Big Papi believes Boston will get its style of play back with Breslow

David Ortiz believes former teammate Craig Breslow, recently hired as the Red Sox’ chief athletic officer, can turn the team around.

Hall of Famer David Ortiz saw his former team, the Boston Red Sox, fall to the bottom of the division two years in a row and in three of his last four seasons.

But he believes former teammate Craig Breslow, recently hired as the team’s chief athletic officer, can turn the team around by moving it away from the analytical direction it has been heading.

“I heard yesterday that he’s trying to slowly turn off the analytical side and go back to the old style of play,” Ortiz said Friday in a video conference with The Associated Press about his golf tournament — the 15th annual David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic. (Marco Island, Florida).

“I think it’s a good starting point,” admitted the Dominican player, who retired in 2016. “I think the game has become completely analytical and in the end, that has its limits.” “You need people with heart and soul, people who have been in a position who can mentor young people and teach them how to deal with certain situations.

Ortiz pointed to the recent World Series and postseason as evidence that experience and veteran managers pay off, pointing to the now-retired Dusty Baker (Houston Astros) and Bruce Bochy, a World Series champion with the Texas Rangers, as well as Torrey Lovullo, of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“You see these guys playing under old-school managers, and they all have a different idea of ​​the game — they’re learning from the dinosaurs,” Ortiz added.

Ortiz, who recently turned 48 and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, believes the fact that Breslow played in a city like Boston will help him in his new role.

“All these little details that the general manager who wasn’t in the club doesn’t know, he knows,” Ortiz said. “I’m confident Breslow will do well as general manager because he’s been in this position before.”

The David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic raises money to provide critical health care for children in New England and his native Dominican Republic.