Ortiz finished between second and fifth in the Most Valuable Player voting each of those years, ranking second in 2005 and falling just behind Justin Morneau and Derek Jeter in a three-man race in 2006.
While the game has reverted in that short time to one dominated by pitching and defense, Ortiz's 2011 numbers are on par with his level of production from many of those years. Which begs the question: Is David Ortiz, one of the few remaining full-time designated hitters, a legitimate MVP candidate?
Never shy to stick out his chest and sing his own praises, Ortiz would say so. And he would have some very impressive statistics to support his case.
After hitting a three-run homer and a single before being removed early in Saturday's 16-4 win over Toronto, Ortiz is now batting .325, good for fourth in the American League. His 16 homers are fewer than only four AL hitters. Ortiz also has 39 RBIs. While a healthy total, that is not quite in the top 10, but only because the team's other worthy candidate, Adrian Gonzalez, all too often cleans the bases two spots in front of him. Just not many guys for Ortiz to drive in other than himself.
Still, Ortiz is batting .310 with seven home runs with runners on base this year, providing an anchor in the middle of the most potent lineup in baseball. After the victory, Boston had scored 15 more runs than any other team in baseball.
It is early, and a Red Sox vote for the team's most valuable player would likely go to Gonzalez at this point, but there's question there are similarities to those other years when Ortiz was considered at the top of the short list for MVP.
Consider 2006, for one. It was just about this time that year when the Red Sox reeled off 12 straight wins. Over the last 11 games of that stretch, Ortiz hit .317 with five home runs and 13 RBIs, largely making himself into a viable MVP candidate just before the All-Star break.
During the team's current winning streak, which matches the longest since that memorable run in '06, Ortiz is doing even more of the same. In the eight straight wins, he's batting .400 with three home runs and 11 RBIs. The last four games of the winning streak have come against division opponents, stressing the other component to Ortiz's value. He is now hitting .360 (27-for-75) with six homers and 17 RBIs in 23 games versus the American League East.
In 2007, Ortiz saw a dramatic drop in his power numbers, but hit a career-high .332, finishing fourth in the MVP voting. He is just seven points off that pace this year, but on pace to hit seven more home runs (42 to 35) and to drive in over 100 runs.
Gonzalez can boast comparable — or even better — numbers in many categories. He also plays a position, and he plays it well. No full-time DH has ever won the MVP, and there are a lot of people out there who are vehemently opposed to the idea. Those factors could prevent Ortiz from even being a factor when the awards are handed out after the season. Heck, there's 98 games left on the Red Sox schedule before the voting can even take place.
However, as long as we are comparing Ortiz to his standout days of yesteryear, and doing so on an almost daily basis, it is worth considering him in such a discussion. All this just a year after many wondered if it was worth considering him at all in a Red Sox uniform.
