At 37 years old and in his 16th season in the MLB you have to wonder how much David Ortiz has left in the tank. In 2008 and 2009 people began to wonder if he was on the down side of his career, but Ortiz bounced back with two solid years that were more like the Big Papi of old and people stopped talking about a supposed down side. Last season brought the harsh reality back though.
The harsh reality is that Ortiz is getting old and his large frame wasn’t going to hold up like this forever. That reality was brought to light when Ortiz only played in 90 games last season, 53 less than his nine year average with the Red Sox. On top of that, Ortiz started this season on the DL and missed the first 20 games of the season. Even with the injury Ortiz is playing like his old self. Ortiz is batting .325, with five home runs and 21 runs batted in. That is a RBI per game for Big Papi but can he really sustain this as he inches closer and closer to 40 years old?
As he gets older his body is going to have a harder time supporting the 250 lb 6’4” frame is going to weigh down on him and the injuries will increase. But, that does not have to slow down his offensive production at all. True, Ortiz may not ever play the 143 games he averaged in his first seven seasons with the Red Sox, but there is no reason to believe he cannot continue to produce at the same level.
Ortiz situation is much like that of slugger Jim Thome, who played until he was 41 years young. Thome averaged 135 games a year over his first 16 seasons before age slowed him down play 108, 93, and 58 games in his last three seasons. That’s an average of 86 games a season over the last three years of his career and he averages 16 home runs a year and 45 runs batted in. Not bad production from someone who is only playing half of the season and supplying veteran leadership.
It’s not a perfect comparison, but Thome and Ortiz have a lot in common. Large frame, high production and both were most often used as a DH towards the end of their careers. So although it may seem like Ortiz should decline now that age and injuries are catching up with him, it is easy to see him continuing to produce at a high level, just not in as many games.