David Ortiz

Left-handed power hitter David Américo Ortiz, nickname, Big Papi, began his baseball career in the Dominican Republic at the age of seventeen. He started in the Major Leagues™ with the Minnesota Twins™ in 1997. In 2003 the Boston Red Sox™ signed him as a free agent, and in the following year, the team won its first World Series® title in 86 years. Ortiz contributed game-winning performances with a season batting average of .301, and 41 homers. In 2005 Ortiz won the Hank Aaron Award and was named Red Sox MVP for the second consecutive year. He led the American League™ in home runs in 2006, shattering the club record of 50 homers in a season and tying Baby Ruth’s record for homers on the road.