays.

[LSK]

15. its going to be a close MVP vote between Ortiz and ARod

Too close to call. Maybe it comes down to who wins the division?

Ken "the hawk" Harrelson (longtime ChiSox TV guy) says the Ramirez/Ortiz combo is the best 1-2 punch he has ever seen.

[Arkana]

16. Big Papi = MVP.

[DaveinMD]

21. MVH

A-Rod is mvp. He doesn't spend most of the game in the clubhouse.

[Arkana]

22. Big Papi isn't the most overpaid player in baseball

Ortiz will be MVP if the Sox take the division. :P

[rinsd]

23. Hey leave Man-Ram alone....

...its not his fault his MVP campaign was destroyed when his team tried to trade him.

[DaveinMD]

24. I play the field better than him

A-Rod plays baseball. Ortiz just hits and then watches most of the game in the clubhouse. He's not near the player A-Rod is.

[rinsd]

17. DH for a team that may not make the playoffs.....

...though for the life of me I don't know why opposing pitchers bother throwing anything near the strike zone beyond the 7th inning.

As another poster stated, it's simple.

If the Yanks win, Arod should and probably will get the MVP. His numbers are comparable even better in some respects AND he's played gold glove defense at 3rd. He won the game Sat by snagging a ball and starting a DP.

Big Sloppy hits, he hits very very well but that is all he does. And in a year where no one has outdistanced all their competitors, his lack of playing the field should be considered. Though if the Sox win he will certainly take the MVP.

[Princess Turandot]

30. Where did he come in last year for the regular season MVP? (Ortiz)..

He had 41 HR's & 139 RBI's and batted .301, altho I don't know if that includes the playoff figures.

[SuperWonk]

31. Ortiz....

Has something that A-Rod will never understand: how to be a leader, and a team player, while still being a star.

[DaveinMD]

32. bs

The team leader that excuses Manny for not running anything out. Ortiz isn't a player. He's a hitter. A-Rod saved two games this week with his glove.

[Princess Turandot]

34. I don't think Ortiz should be the MVP..I'm just curious as to whether..

there was this outcry for him to be MVP last year, when he had very comparable stats. I don't recall that being the case. It was Guerrero & Sheffield everyone was talking about.

[DaveinMD]

36. Agreed

This an espn generated hype. Before they settled on Ortiz, they were pushing Veritek. Anything to keep the award away from A-Rod.

[MaineDem]

37. No glove lost in AL MVP debate

Who has been most valuable, A-Rod or Big Papi?
By Ian Browne and Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

A-Rod or Big Papi? That's the question on everybody's minds as the regular season draws to an exciting conclusion. As the Yankees and Red Sox battle for the American League East crown, public debate over the league's Most Valuable Player award continues to dominate conversation.

The issue at hand: Should a designated hitter, Boston's David Ortiz, win the award over someone who plays the field every day, which New York's Alex Rodriguez does? How much should fielding count in this race?

Mark Feinsand, who covers the Yankees for MLB.com, and Ian Browne, who covers the Red Sox, exchanged emails debating this very topic.


http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050922&content_id=1219601&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos

[rinsd]

38. Fuel for the fire.....

There's alot of talk about how Big Sloppi's HR's have come at opportune times with 20 of them tieing the game or putting the Sox in the lead.

Well 19 of Arod's shots have done the same thing.

No MVP for Sloppi as Sox miss playoffs.