And a Designated Hitter, if you have one

Which would make for a funnier lede: comparing David Ortiz to Ed Sprague or comparing him to Mark Lemke? Considering Lemke’s .187 average with the Sox is better than what Ortiz is doing now, I’m going with Lemke.

That’s right, just six days after writing a LEEInks entry that suggested they bronze Jacoby Ellsbury’s cleats and send them to Cooperstown (his hitting streak was broken hours later), I am officially writing the “they’ve got to do something about Ortiz” entry.

This isn’t exactly a ground-breaking entry, I know. There have been conspiracy theories and potential solutions to Boston’s DH problem since the early stages of Papi’s slump. Here are a few that I find most interesting.

Bleacher Report has a pretty interesting piece that questions whether or not booing Ortiz would be beneficial to the Sox and their struggling slugger. At first thought the idea seems ridiculous, but just remember that Yankee Stadium booed Derek Jeter out of his ’04 slump.

Bill Simmons writes in ESPN: The Magazine that Ortiz may be lying about his age. I know, I know: Feeding the Monster said that Theo and Bill James looked into that before they signed him. Simmons has it covered. Damn sports guy.

Meanwhile, the rumors continue to swirl regarding who the Sox might acquire to solve the DH problem for at least the rest of the season. In all honesty, has anyone heard of a potential deal they would like the Sox to do? Victor Martinez would command too much, Jeff Francoeur might be the hitting equivalent of Daisuke Matsuzaka as far as being frustrating to watch goes, and here’s the latest one: Corey Hart. People like him for his speed, but if you ask me (I know, you didn’t), the guy’s little more than a Wily Mo Pena impersonator at the plate. All power, no average.

Then there’s the questing of what should happen to Ortiz himself. The airwaves and blogosphere seem to be taking a liking to the idea of sending him down to the minors, but the idea of Ortiz failing to produce at Triple-A is probably scarier than him not hitting major-league stuff.

Bottom line, if there’s a solution out there, it hasn’t surfaced yet. Until it does, it would be shocking to see Theo take the wrong deal for the wrong guy. Your thoughts, Red Sox Nation?

2 Comments for “And a Designated Hitter, if you have one”

1. Dana Kiecker Says:
   June 3rd, 2009 at 6:06 pm

   This awful post made me nasueous…

   Keep sucking DJ

   Matt
   Conway NH

2. Big Mike Says:
   June 3rd, 2009 at 8:51 pm

   I must disagree with Matt here (even though he so eloquently described just why DJ’s article was off-putting). I really like the various perspectives you gave us, but I do believe that you are underrating Hart. Consider that his last two seasons have both been 20-20 with an average over .280. Now let’s remember that Wily Mo’s best average before reaching the Sox was a gentleman’s .259. Slight difference. The rest of the article I found to be far from “nauseating” and a very good read. Keep up the good work DJ.

   Big Mike,
   Belmont Oregon

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