David Ortiz must be powerful.
Not since O.J. Simpson’s trial has there been so much talk about a glove. Ortiz doesn’t wear one. So it goes that when it comes to the American League MVP trophy, he can’t have one.
To award a designated hitter the highest honor, the reasoning goes, would be to interfere with logic. Of course, there is no such thing where Ortiz is concerned. Ortiz demands consideration, begs for an exception.
“I am trying to break the rules,” Ortiz said with a laugh last week.
No DH has won the MVP. The closest example is former Rockies manager Don Baylor, who claimed the prize with the California Angels in 1979 while playing 97 games in the outfield and 65 as the DH. Ortiz has started just 10 games at first base.
Still, not taking Ortiz’s candidacy seriously is an excuse, if not a bias, when weighing him against lone competitor Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees’ A-Rod continues to live up to the hype – and contract – with another monster season.
If the Yankees make the playoffs, he is the safe choice for an award whose predictable equation has read: big offensive numbers + decent defense + winning team = MVP. Rodriguez is hitting .318 with 42 home runs and 114 RBIs and has committed just 11 errors in his second season at third base for a Yankees team desperately trying to reach the playoffs.
If you follow history, Rodriguez owns the award, no argument. But why not recognize the true greatness we want in our athletes: the ability to produce the biggest hit when the team needs it most. Those moments should be weighted, like your kids’ AP calculus class.
Maybe it’s embedded in my brain from watching John Elway for 16 years.
He played his best in the crunch – the final two minutes with fire alarms blaring.
Why not let that be our guide with Ortiz? Forget that Big Papi is hitting .297 with 43 home runs and 132 RBIs.
Focus instead on the fact that 19 of his home runs have tied or put the Red Sox ahead. That he has hit 17 home runs after the sixth inning, despite teams treating him with care reserved for a Ming vase. That he owns 18 game-winning RBIs for a team whose pitching is trying valiantly to sabotage a postseason berth.
With runners in scoring position, Ortiz is batting .343 with 82 RBIs. A-Rod sits at .281 with 67 RBIs.
“It really is incredible watching (Ortiz) every night,” Red Sox assistant GM Josh Byrnes said. “He has a knack for producing hits that define a season.”
The irony is if Ortiz were a bad defender, he would be a better candidate. The reality is Ortiz helps his team more by not manning first base than previous MVPs Frank Thomas, Jason Giambi and Mo Vaughn did by playing the position.
The glove may not fit, but that’s no reason to acquit him from an MVP race he should win.
Rockies’ patience vs. missing pieces
The Rockies will stick with their youth movement, determined not to lose perspective about the team’s best second-half finish under manager Clint Hurdle.
Since June 1, all the Rockies have proven is they can compete in a bad division, if not lead it, with a 45-52 record. And yet, do that over a full season and they would reach the playoffs.
Examine the rosters and payroll problems facing West clubs, and it’s fair to wonder if it will take 89 victories to claim the title next year, as history suggests. I am not saying the Rockies should abandon their kids, but it might be time to add those complementary pieces a year earlier than expected.
If the Rockies swallow hard and invest $15 million for a catcher, center fielder and two pitchers (starter and a reliever), they would enter next spring as a contender in the NL West. Does anyone remember how much difference Pudge Rodriguez made for the allegedly too-young-for-prime-time 2003 Marlins?
The Rockies can afford single-season commitments for upgrades, though it’s a delicate balance. The Rockies would have to hit precise home runs, since it makes no sense to overspend on mediocrity, and they are understandably reluctant to award long-term commitments just as their sea of bad contracts has thawed.
“The biggest thing we have to do, however we finish, is learn from past mistakes,” general manager Dan O’Dowd said. “In 2000, we thought we were a lot closer, spent a lot of money, and it obviously didn’t work. We will look to add pieces, but our improvement will for the most part be internal, how our young players continue to get better.”
Regardless, getting a catcher is a priority, even if the type hasn’t been determined. The Rockies may eschew an offensive catcher and pair Danny Ardoin with a glove man to accelerate the growth of the pitching staff. The Cubs’ Henry Blanco fits the profile. He has one year remaining on his contract at $1.25 million.
As for a reliever, it’s no secret that the Rockies would like to add another veteran left-hander, with San Francisco free agent Scott Eyre and the White Sox’s Damaso Marte, under contract, among the possibilities.
White Sox, white knuckles
Paging Dr. Heimlich. The Chicago White Sox, one of baseball’s most charming stories, are choking away the 15-game division lead they held Aug. 2. The Sox are 21-23 over the past 44 games, averaging 4.1 runs, off nearly a full run from their season’s previous production. Their collapse has been likened to the 1969 Cubs, the equivalent of a director having his work compared with “Gigli.”
Reasons for the slump are plentiful, but the most telling numbers are tied to former Cy Young candidates Mark Buehrle and Jon Garland. Before the all-star break, they were 23-7 with a 2.95 ERA. Post break? Try 9-10 with a 3.87 ERA.
Footnotes
Coors Light Field pales when compared with the Texas Rangers’ launching pad. Texas sits four home runs shy of breaking the Rockies’ record – 149 in 1996 – for homers at home. The Rockies are on pace for 85 home runs at Coors this year, thanks to a young roster and the humidor. …
The latest evidence why the industry views mega-contracts as radioactive? Hampton, who rescued his career in Atlanta, has suffered a lost season because of injuries and is now facing elbow surgery that could knock him out next year. The Braves owe the 32-year-old Hampton $43 million over the final three seasons of his original Rockies eight-year, $123.8 million contract, the richest and longest given a pitcher. Insurance will help them recoup some cost next year. …
Slumping Juan Pierre has lost his leadoff spot in Florida and Eric “DIA layover” Byrnes has not hit in Baltimore, leaving his future uncertain. …
Never forget when I asked Dmitri Young about Delmon when his kid brother was in high school. “He’s never had his first car, his first girlfriend or his first 40-ouncer, so I don’t know how his (career) will turn out,” Dmitri said. Now Delmon, baseball’s best minor-league player, has his first controversy, ripping the “cheap” Devil Rays for not calling him up.
Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-820-5457 or trenck@denverpost.com.
