The Curious Case of David Ortiz’s Hall of Fame

Despite the fact that the player has all the statistical and award-winning advantages of getting to Cooperstown, many skeptics point to the “Mitchell Report” as evidence that Big Papy doesn’t belong in immortality.

David Ortiz He is one of thirteen new names that will appear for the first time on a voter’s ballot Cooperstown Hall of Fame. The former player was successful as the designated hitter from the start Boston Red Sox For more than a decade, his name has been synonymous with the team’s success during the first two decades of the twenty-first century.

The Dominicans are considered to be one of the best designated hitters in history, and have won three championships World Championship, 10 invitations to star game And seven prizes Patti de Plata in Carrera. He crowned his 20-year mission Big leagues With a hitting average of .286, along with an OPS of .931, 2,472 hits, of which 541 were home and 632 were doubles, and 1,768 RBIs, while scoring 1,419 hits.

Their numbers are obviously those of a future member of Hall of Fame, but about the nomination Ortiz It weighs a shadow that for some reason doesn’t seem to disappear: Informie Mitchell.

For those who don’t remember, “notorious” Informie Mitchell It was an investigation conducted and published in 2007 by the then US Senator, George Mitchell. In the same 89 names of players MLB That according to their research, they had used performance enhancing materials.

Ortiz It is not directly mentioned in the above report, however, a 2009 article from The New York Times He indicated that the player had tested positive for a substance in 2003. At the time, the former player said he would investigate what had allegedly been tested positive and would share information he understood was relevant with his club and fans. .

however, Ortiz He never gave any explanation and rumors kept haunting him, even though he didn’t fail his test MLBAs indicated by the commissioner himself Rob Manfred In 2016, the year that “Big Babypulled out of MLB.

Since then, Informie Mitchell He was heavily criticized for the way information was obtained. from alleged interviews with expeloteros, as well as confessions obtained from material suppliers, as part of arrangements to avoid years in prison.

The shadow of this report has always settled Ortizeven after Rob Manfred He said he believed the presumed Dominican result could be a false positive test result.

This report served as a shadow over several Hall of Famers with names like Barry BondsAnd Roger Clemens And Sami Sousa, all accused of using performance-enhancing substances, voters may hesitate to cast their vote David Ortiz.

However, Ortiz He remains a well-loved figure in American baseball, working as an analyst on foreign networks post-season, meaning he is highly respected among those associated with MLB.

The truth is that under these circumstances, there is someone who can break the rhetoric created by the Mitchell Report that has cost many players over the years the opportunity to enter Hall of Fame, This is it David Ortiz.