Some people consider designated hitters to have little value to a baseball team, considering they rarely, if ever, step onto the field with a glove on their hands.
David Ortiz, however, sees things rather differently.
"I believe so," Ortiz told ESPNDeportes.com's Enrique Rojas in Spanish, when asked if designated hitters should be considered for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame. "I'm not playing baseball in my house. I'm playing baseball on a team in the major leauges that puts me in the lineup every day to do one of the toughest jobs in baseball — that is to hit."
Though a player who served primarily as a DH in his career has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Edgar Martinez and Frank Thomas provide reason for optimism.
"I hope that it opens the doors," Ortiz said about the Hall of Fame potential of Thomas, who spent more than half of his career as a designated hitter. "Baseball is a like ladder. You want to get to the big leagues, then establish yourself, go to the All-Star Game, win the World Series, win the MVP, and then after all that, of course, you want to [get into] the Hall of Fame if you have the numbers.
"I hope that when Big Frank gets [to Cooperstown], or Edgar, who is one of the best designated hitters of all time, they will give the opportunity to [other DHs]."
