Detroit Tigers: What To Do with David Ortiz?

What will the Detroit Tigers do for David Ortiz on his farewell tour? Will they show the Tigers killer some love?

In a recent interview, David Ortiz stated that he would really like if in his last game at Yankee Stadium the fans would all give him a standing ovation. Although a romantic idea, I really don’t see it happening. There are way too many “non-classy” baseball fans to understand how much of a legend that David Ortiz really is. Don’t get me wrong I am not a fan of Ortiz, but credit should be given where it is due; he can absolutely crush the ball. Obviously, we, the Detroit Tigers fans, don’t care – really – what the Yankees fans do for Ortiz’s last game, but what will we do? Should the fans and the team stand and show him some love?

Baseball is one of the hardest sports. The combination of coordination and power is hard to find, and David Ortiz has both. Ortiz used this to ruin the Detroit Tigers run in 2013 when he crushed a grand slam off Joaquin Benoit in Game 2 of the ALDS.

Against pitchers currently on the Tigers roster whom David Ortiz has faced, he is batting .355 and slugging .789. Unfortunately he is a Tigers killer, as much as we hate to admit. One Tigers pitcher that Ortiz loves to hit off of is Anibal Sanchez. In 7 at-bats he has hit 2 home runs and drove in 4 RBIs. These numbers are pretty consistent against most teams in the MLB leading him to become a villain in pretty much every city.

His production coupled with his seemingly constant arrogant comments have made him one of the more polarizing players in professional sports. But fans, we must admit, he has had an amazing career. Having a career batting average of .284 and still hitting 506 home runs over his 19 year career is amazing. He is a nine-time All-Star with six Silver Sluggers and finishing in the top ten for MVP six times is an impressive resume. Despite the animosity that he brings with him, he should be respected as one of the best in baseball now, and in the history of baseball.

On the field, Big Papi is quite intense. His glare from the plate would send chills down the spine of any pitcher. But, it is obvious he still loves the game. He jokes with his teammates, his opponents, and the umpires. He respects the game greatly. He is in love with his job. We, as fans, can’t hate him for what he does on the field. We can regret pitching to him, but not hate him. He may say somethings every once in awhile that rubs people the wrong way, but that is part of the game.

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Ultimately let’s all put our disapproval of Ortiz to the side, check our egos at the gates, and just give the man his standing ovation. He has had a phenomenal career and deserves to be respected for his last rodeo. Besides, it will be the last time we have to see him play our team! Why not celebrate?