“Never let the big man beat you”, warns an old baseball adage. In the 2013 World Series, the Cardinals didn’t heed that advice, and the benefactor was David Ortiz, who further cemented his reputation as one of baseball’s most prolific post season performers.
Top-10 World Series Production – One Series, by OPS
Note: Minimum 10 plate appearances.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
Top-10 World Series Production – Overall, by OPS
Note: Minimum 40 plate appearances.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
It would be hard to exaggerate the extent to which David Ortiz dominated the 2013 Fall Classic. In the series’ six games, the Red Sox DH compiled an astounding line of .688/.760/1.188, good for the seventh highest single World Series OPS among all hitters with at least 10 plate appearances. What made Ortiz’ output even more impressive, however, was his teammates’ futility. Without Big Papi, the Red Sox lineup sputtered, producing meager rates of .169/.230/.253. As a result, even with Ortiz’ historic performance, Boston’s combined OPS of .621 ranked as the 17th lowest rate among baseball’s 110 champions. What’s more, Ortiz’ OPS was more than three times the Red Sox total output (with his contribution included), the largest percentage gap between one player and his team in World Series History.
Top-10 World Series Production Relative to Team, by OPS Ratio
Note: Minimum 10 plate appearances. Player is compared to combined team OPS, which includes his own performance.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
David Ortiz is the prototypical big man, and during the post season, he has made a habit of beating the opposition. With a few more signature hits on his resume, and a World Series MVP on his mantle, Ortiz has solidified his claim to being this generation’s Mr. October. However, he may have done much more than that. By extending his legend, Ortiz may have also enhanced his chances of making the Hall of Fame. Granted, the stigma of being a DH and the taint of PED allegations will burden his candidacy, but it’s hard to argue against the impact Ortiz has had on the game, especially in October. After all, if the history of not only the last decade, but all post season play features David Ortiz prominently, how can the Hall of Fame not do the same?
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