David Ortiz Continues to Silence Skeptics in 2011, While Red Sox Boast Multiple MVP Candidates

by NESN Staff on Fri, Aug 5, 2011 at 8:01PM

The Red Sox offense boasts at least three legitimate MVP candidates in Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia. And while they've been receiving a great deal of praise, David Ortiz is also showing that he still has plenty left in the tank.

NESN's Peter Gammons said before Friday's series opener against the Yankees that it depends on who you ask when coming up with an MVP selection out of the top three hitters in the Sox order. He said that Orioles people will tell you Pedroia, while Yankees people will tell you Ellsbury. No matter what the case, though, it seems like everyone has an opinion.

Ortiz, meanwhile, might not receive a lot of MVP recognition because of his status as a designated hitter, but he continues to provide excellent offensive numbers. Ortiz entered Friday's game with 20 home runs and 70 RBIs to go along with a .288 average.

The pregame crew discussed how good of a hitter Big Papi still is, which comes after he faced a lot of questions in the offseason, particularly whether or not he'd be able to produce against left-handed pitchers.

To hear Gammons, Tom Caron, Dennis Eckersley and Tom Werner discuss Ortiz's 2011 performance, as well as what's on tap for the rest fo the season at Fenway Park, check out the video above.