David Americo Ortiz signed with the Boston Red Sox as a free agent on Jan. 22, 2003 following his release from the Minnesota Twins.
After six so-so seasons in Minnesota, Ortiz transformed into one of the most feared hitters in baseball history in Boston, where he spent the final 14 seasons of his career.
Get to know more about Ortiz, a.k.a. Big Papi, who is up for the Baseball Hall of Fame for the first time in 2022.
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- Height: 6-foot-3
- Weight: 230 pounds
- Birthdate: Nov. 18, 1975
- Birthplace: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- MLB experience: 20 years
- Jersey number: 34
David Ortiz's career stats
Here are some of David Ortiz's notable career achievements and statistics:
- Three-time World Series champion (2004, 2007, 2013)
- 2013 World Series MVP
- 2004 ALCS MVP
- 10-time All-Star (2004-08, 2010-13, 2016)
- Seven-time Silver Slugger Award (2004-07, 2011, 2013, 2016)
- Red Sox single-season home runs leader (54, 2006)
- MLB RBIs leader (2005)
- Two-time American League RBIs leader (2006, 2016)
- Four-time American League Player of the Month
- Six-time American League Player of the Week
- 2010 Home Run Derby champion
- Led MLB in OPS, slugging percentage and doubles in final season at age 40 in 2016
- Career stats:
- 541 home runs (483 with Red Sox)
- 1,768 runs batted in (1,530 with Red Sox)
- .286 batting average
- .380 on-base percentage
- .552 slugging percentage
- .931 OPS
David Ortiz's amateur and minor league career
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David Ortiz signed with the Seattle Mariners as an amateur free agent on Nov. 28, 1992.
After three seasons in the Mariners organization, Ortiz was traded to the Twins for Dave Hollins, a one-time All-Star who only topped 20 home runs in a season once in a 12-year career, which included a brief stint with the Red Sox.
Ortiz would split time between Minnesota and its minor league affiliate over much of the next six seasons. In 1997 at age 21, Ortiz would hit 31 homers with 124 RBIs while hitting .317 between the Triple-A, Double-A and High-A affiliates for the Twins. In 1999, he hit .315 with 30 home runs and 115 RBIs for Triple-A Salt Lake City.
But Ortiz never put it all together at the major league level in Minnesota, which released him despite a promising 20-homer, 75-RBI season in 2002.
For his minor league career, Ortiz hit .309 with 91 home runs with 402 RBIs over 1,973 at-bats.
Meet David Ortiz's family
Ortiz is one of four children of Americo Enrique Ortiz and Angela Rosa Arias. He has two children -- D'Angelo and Alexandra -- with his his ex-wife, Tiffany, and a third child -- Jessica -- from a previous relationship.
David and Tiffany Ortiz announced their separation on Instagram in December 2021.