Red Sox Season Could Hinge on How Well David Ortiz Comes Out of the Gate

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Jan 29, 2010

Red Sox Season Could Hinge on How Well David Ortiz Comes Out of the Gate If there's one storyline that need not be repeated among Red Sox fans, it is the tale of a struggling Papi.

David Ortiz's abysmal April and May last year — a period in which he hit .185 with just one homer — put everybody in an awkward position. Terry Francona was stuck with the unenviable job of figuring out what to do with one of the team's all-time greats who seemed to have lost all ability to hit. The fans felt an unspoken yet uncomfortable feeling each time Papi strode to the plate: Will this be the at-bat that breaks the slump? Can the Ortiz of old come surging back in the blink of an eye?

Perhaps the man in the most awkward position was Ortiz himself. He's stated throughout his tenure in Boston that the only thing he does is hit. Being a full-time DH means you have nothing to think about except your next at-bat. In Ortiz's case, most of that time was probably spent thinking about the last one.

Of course, he broke out of his slump, finishing the season with a respectable 28 home runs and 99 RBIs. But the Red Sox don't employ Ortiz to be respectable — they need him to be menacing. And whether Ortiz can oblige will be heavily determined by the way he starts his season.

A rallying cry among many Red Sox fans this winter has been that Ortiz must show up to camp in shape, as if that's where his issues stemmed from last year. But history shows he showed up to spring training last year as a leaner, meaner version of himself.

 "I think he looks tremendous," Francona said last February to The Providence Journal's Joe McDonald, who noted that Ortiz's "hands were quick and his swing was fluid."

"I think he wanted to get a little bit lighter, but saying that, not weaker," Francona added. "Losing weight, I don't want to say it's easy to do, but he needs to be strong and have a good lower half. As you get older and you have an injury or two, that's just part of staying good. He did a really good job. I'm really proud of him."

The new look didn't serve Ortiz well, as evidenced by his dreadful start to the season. That leads the mind to wonder if the issues in the batter's box were more of a mental struggle than anything else.

Diving into the mind of another person is always a dangerous move, but there were noticeable changes in Ortiz, both on the field and in the clubhouse. His meetings with the media at his locker appeared to be weighing on him. That was most evident in Minnesota in late May, when Francona finally moved Ortiz down in the order but he didn't fare any better.

After going 0-for-4 against the Twins, he was visibly upset in the locker room.

"I started hitting third here, a little bit after I got here," Ortiz told reporters. "When you hit third, you must be swinging the bat good. I'm not, obviously. The manager moved me to sixth, because we got guys swinging the bat good. Right? Now, I gotta work my way out, right? That's about it. I'm an employee. I follow orders."

It was a startling scene for anyone who's seen the boisterous Ortiz over the years, and it provided at least a small glimpse into his state of mind at the time.

Then, of course, came the day — July 30, to be exact — when The New York Times released the bombshell. It's possible that Ortiz had some knowledge that the story was coming (even if he said otherwise), and it's possible that it weighed on him. The guy obviously wears his emotions on his sleeve, and he was clearly dragging through much of the year. Once the news was out, Ortiz once again resembled Ortiz. It was a welcome sight in Fenway, as he settled in to the middle of the lineup and no longer looked like the man from April and May.

As hard as last year may have been for Ortiz, this year he's faced with an equally difficult task. With Jason Bay gone and Mike Lowell's role very much in question, Ortiz is a power hitter in a defensive-minded lineup. His 317 home runs are the most on the roster, and with a team-wide focus on pitching and defense, a three-run homer or a two-run double from Ortiz could be the difference between winning and losing on a nightly basis.

Ortiz knows what he has to do; Theo Epstein has made that much clear several times this offseason. It's now a matter of turning "knowing" into "doing."

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NESN.com will answer one Red Sox question every day through Feb. 23.

Thursday, Jan. 28: What kind of leadership does Mike Cameron bring?

Saturday, Jan. 30: How does DeMarlo Hale's move to the bench coach position impact the coaching staff?

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