Is David Ortiz On His Way To The Greatest Final Season In MLB History?
After providing us with 13-plus years of clutch hits, David Ortiz hasn’t slowed down one bit in his career finale.
30 games into the season, the 40 year-old is second in the AL with 25 RBI’s and tied for third with seven home runs. His .301 average isn’t too shabby either.
It’s still early, but Papi has a lot of people wondering if we may be in for one of the best final seasons in the history of Major League Baseball.
MLB.com recently released a list of the “best last seasons” since 1960. If Ortiz wants to be at the top of the list, he will need to pass another Red Sox legend. At age 41, Ted Williams hit .316 and belted 29 home runs before hanging it up at the end of the year. He even went deep in the last at-bat of his career.
Here are the top five players who have had the most productive farewell tour (the last column is RBI’s):
| Age | Offensive WAR | Batting Line | Home Runs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Williams | 41 | 4.8 | .316/.451/.645 | 29 | 72 |
| Barry Bonds | 42 | 4.3 | .276/.480/.565 | 28 | 66 |
| Mickey Mantle | 36 | 4.1 | .237/.385/.398 | 18 | 54 |
| Will Clark | 36 | 4.0 | .319/.418/.546 | 21 | 70 |
| Kirby Puckett | 35 | 3.9 | .314/.379/.515 | 23 | 99 |
I know it’s way too early to take projections seriously, but Ortiz is currently projected to hit .300 with 30 homers and 110 RBI’s. That would put him first on this list in both home runs and RBI’s, and a .300 average for a 40 year-old is no joke either. Just something to think about.
Follow Jack Bardsley on Twitter @BostonsBigFour
Photo Credit: Elise Amendola/Associated Press via Bleacher Report
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