Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz – No. 63
The Red Sox scooped up David Ortiz from the scrap heap when the Minnesota Twins couldn’t find room for him on their crowded roster. Two decades later, Big Papi will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Ortiz hit .286/.380/.552 during his 20 seasons in the big leagues. His 541 home runs are the 17th-most in MLB history. 483 of those homers were smashed while he was wearing a Red Sox uniform, giving him the second-most home runs in franchise history.
In 2006, Ortiz set the single-season franchise record with 54 home runs.
As great as he was during the regular season, Ortiz was on another level on the playoff stage. He defined the word clutch in the postseason. His back-to-back walk-off hits in the 2004 ALCS and his game-tying grand in the 2013 ALCS are just the tip of the iceberg. Ortiz led the Red Sox to three World Series titles to cement his legacy was one of the most feared sluggers in postseason history.
The 10-time All-Star and seven-time Silver Slugger finished in the top-five on the MVP ballot in each of his first five seasons with the Red Sox. Bias against the DH was a primary factor holding him back from taking home the hardware.
It presumably is at least part of the reason why he ranks surprisingly low on ESPN’s list. They ranked Derek Jeter No. 28 based on his intangibles and playoff success. How is he so much higher than Ortiz, who had those same factors in his favor? Is it because he provided below-average defense at shortstop while Ortiz rarely fielded a position? Jeter is undoubtedly worthy of this list but he’s also the most overrated defensive player in recent memory and therefore, the gap between he and Ortiz shouldn’t be this wide.