|
Hall of Fame Class 31 There’s Only Room for One -
He’s Big Papi! - |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
David “Big Papi” Ortiz
|
|
The other Hall of Fame Class 31 candidates were
overwhelmed by the large presence on the ballot of David Ortiz. In the voters’
minds there really was only room on the ballot for one guy; and there will need
be room on the Hall of Fame Induction dais for only one guy as well, one “Big
Papi.” For many it was an easy choice, Ortiz receiving 91.1% of the ballots
cast. Overall, Class 31 ballots were received from 85% of the electorate. Ortiz spent much of his early career
searching for a home through a series of 2-year contracts with Bethesda, who
sold Ortiz to Newmarket for a mere $20K; on to Long Island for a pair of
aging has-beens and a low FA pick; and finally to
Portsmouth in a trade for a young Hideki Matsui. It was in Portsmouth that
Daivd became Big Papi, mashing 40+ home runs each of the next three seasons.
Ortiz spent six full seasons with the Pubdwellers.
Despite his offensive prowess, Ortiz would only make one playoff appearance with
Portsmouth, in his first season there in 2005. Following his time in Portsmouth, Ortiz would
do a 3-year stint in Bradenton. It would be nine long years before David
would be a participant in the playoffs again. But… after only that one visit in a fifteen-year
career, Big Papi would become a TCBA playoff fixture for each of his final four
seasons. For his career, David Ortiz would smash 456
home runs, #26 all-time. He led the league in that category in 2015. Of the remaining candidates, Beltran may
have been overshadowed by the bulk of Big Papi, but the remaining candidates,
with the exception of reliable Mark Buehrle, were
largely ignored by the voters. Voting for Class 31 will be held in January
2024. The vote totals for Class 31 are listed below: Class 31 Voting Totals:
· Appeared on
the list for the final time. Source: TCBA Encyclopedia |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
