With Tim Wakefieldretired and Jason Varitek likely to follow suit, David Ortiz is now the longest tenured Red Sox player. As such he is stepping up and taking a leadership role with for the Boston Red Sox. According to Tim Britton of the Providence Journal, the 36 year old designated hitter addressed the team at their annual organizational meeting this morning, reminding his teammates about the pride that comes with playing in the Red Sox uniform. “Wearing the Red Sox on your chest, on your jersey, you’ve got to be proud of that,” said Ortiz. He hopes that players will take that “personally.”
Ortiz has always been a popular player, with fans and with his fellow ball players but he has not been this outspoken in past seasons. He acknowledged that he was now trying to be a leader in the clubhouse, saying “Basically, I’m one of the older guys here that has been here for the last couple of years. We had those meetings and we never step up and say things. We just do nothing but listen” Ortiz was the only player to speak to the team at the meeting, where manager Bobby Valentine, GM Ben Cherington and the owners all addressed the club.
Big Papi stressed that he needs to lead with actions even more then he does with his words. “I’m the older guy here. I know that a lot of people are looking at me to see how I do things,” Ortiz told Britton. “That’s my leadership right there.” Manager Bobby Valentine was glad to have one of his star players speak up, saying that it went well.
Over the past few years, Jason Varitek wore the letter C on his jersey as the team’s captain. Now with Tek gone and a new coaching staff, the team needs a leader among the players. The gregarious and affable Ortiz is the perfect player to fill that void. He works hard and is famous for the thorough manner in which he prepares himself for each game-the transformation he made last season as hitter was one of the most impressive turnarounds in recent memory. His hitting ability makes him an important part of the line up, but it looks as if he is now becoming a more important part of the clubhouse and that is great news for a team that needs a strong veteran voice.
