David Ortiz Stats

David Ortiz’s stats will show him to be one of the best hitters of the first decade of the 21st century and the arguably the best designated hitter to ever play the game. He will also be known for the many clutch hits he has delivered as a member of the Boston Red Sox. A leaked and disputed report that he failed a drug test for steroids may taint his legacy, but it cannot take away the achievements set by the man known as “Big Papi”.

1.  He holds the Major League Baseball (MLB) record for runs batted in (RBI) as a designated hitter (DH).  In early April, 2011, Ortiz broke the record for most RBI by a DH with his 1,003rd RBI at the position. He broke the record that was held by former Seattle Mariners great Edgar Martinez who has been acknowledged to be the best designated hitter ever in MLB. As proof, the award given to the best DH every year is officially named the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award and David Ortiz has won that one five times.
2. He holds the MLB record for most home runs by a DH. Ortiz has hit 313 home runs as a designated hitter. He broke the record on September 15, 2009, when he hit a monster shot out of the park to centerfield for career home run number 313 as a DH. This broke the record held at the time by MLB great Frank Thomas.
3. Ortiz holds the Red Sox single season record for home runs. The Boston Red Sox have had many great hitters in their long history like Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Wade Boggs, Jim Rice and Manny Ramirez, but none of them ever hit as many home runs in a season as “Big Papi” did in 2006 when he hit 54 bombs out of the park. Ortiz also led the American League in RBI that year as well as finishing third in the American League most valuable player voting.
4. Ortiz is tied with Babe Ruth for American League single-season home-run record in road games. This is an interesting record since any time you can get mentioned as being tied with the legendary Babe Ruth in anything baseball-related it must be pretty significant. When Ortiz hit his 54 home runs during the 2006 season, 32 of them came on the road and not in Fenway Park. Ruth hit 32 road home runs during his dominant 1927 season when he set the record for most home runs in a season with 60, which stood until 1961.
5. David Ortiz has hit twelve career walk-off home runs, the highest of any active player. A walk-off home run is a home run that gives the home team the lead and, consequently, the win in the bottom of the final inning of a game. This shows how good “Big Papi” is in the clutch.  He is currently one home run behind Yankee legend Mickey Mantle for the career lead in walk-off home runs, which certainly puts the accomplishment in perspective.