This Award also goes to guys who get free passes.
The winner/loser is David Ortiz.
Ortiz hit 28 homeruns, and you'd think he hit 38 or 48. I find it laughable that his reaching 28 homeruns is considered a great achievement because he didn't hit one until May 20. 28 homeruns in a 128 game span is a nice accomplishment. But it's a 162 game season.
Even with Ortiz's 28 homeruns, he hit .238 with a .332 OBP (career .377 OBP). He only slugged .462. He hit .213 on the road, .253 with runner's in scoring position, .210 late & close, and .083 in the ALDS. He had a bad year. But nobody wants to say it.
Oh, and it was also revealed that he took PEDs. Yet nobody in New England took his feet to the coals over it. He delayed giving his side of the story, eventually fed a blatant fable to the media, and everyone ate it up.
Nobody wants to say it, because he's so beloved here, but he's not the same David Ortiz anymore. Perhaps it's the lack of juice, or the lack of Manny. Maybe he's just one of those Roger Maris type players that can have 3 or 4 good seasons, but then slumps. He's a DH, who struggles to hit his weight. He's not a slugger anymore (32nd in MLB in HR, 66th in slugging), and he's not clutch.
So I take it you're a Yankees fan in Boston?
ReplyDeleteNo, I've just been a Sox fan for longer than 7 years, back when criticizing Boston athletes wasn't only a right of Boston sports fans, but a responsibility.
ReplyDeleteDavid Ortiz got a free pass from almost everyone in Boston, including, apparently, yourself as well.
Actually, Internet Tough Guy, it was this part that made me shake my head:
ReplyDelete"I liked Varitek until he set Scott Boras on Theo and the front office, trying to bilk the Sox for $10 million."
But, of course I'm sure you have all the inside info you need to make that assessment. And the fact that you actually have some lame award named after him? Very mature. Yeah, he really deserves all that disrespect from so-called fans.
How is that hometown discount Mike Lowell gave the Sox working out for him? Yup, that's what I thought.
Maybe actual thoughtful analysis just isn't Rob's thing.
ReplyDeleteBoras was demanding $10M a year, and Boras is an employee of Jason Varitek. Then nobody offered him anywhere near that amount of money, because he's not that good.
ReplyDeleteBut this is exactly why I named the award for most overrated athlete after Varitek. Because clowns like you still worship him after he hits .209 or .220, then sets ultimatums and makes demands of his team to pay him way more than he's worth.