There’s a reason you wait until the end of a season to judge a player. There’s a reason you don’t rush to judgment after, say, one month. Or even if a guy is having a bad stretch.
And we’ll give you two examples why; one involves a player some thought was finished while the other is a player many wondered what was wrong.
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David Ortiz » Ummmm, when we wrote a little while back that Big Papi was done and that the Red Sox were going with him, we just meant for April. Yes, that’s what we meant. And most definitely that’s what everyone in Boston meant when they said he was done as well. Because it turns out, Ortiz is not done. What’s mind boggling is that he went through this last year and finished with good numbers (28 homers, 99 RBI). So why all the dire predictions after a second straight slow start? Ortiz certainly had worse bat speed at the plate. Somehow, that’s changed. One GM told Fox Sports, “Now guys go up and in on him and he’s turning on it like it’s 2004. His bat is lightning right now. It’s the biggest turnaround I’ve ever seen.” In April, Ortiz batted .143 with a home run and four RBI. In May? A little better: .363 average with 10 homers and 27 RBI.
Albert Pujols » The Cardinals slugger went 11 consecutive games without an RBI (while hitting .278), enduring the worst stretch of his career. Nobody wondered if he was done, but there were many asking what was wrong. But he made up for it in the last week. In his last five games, Pujols drove in nine runs with four homers. Now, for the season, he’s hitting .310 with 12 homers and 38 RBI. If only the Nats had someone who was struggling like Pujols.
