David Ortiz is not the Player Everyone Thinks He is

On Sunday, Red Sox fans watched David Ortiz play first base as well as any other option in Boston’s arsenal. Manager John Farrell publicly stated that he has full confidence in Ortiz’s ability to play the position. Fans will watch him play the position again tonight against Miami.

But the question lingers, why haven’t the Red Sox played Ortiz at first base on a regular basis? Most writers and fans agree that the best possible team the Red Sox can put on the field  has Ortiz at first base, Hanley Ramirez at designated hitter and Alejandro De Aza in left field. How has the Red Sox organization not realize this yet?

I suspect the reason is David Ortiz himself. Ortiz’s words insinuate he does not want to play first base regularly. When asked about playing first base, in a light-hearted way, Ortiz would always bring it back to his hitting, stating that playing first base keeps his mind off of hitting, distracting him even. And why should fans expect a 39 years old DH to accept a change of role after 10 years in the business?

Farrell seems to adhere. As a manager with great respect for veterans—the man benched Jackie Bradley Jr. in 2014 for veteran Grady Sizemore and made sure veteran Shane Victorino started this year in right field—I speculate that Farrell feels no need to upset Ortiz by playing him at first base regularly, even if it makes the team better. Farrell has the tendency to start veterans over the best possible scenario.

Publicly, Farrell can do and say whatever he wants, as can Ortiz. They certainly do not have to do what the media and fans say. But they should not deceive the fans. Again, Ortiz has not played first base regularly for more than 10 years, dating back to 2004, and again, no way does it appear Ortiz wants to start playing first base again.

That speaks about David Ortiz’s character.

The Red Sox’s best option of winning resides in Ortiz at first base and Ramirez at DH. However, Ortiz still will not embrace playing first base more often. As the veteran, a guy others look towards and a presumed leader of the clubhouse, Ortiz should be willing to do anything that gives the team the best chance to win.

But Ortiz will not play first base because it hurts his knees so much that he has to spend the entire next day on the couch. That cannot and should not count for leadership.

This gets to my second point. As a long time Bostonian and an essential part to the Red Sox’s 2000-era dynasty, most assume Ortiz can and will stay in a Red Sox uniform on his own time. He will choose when he retires. However, that should not hold true. I contest that if Ortiz plans to play longer than this season, the team needs to trade him at this year’s July 31 trade deadline.

Batting .228 at the age of 39 only looks bad for Ortiz. On a team with two designated hitters—that is Ramirez and Ortiz due to Ramirez’s sheer inability to play any position—in the long term, Ramirez wins. The Red Sox have Ramirez for four years, three more after this season. The Red Sox are contractually obligated to Ortiz only until the end of this season, the team holding two options on the contract. The Red Sox have more invested in Ramirez and Ramirez will outperform Ortiz within those years, if Ortiz continues to play. The Red Sox should focus more on exploiting Ramirez’s productivity than letting the Ortiz legacy play out.

Going forward, if the Red Sox continue to play the way like the last two weeks for the rest of the season, the team will push for winning the division. Their best chance to win is by sporting a team with Ramirez at DH and Ortiz at first base, but without Ortiz putting the team first, it will never happen.

A veteran, leader, contributor, call Ortiz whatever you want, but until Ortiz chooses to put the team before anything else, my adjective of choice remains selfish.