Big Papi’s Slump Could Result in Wiffleball Career

[David Ortiz and MLW Commissioner Shaun Breen] David Ortiz is off to a slow start in 2008. No, it’s not bad enough to be traded to the Minnesota Twins. This photo is from 2002. Ortiz played for the Twins before he became a hero in Boston.

Ortiz wasn’t much of a power hitter in Minnesota, and he hasn’t been much of a hitter at all this year. So far, through the Red Sox first 13 games, ‘Big Papi’ has a .070 batting average. He’s 3-for-43 with only one home run. He’s hitless in his last 17 at-bats. For a designated hitter, he’s not doing much hitting. Perhaps the Yankees should have left his jersey buried in their new stadium.

Back in 2002, Major League Wiffleball (MLW) Commissioner Shaun Breen met up with Ortiz on the MLW Florida tour. At the time, Ortiz wasn’t interested in making the jump from baseball to wiffleball. However, if his disappointing season continues, he may want to reconsider.

As an incentive, MLW Commissioner Shaun Breen may rename the ‘Most Valuable Player Award’ to the ‘David Ortiz MVP Award’. This would follow previous moves, where he thanked players for their cooperation, such as the renaming of the ‘MLW Cy Young Award’ to the ‘Johan Santana Best Pitcher Award’, and the ‘Gold Glove Award’ to the ‘Torii Hunter Best Fielder Award’.

Ortiz has wiffleball experience. On October 14, 2006, Ortiz played wiffleball with more than 40 Boston-area children in an event called the ‘Big Papi Backyard Wiffle Ball‘ game.

Maybe Ortiz can turn it around and have the type of season that many Red Sox fans expect. If not, MLW is prepared to make an offer to the struggling hitter, so he can continue his wiffleball career, and perhaps his destiny.