No. 1 is in the books for David Ortiz.
It wasn’t nearly as excruciating as last year, but Ortiz’s struggles out of the gate have been well-documented throughout April. After taking a seat for two games this week, though, Ortiz homered in his first at-bat Friday night, giving the Red Sox a crucial run in what turned out to be a one-run game and giving himself a mark in the statistics.
Of course, one swing can’t make up for everything, and if Ortiz is going to hold down the fifth or sixth spot in the lineup every night, he’ll need to bring much better consistency to the plate (he went 0-for-2 with a walk in his next three plate appearances).
So how many home runs will Big Papi slug in 2010? His numbers from past seasons with the Red Sox may be a helpful guide:
2003: 31
2004: 41
2005: 47
2006: 54
2007: 35
2008: 23 (109 games)
2009: 28
As of 8 a.m. on Sunday, 48 percent were pessimistic and believe Ortiz is good for only 10-20. Thirty-four percent see 20-30, while 17 percent sees Big Papi cranking over 30.
If you think Ortiz will hit between 10 and 20 homers, text “SOX1” to 542542. If you think he’ll be between 20 and 30 long balls, text “SOX2” to 542542. if you think he’ll top 30 homers for the first time since the championship season of 2007, text “SOX3” to 542542.
