"Most feared hitter in baseball"
That was a quote from John W. Henry (new owner of the Sox) at the opening of the Red Sox baseball academy in El Toro back in 2003. I laughed out loud when he introduced him that way.
The Sox had just grabbed Ortiz off the free agent market the year before. He had been playing with (I believe) Licey who was managed by Dave Jauss at the time (advance scout with the Red Sox, now bench coach with LA Dodgers).
I'd known of him for years, and watched him in his free agent winter in the DR. I was NOT impressed, but saw the signing coming and wasn't thrilled with it - we've just had too many of the bash-brother DH types in Boston. I'd seen enough.
That's why JWH could buy the Dominican Republic if he so chose, and why I have to find exact change for my latte.
In reality, he may not be the "most feared", but he's definitely up there.
I'm happy to have him on my team now, that much is for sure. He's bumped Vlady - as my favorite Dominican ballplayer.