#13 – David Ortiz
When Big Papi steps up to the plate, there are lots of cheers and lots of boos, no matter what city he’s in. David Ortiz is unabashedly himself, showing plenty of attitude on field. Yes, he “pimps” his hits, and his home run trot time might be even slower than Jim Thome’s. But when you’re a former player-to-be-named-later turned household-name All-Star, don’t you deserve to showboat a little?
In the eyes of baseball, apparently not. Ortiz is a passionate guy, both in successes and failures, and it shows on the field – including this incident in which he took out his anger on the dugout phone after being ejected and was reprimanded harshly by teammate Dustin Pedroia:
Ortiz has taken a lot of heat for his attitude over the years. He was also once linked to PEDs, and although he’s never been suspended or even formally accused of using them, it was enough to cement him as a cheater in the minds of many fans.
Regardless of what people think of him, it’s pretty likely that his legacy as one of the best hitters in baseball history will survive all of that hate.
Next: The Angry Closer