Amid Red Sox Chaos, David Ortiz Playing Like An MVP
BOSTON (CBS) -- We didn't see a lot of this coming. We didn't see a 6-10 record in late April. We didn't expect a blown nine-run lead to the Yankees. We didn't expect long-term injuries to Jacoby Ellsbury and Andrew Bailey.
We didn't expect a lot of bad things, but we also didn't expect David Ortiz to come out of the gates like an MVP.
Among all the disappointing surprises of the first month of the season, Ortiz's utter dominance at the plate is undoubtedly the most pleasant for the Red Sox.
That's especially true when you consider he's struggled unbelievably in the month of April in the past three seasons, hitting a combined .222 while averaging one home run and nine RBIs. Add in that he's now a year older at 36, and to expect a great month of April out of Ortiz would have been a belief founded in nothing but blind faith.
Ortiz, though, has certainly rewarded anyone who held that faith. After Tuesday's moonshot that might still be traveling through the Minnesota air, Ortiz is hitting .444, which is the best batting average in the American League and second in Major League Baseball, trailing only Matt Kemp's .455 average. He's belted three homers -- not an earth-shattering number by any means, but equal to his total number of April homers from 2009-11. And he's driven in 15 runs, most on the team.
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Unlike in some seasons past, this month has been less about what he's doing and more about how he's doing it. Teams have put the dramatic infield shift on for Ortiz's at-bats, and he's smoked line drives right through them. He's also been comfortable going the other way through the vacated left side of the infield (a quick glance at his 2012 spray chart bears that out) and deep down the line in left. Essentially, you can't get the man out.
Even when he is making outs, he's leading by example. You saw that on Tuesday night, when he grounded into what looked to be a surefire double play in the fourth inning. Ortiz chugged down the line as hard as he could to beat out the throw to first, and he did. It ultimately didn't matter, as he'd end up stranded on second, but it was the type of effort you see leaders put forth when their team needs to see it.
Through 16 games, the Sox have shown thus far that they've needed Ortiz to have any shred of success. In the team's six wins, Ortiz is hitting a ridiculous .625 with four doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs. In the 10 losses, he's hit a still-respectable .333 with one home run and four RBIs. Of course, they'll need someone else to carry the load in victories at some point, but if Ortiz wasn't hitting like he's been hitting, there's a reasonable chance that 6-10 record could look a whole lot worse.
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While the torrid start to the season comes as a surprise to many, Ortiz said after Tuesday's win that he himself is not shocked.
"I didn't learn how to hit yesterday," Ortiz said. "I've been doing this for years. Just taking what they give you."
Ortiz has taken what the pitchers have given him and then some, but it's what he has given the Red Sox that have them still alive near the end of a mostly disappointing first month of the season.
Through Tuesday's games, the Red Sox sit just 3.5 games out of a three-way tie for first place. A long season still lies ahead, and while things look grim now, the idea of the team still competing come September remains plausible. That's almost entirely thanks to Ortiz.
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