All-Aughts Team of the Decade DH: David Ortiz

The beginning of the 2000s saw saw such names as Dante Bichette, Brian Daubach and Carlos Baerga man the designated hitter position. Beginning in 2003, a new name was added to these ranks: David Ortiz. Once Shea Hillenbrand was ousted to Arizona in May, Ortiz took over the full-time DH job and carved his place in Red Sox lore as the greatest clutch hitter in Boston history (commemorated with a plaque given by John Henry in 2004) and a major reason why Boston won two titles.

Ortiz finished fifth in the MVP voting in 2003, topping 100 RBI for the first time in his career. He had a quiet ALDS against the Athletics save for his rousing double in Game 4, but gave us a hint of what was to come in the ALCS against New York, cranking two home runs. Ortiz then avoided arbitration by signing a one year deal worth $4.5875 million a year after earning $1.25 million. Such cheap production for such valuable output, much to George Steinbrenner's anger as he reportedly encouraged GM Brian Cashman to ink Ortiz as a free agent, which Cashman nixed.

Contingency Planning for an Ortiz on the Ropes

As Buster Olney stated in a recent piece, “the Red Sox may look to replace David Ortiz if he struggles again in the first half like he did last year.” Certainly, the struggles of Big Papi have a lot to say about the success of the team. Like we profiled earlier, David Ortiz is undeniably on the downswing of his career. In what should be the last year of his contract, Ortiz will likely have difficulty living up to his $12.5 million price tag. The plan outlined by Olney involves a specific scenario under which Ortiz repeats his 2009 first-half struggles, leading to a trade of Ortiz, acquiring a catcher and moving Victor Martinez to DH. Quite the series of moves. The first obstacle to any such move involves Ortiz underperforming to such a degree that he repeats his putrid April and May, in which he hit just one home run in 178 at-bats on his way to a .185/.289/.286 overall line...

What to Do With David Ortiz

Ask anyone about the playoff prospects of the 2010 Red Sox and they are sure to tell you that a large part of them are riding on the bat of a resurgent David Ortiz. Papi has been one of the biggest cogs in the Red Sox machine for the better part of the past decade. Pushing the team to the brink of a World Series appearance in 2003, he lit worlds on fire bringing the club to two world championships in 2004 and 2007. Then 2008 struck. Downed by an injury to his left wrist, Papi missed 45 games in June and July recovering from his subsequent surgery. Since then, Ortiz hasn't the same. Wrist injuries are death on power hitters. They decrease bat control and bat speed – two of the most important components of power hitting. But, the wrist is just one development in the evolution of David Ortiz as a hitter. He turned 34 this past November, showing signs of aging in his last few seasons. There were PED allegations. And, it wasn’t long before the injury that Ortiz was struggling at the plate, leading to suspicions that Ortiz has become somewhat of a second-half hitter. Still, what seems to have happened to Ortiz is that his wrist has combined with some of the drawbacks of aging - suggesting that Ortiz’s bat speed has slowed...

The Red Sox’s Christmas List

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Holidays to everyone! While I celebrate both Christmas and Hannukah, there's no denying the holiday that stops America in its tracks -- that's Christmas. That's why I've chosen Christmas as the holiday of choice to reveal certain Red Sox personnel's holiday gift lists that were acquired in some unseemly ways. And away we go...

All-Aughts Team of the Decade RP6: Mike Myers

Manny Delcarmen has the years of service, while Rod Beck would have been an appropriate homage to the early decade. Alas, they lost out on a Team of the Decade spot to someone else. It's not often that a player who has pitched just 52.1 innings for a club is named to the Team of the Decade. But it's not often a player like the sidewinding Mike Myers comes along, either.

Big Papi wants to play 3-4 more years

David Ortiz believes he has three or four more years in him, and wants those years to be with Boston.

“I want to finish my career here,” [Ortiz] said. “I think I still have another three or four good years in me. It’s not like I’m going to play until I’m 50, but I know I can still swing the bat. All I know is last year I had the worst two months of my career and still almost ended up at 30 and 100.” “Everybody is used to seeing me hitting 40 homers with 140 RBI,” Ortiz said. “But I tell you, anybody will take 30 and 100." (Boston Herald)

I certainly will. The last 10-15 years have been weaned on 40/120 being the mark of a true power hitter, but with the increased emphasis on speed, defense, pitching and no steroids, 30/100 has become the new benchmark. Ortiz needs to come out with a strong season, hitting in the .280 range while flashing 30/100 power for the club to pick up his 2011 option, valued at $12.5 million. While I see that option being picked up, it remains highly likely that Big Papi will finish his career elsewhere.

BOS 3, CLE 0: Sox Snap Losing Streak Against the Tribe

The Red Sox were ready to snap a six-game losing streak at all costs. Unfortunately, it had to come at the cost of Indians rookie starter Carlos Carrassco, who took a Jacoby Ellsbury line drive off the knee cap on the way to a 3-0 loss.

Jon Lester, who suffered an almost identical injury less than a week ago, looked like his old self, throwing a veritable gem for his fifteenth victory of the season, while the bats played small ball to get themselves out of the slump.

TOR 11, BOS 5: Too Much To Ask

Michael Bowden was stretched too thin, giving up five hits and five earned runs in just over two innings of work. The bullpen did not help matters, as Hunter Jones handed the Blue Jays another four on the way to an 11-5 loss.

Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz would not go silently into the good night, but the pitching, or lack thereof, proved to be a bit too much to overcome, especially in a rain-shortened game.

The DH Rules

A designated hitter is paid to hit - only to hit. There's no fielding involved, no strain from the day-to-day grind, and mobility is not much of an issue.

With fielding requirements thrown out the window, there is an endless sea of candidates to fill the role, meaning the batting standards are much higher at the "position".

Since the National League forces its pitchers to bat during the regular season, NL teams cannot afford to hire an elite hitter to sit on the bench. As a result, the AL has a significant advantage when playing at their home parks.

So, with a struggling DH, will the Red Sox still enjoy their home field advantage should they make the World Series?

Red Sox represented in All-Decade honors

The Sporting News released their All-Decade honors today. The Red Sox were well-represented with David Ortiz winning DH of the…