Boston Red Sox hitting coach Chili Davis, in some ways, has walked a mile in David Ortiz’s shoes.
Ortiz is in the midst of his 19th major league season — 13th with the Red Sox — at age 39. As such, he’s looking to (again) overcome Father Time in his quest to produce for Boston, which is similar to the situation Davis faced when he finished his own big league career in the late 1990s.
“Throughout my career, there were too many people that were ready to write me off way before I got to 39,” Davis told the Boston Herald’s Scott Lauber before Saturday’s game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. “And every time they did, I came back with a strong year, and they were like, ‘Well, this may be his last year.’
“Nobody tells you when you’re done. You know when you’re done. If you’re that kind of player — and David is that kind of player — he’ll know when he’s done.”
Ortiz showed signs of breaking out Saturday, as he produced two hits, including a solo homer, against Mariners ace Felix Hernandez. It’s been an up-and-down start to the season, though, which obviously invites speculation as to whether Ortiz finally is slowing down one season before hitting the big four-oh.
Davis doesn’t see any reason for concern. The Sox hitting coach, who jacked 350 home runs and earned three All-Star selections during his playing days, hit 30 homers and posted an .896 OPS for the Kansas City Royals at age 37 in 1997. He then launched 19 homers and posted an .812 OPS in a productive final season with the New York Yankees at age 39 in 1999.
“You hear people say, ‘Well, you’re 39. You don’t have that bat speed that you used to have.’ You do,” Davis told Lauber. “At 39, I still had that bat speed, but I didn’t swing at everything. I knew when to generate enough bat speed on a pitch to drive it.
“But the one thing I wasn’t unwilling to do was take a walk. I walked 90, 95 times. It’s not sexy, I don’t want to walk, but I’d rather walk than get myself out. And if you’re going to give me a single, I’ll take a single.”
Ortiz’s third-inning home run in Saturday’s win snapped a 68-at-bat homerless drought for the nine-time All-Star. It was his first blast since April 24, which is OK with Big Papi.
“My (stuff) is like grapes,” Ortiz told reporters. “They come in bunches.”
Davis surely believes him.
Thumbnail photo via Robert Stanton/USA TODAY Sports Images
