David Ortiz Signed Baseball From Kyle

When I went to the National this past year, I was really excited, because I was going to meet David Ortiz.  He ended up having a death in the family, so he wasn't able to attend.  I took the refund from Tristar, but my friend, Kyle, ended up sending off his ball for a later signing.

Kyle ended up getting two baseballs back, so he sold me this one, which has Tristar authentication.  I was really glad to make a deal and still get a ball signed by Ortiz.  I figured that there might be other players I want to see at next year's National, so I would go ahead and cross Ortiz off of my list.

Ortiz (b. 1975) played in the majors from 1997 to 2016 for the Twins and Red Sox.  He had 2,472 hits, 541 home runs and a .286 batting average.  He was a 10-time All Star (2004 to 2008, 2010 to 2013 and 2016) and a 7-time Silver Slugger Award winner (2004 to 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2016).  His best MVP finish was 2nd (AL, 2005).  He won the World Series with the Red Sox in 2004, 2007 and 2013.  He was the ALCS MVP in 2004 and the World Series MVP in 2013.  Ortiz was the AL home run champ in 2006 with 54 home runs.

Ortiz will appear on the 2022 Hall of Fame ballot, where he will face off against Alex Rodriguez, among others, who will be appearing on their first ballot.  Ortiz's case is a complex one, with steriod allegations and his career as a DH.

Interestingly, Ortiz was originally signed by the Mariners in 1992, then was sent to Minnesota as a Player to be Named Later in a trade for Dave Hollins.  Ortiz was released by the Twins in December of 2002, only to latch on with the Red Sox and go down in history as one of the players who helped snap the Curse of the Bambino.