David Américo Ortiz Arias, nicknamed "Big Papi", is a Dominican-American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman who played 20 seasons in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2016, primarily for the Boston Red Sox. After playing parts of six seasons with the Minnesota Twins with unremarkable results, Ortiz moved to the Red Sox, where he played a leading role in ending the team's 86-year World Series championship drought in 2004, as well as winning championships in 2007 and 2013; he was named the World Series Most Valuable Player in 2013. In his first five seasons with the club, he averaged 41 home runs and 128 runs batted in (RBIs), leading the American League (AL) twice in the latter category and setting the team's single-season record of 54 home runs in 2006; he finished in the top five of the AL's Most Valuable Player voting all five years.
Ortiz with the Boston Red Sox in 2007
Ortiz (right) with then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays catcher Toby Hall in 2006
Ortiz batting in 2006
Ortiz batting in 2009
The designated hitter (DH) is a baseball player who bats in place of another position player, most commonly the pitcher.
Edgar Martínez, who spent most of his career as the full-time designated hitter for the Seattle Mariners, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.