Lil Papi, hitting bombs like dad

soxhop411

news aggravator
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2009
46,277
The Boston globe has an extremely lengthy and well written article on D’Angelo Ortiz (lil’ Papi).
he is draft eligible in 2022. Hopefully he comes to the Sox.
BRADENTON, Fla. — The repeated pings resonating from his metal bat are music to the ears of D’Angelo Ortiz as he launches one laser after another during batting practice.
The little kid who grew up in front of Red Sox Nation under the shadow of the Green Monster is now a strapping 6-foot-1-inch, 225-pound third baseman at IMG Academy.
“He’s got good thunder. He’s got power. He’s very good defensively,” says papi David Ortiz, when asked for a scouting report at a recent Red Sox Winter Weekend.
Besides the DNA, D’Angelo, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, has adopted the batting stance of his famous father and will don his No. 34 when the season starts. He wears a “Red Sox Nation” and a “Believe” wristband and is sporting a gold necklace that he borrowed from his father. But he doesn’t spit and clap his hands before each at-bat. He was a switch hitter until his father discovered he has more power from the right side.
Ask him what his goal is and he looks you straight in the eye.

“Better than my dad,” he says. “Once I get to the point where people stop calling me David Ortiz’s son, then that’s when I’m good enough.”
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2020/02/19/david-ortiz-son-already-showing-some-pop-his-bat/PHa7AwiVKdxCJD6Y4Nk1YL/story.htmlMuch more at the above link, including some nuggets/ stories about his time growing up around the Sox.

@DJnVa done.
 
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DJnVa

Dorito Dawg
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Dec 16, 2010
53,850
Cool link, thanks, but honestly, did a title like "Lil Papi, hitting bombs like dad" not occur to you?
 

santadevil

wears depends
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Aug 1, 2006
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Saskatchestan
Cool link, thanks, but honestly, did a title like "Lil Papi, hitting bombs like dad" not occur to you?
Do thread titles every occur to soxhop?
It's always just a straight up copy paste, but at least we are getting some original thoughts coming through too
 

pantsparty

Member
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May 2, 2011
554
I still think of Kaz as being that adorable little kid Koji was carrying around during the celebration, but am now realizing that that was 7 years ago.
 

Fred not Lynn

Dick Button Jr.
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Jul 13, 2005
5,253
Alberta
Well, part of why being the son of a major leaguer makes you 100+ times more likely to be a major leaguer is that your family can afford the more than $50,000 it costs to attend the IMG academy...
 

Le Bastonois

New Member
Jun 16, 2019
81
Non-Roster invite to Sox camp at age 5. Scouts got an early look at him.
Should have stayed in Dominica...Sox could have signed him next year at 16.
 

Twilight

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Silver Supporter
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Nov 17, 2006
122
The Globe article says, "He was a switch hitter until his father discovered he has more power from the right side."

But the CBSlocal.com article says that when Papi tried to get him to hit left vs a RH pitcher in a game, eight-year-old D'Angelo told Papi, "'I got this, I have more power from the right side.'" Then he went yard.

Sounds like Papi's trying to claim credit for what the kid already knew...
 

shaggydog2000

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 5, 2007
11,483
How tall is he?

Ed., reading the whole thread, 6’1”.
He's also 15. He still may have a growth spurt or two and teenager's bodies can change shape pretty quickly. Also, we need to check what clauses were in that $5 contract. If the bonuses in there are good for the IMG academy league, that could put them over the luxury tax limit.