Gordon Edes, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Red Sox offseason primer: DH

BOSTON -- The hard part is not coming to the plate four times a night. David Ortiz still can hit.

The hard part is coming soon, in the offseason, pushing himself one more time to do the work necessary to be the player he is. The disciplined diet. The training regimen that becomes more punishing the older he gets. The mental commitment to go all-in, at age 39, ignoring the temptations of the comforts that become more difficult to resist after 21 seasons of playing professional baseball, 18 in the big leagues.

David Ortiz sees the end at hand. He is entering the last season of his contract, one that will expire just short of his 40th birthday. He has hinted that next season will be his last, then just as quickly added a rebuttal, saying he’ll let everyone know when his time has come.

Ortiz hit a team-leading 35 home runs last season, 34 of them coming while serving as Red Sox designated hitter. The last time he hit as many as 35 home runs was 2007, when he also hit 35. Only five players in the major leagues hit more home runs than Ortiz did in 2014.

He was lethal with runners in scoring position (a .922 OPS), even more so in high-leverage situations, when a hit might make the difference between winning and losing (1.057 OPS). He was intentionally walked 22 times, a total exceeded only by Victor Martinez and Giancarlo Stanton, testament to the peril he still represented to opposing pitchers, as well as the holes in the lineup around him.

Still, there were signs of slippage. After batting .300 or better in each of the last three seasons, Ortiz batted .263 overall, a drop of 46 percentage points from 2013. His .873 OPS was his lowest since coming to the Red Sox in 2003; the 11 home runs he hit in Fenway Park were the fewest he has ever hit in a season in Boston.

But in an era in which power has become a scarce commodity, the Sox still need Ortiz to anchor the middle of their lineup in 2015. They are surely plotting a future without him, but for the coming season, at least, he remains a vital piece.

Performance this season (major league rankings):

  • Batting average: .264, 3d

  • On-base percentage: .351, 2d

  • Slugging percentage: .511, 2d

  • Home runs: 38, 1st

  • Extra-base hits: 70, 1st

  • Walks: 77, 1st

  • Offensive WAR: 2.9, 4th

  • Wins Above Replacement: 3.0, 3d

Designated hitters used: 14

Offensive stats (5 games or more, as DH only):

David Ortiz 131 G, .269/.361/.529/.890, 34 HRs, 99 RBIs; Mike Napoli 7, .233/.303/.600/.903 3, 7; Yoenis Cespedes 6, .269/.269/.308/.577; A.J. Pierzynski 5, .200/.238/.350/.588 1, 3.

Potential free-agent signings: Sox won’t be targeting a DH in free agency.

Potential trade targets: Sox won’t be looking for a DH in a trade.

Prospects in the system: Sox don’t groom players in the minor leagues with the intention of making them a DH.

Scout’s take: This might be Boston’s easiest decision. Plan on one more year of Ortiz hitting, and accept all the BS (talk about a new contract, etc.) that might come with it.

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