Three-time World Series champion and Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz is planning to retire from baseball after the 2016 season.
Ortiz confirmed his decision on Wednesday in a video for The Players’ Tribune:
On Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com first reported the news.
Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe noted the slugger made comments pointing toward that conclusion last season. Abraham also provided some potential background information on why the decision is coming out now:
Ortiz, who turns 40 years old this month, will enter his 20th season in the major leagues next spring. He originally signed with the Seattle Mariners, who traded him to the Minnesota Twins in 1996, where he made his MLB debut in 1997 and spent the first six years of his career.
Things really took off for Big Papi once he arrived in Boston as a free agent in 2003. He hit 31 home runs during his first campaign with the Red Sox en route to becoming one of the league’s most consistent, dangerous power hitters.
One year later, he helped lead the organization to its first World Series triumph since 1918. The 2004 championship would be followed by titles in 2007 and 2013.
He’ll head into 2016 with a .284 average and a .378 on-base percentage for his career. He’s also tallied 503 homers, 1,641 runs batted in and 1,340 runs scored. He continued to perform at a high level in 2015 with 37 long balls, his most since 2006.
In 2009, he was listed as having allegedly failed a drug test in 2003 during a league-wide “suspicionless” drug-testing survey despite a confidentiality agreement. The Dominican Republic native told Bob Hohler of the Boston Globe he hopes that doesn’t ruin his chances to make the Hall of Fame. “If one day I’m up for the Hall of Fame and there are guys who don’t vote for me because of that, I will call it unfair,” Ortiz said.
His performance at the plate certainly warrants a spot in Cooperstown, even with very limited action in the field, as he spent most of his time at designated hitter. He was one of the crucial pieces in Boston’s run of success.
Regardless of what Hall of Fame voters eventually decide, Ortiz will always hold a special place with Red Sox Nation.
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