Hey you guys remember when we needed a cheap first baseman after the 2002 season? I remember many on the board wanted Ortiz and we were reported to have at least inquired about signing him.... but instead we chose Robert Fick... fun times!
Hey you guys remember when we needed a cheap first baseman after the 2002 season? I remember many on the board wanted Ortiz and we were reported to have at least inquired about signing him.... but instead we chose Robert Fick... fun times!
Hmmm. My recollection is we made $1M offers to both and said "First one to accept gets it." Fick's agent called back first.Originally Posted by zbhargrove
Ooops!
50PoundHead (07-25-2016)
Even worse is his salary was only 12.5 mil a year from 2007-2011, so it's not like he would have been crazy expensive to keep.
In our defense... Ortiz looked like he had potential back then, but he was a late bloomer... he was a solid player, but nothing by 2002 suggested he would be the superstar he's turned into today. Of course we don't know how much PEDs were involved...
I was one of those in the camp of wanting Ortiz, watching him hit everyday in Minnesota I was pretty sure he was going to be an offensive force once he got out of Gardenhire's mismanagement. That being said we have no idea how Ortiz would have done in Atlanta, having to play first base everyday. I don't know if he would have held up to the demands, as well as I think he would have been a negative on defense, but make no mistake about it in the short term Ortiz should have been the priority.
There's no doubt that being able to be a DH extended his career much longer.
That, and having that massive wall in left field to bank off of.
Don't forget Travis Lee, who was also much more effective than Fick
Stockholm, more densely populated than NYC - sturg
NinersSBChamps (07-24-2016)
One of those woulda/coulda/shoulda situations that started popping up a couple of years after the Fick fiasco. Going off memory I believe Ortiz credited some of the coaches in Boston at the time of his turnaround. That being said I doubt he would of been a HOF hitter had he come to Atlanta.
Not to mention we would not have kept him past the contract.
My goodness if Papi was on that 2003 offense.
Furcal
Giles
Sheffield
Chipper
D. Ortiz
Javy
Andruw
Castilla
R. Ortiz
Forever Fredi
While I understand your point, I think people often make statements like that, not because they are necessarily true, but to express appreciation for coaches they have worked with. It is unfair to say he became great because of something a coach noticed that no other coach would have ever noticed.
It is great that he got along well with his hitting coaches... but it is much more likely that he matured as a hitter and figured it out. Guys do get better. Happens often with young guys, and sometimes even with guys who are a little older (in baseball years).
Ef him and his cheating ways.
I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. But I do feel it was a certain set of circumstances in Boston that led him to being the hitter he is/was. Fenway has a habit of making hitters like Ortiz really good.
That would have been insane. We could have had 22 Hr's from our 8 hitter haha
Your memory is wrong. They offered 3 first baseman contracts and Fick was the first to accept so they didn't wait around on Ortiz.
"Yes, I did think Aldrich was good UNTIL I SAW HIM PLAY. "- thethe
Any evidence he cheated?
Actually, it was Kelly who screwed him up. Gardenhire saved his career. Kelly hated Ortiz and wanted him banished to AAA, but then Kelly's dad got sick. Kelly went to be with his father and in his absence, Gardenhire put Ortiz in the line-up and Ortiz hit enough to stick around. The handwriting was on the wall for him in Minnesota, so he lasted for another season (Gardenhire's first) and was part of a pretty good team. But with Kelly still whispering in Terry Ryan's ear, Ortiz was released in December, 2002.
As I recall, the Braves put $1 million on the table and offered it to Fick, Ortiz, and Travis Lee. Fick jumped on it. Ortiz actually got a bit more by waiting ($1.25 MM) to sign with the Red Sox. Travis Lee signed with Tampa Bay for $500,000 and had a much better year than Fick did with the Braves.
I think Ortiz ended up where he should have. He's probably the worst first baseman I've ever watched and for those of us who watched David Justice try to play the position back in 1990 for the Braves, that's saying a lot.
I think you missed the whole point of the post... go back to where you've been hiding in Nationals land please.
Failed test(s).
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