David Ortiz

Big Papi: Hall of Fame slugger who broke the Red Sox curse and set DH records.

David Américo Ortiz Arias (born November 18, 1975), nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1997 to 2016, primarily for the Boston Red Sox. After playing parts of six seasons with the Minnesota Twins, Ortiz moved to the Red Sox, where he played a leading role in ending the team's 86-year World Series championship drought in 2004, as well as winning championships in 2007 and 2013; he was named the World Series Most Valuable Player in 2013. In his first five seasons with the club, he averaged 41 home runs and 128 runs batted in (RBIs), leading the American League (AL) twice in the latter category and setting the team's single-season record of 54 home runs in 2006; he finished in the top five of the AL's Most Valuable Player voting all five years.

Quick Facts

Position: Designated hitter
Born: 18 November 1975
Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bats: Left
Debut league: MLB
Debut date: September 2
Debut year: 1997
Debut team: Minnesota Twins

Lore & Background

Used almost exclusively as a DH during his 14 seasons with the Red Sox, he was a 10-time All-Star and a seven-time Silver Slugger winner, and became regarded as one of the greatest designated hitters of all time. He received the Edgar Martínez Award as the league's top DH eight times, and set major league records for career home runs (485), RBIs (1,569) and hits (2,192) as a DH. He posted ten seasons each with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, and batted .300 or better seven times. After a drop in his offensive numbers from 2008 to 2012, he enjoyed a strong resurgence in his last four seasons, and had one of his best years in his final campaign, leading the AL in doubles, RBIs, and slugging percentage, once again leading the team to the postseason.

Reader's Guide

Upon his retirement, Ortiz ranked sixth in AL history with 541 home runs, fifth in doubles (632) and ninth in RBIs (1,768). Regarded as one of the greatest clutch hitters of all time, he had 11 career walk-off home runs during the regular season and two during the 2004 postseason, the first of which clinched the AL Division Series. In 2022, Ortiz was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.