The MLB Hall of Fame voting is over and the results have been announced. We now have another immortal in Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz.
Ortiz was the only player to be elected by the BBWAA, receiving 77.9% of the vote. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Scott Rolen were the only other candidates to get more than 60% of the vote.
The results are in. @davidortiz of the @RedSox is elected in the 2022 class to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/uxhHogN1A3
— FOX Sports Syracuse (@FoxSportsSyr) January 25, 2022
Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz finds his way to immortality
No one could have imagined this result when Ortiz was first signed by the Red Sox in 2003. He had been released by the Twins at the end of 2002 as a cost cutting move. Ortiz was handed a one year deal worth $1.2 million and was set to battle Jeremy Giambi for playing time.
It did not take long for Ortiz to prove himself. He finished fifth in the AL MVP vote that season, posting a career best 144 OPS+ with 31 homers and 39 doubles as he settled in as the Red Sox primary designated hitter. That was a position he would hold through 2016 as he established himself as one of the most dangerous power hitters in the game.
The Red Sox star quickly showed that the Twins made a mistake. Ortiz posted a lifetime .286/.380/.552 batting line, hitting 541 homers and 632 doubles. He was a ten time All Star and won seven Silver Slugger awards, a key part of three World Series winning teams. Not only was he the MVP of the 2004 ALCS, but he was also named the 2013 World Series MVP as well.
His production in the regular season does not tell the entire story. Ortiz also developed a reputation for the dramatic, seemingly coming through in the clutch every time. That postseason success may have given him the extra boost he needed to get over the 75% threshold this year.
Immortality has come calling for David Ortiz. The Boston Red Sox slugger has been inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.