David Ortiz is Hilarious and in Shape?

A few weeks ago, I got a text message from my buddy. Like 6000 billion other people, he was at the theater to see Avatar in 3D. The movie had just begun, when who walks in and sits in front of him? David Ortiz. Big Papi himself. The two things he told me were that Ortiz was actually skinny and his diamond stud earring was so freakin’ big that he kept getting distracted.

The diamond earring I can understand, but skinny? For a second I thought I was being punked. Then, last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Big Papi showed off his slimmed down physique while promoting his En Fuego hot sauces. While watching Papi demonstrate his hitting stance, it made me wonder about the effect his weight loss will have on his hitting ability.

Despite a horrible power outage for Papi at the beginning of last season, he surged back in unbelievable fashion ending with 28 HR’s and 99 RBI’s. Without having the burden of the steroid scandal and some other ‘personal’ issues he was dealing with last year, there is no reason to think Ortiz won’t have an excellent 2010.

The slimmed down frame means that Ortiz will now be built for speed, or atleast more speed than in the past. By being skinnier, Ortiz will now be able to turn on inside fastballs even quicker than before because he doesn’t have his belly in the way. Also, Ortiz will now be able to run to first base in under 3 minutes flat.

All joking aside, a healthier Big Papi is great to see. Hopefully his power numbers remain and Ortiz can return to his comfortable middle-of-the-lineup dominance. I expect great things from Papi in 2010 and as Ortiz rolls, the offense rolls. Mayor Menino, start planning the parade, because Big Papi is back.