David Ortiz Biography

Early Life and Education 

David Ortiz was born David Américo Ortiz Arias in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on November 18, 1975. Regarding his nationality, he is Dominican American and ethnicity, he is  Black.

Ortiz is the son of Enrique Ortiz and Angela Rosa Arias. During his early years, he was trained by his father who has played baseball in Dominican pro and semipro leagues for several years.

Ortiz is the oldest of four siblings. He attended the Estudia Espaillat High School in the Dominican Republic.  At the time, he played for the school’s varsity baseball and basketball team and was a standout player.  

Professional Career

David Ortiz was signed by the Seattle Mariners on November 28, 1992. He made his professional debut after a couple of years, playing Arizona League for the Mariners. He batted .246 with 2 home runs and 20 RBI in the match. He played for the team until 1996.

Ortiz was traded to the Minnesota Twins as the player to be named after to accomplish an earlier transaction for former third baseman Dave Hollins.

Ortiz made his Major League debut, playing for the Minnesota Twins, on September 2, 1997. He hit his major league for the first time against the Texas Rangers on September 14. He hit his first major league grand slam against Boston Red Sox pitcher Ramon Martinez at Fenway Park, on September 7, 2000.

The year 2002 went very difficult for Ortiz as his mother passed away following a tragic car accident on New Year's Day 2002. He also suffered from many serious knee problems which eventually led to his release by the Twins in December 2002.

Ortiz signed a non-guaranteed free agent contract worth $1.25 million with the Boston Red Sox on January 22, 2003, after he took the news of his release from the Twins. He mostly did pinch-hitting for the team though he sometimes played as a DH.

Ortiz hit his first career postseason home run in Game 1 of the ALCS against the rival New York Yankees. He completed the game with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs including a solo home run in the eighth inning of the decisive Game 7. The match gave the Red Sox a 5-2 lead at the time.

In the 2004 offseason, Red Sox made an agreed with him on a $4.6 million salary for the season though he was eligible for the salary arbitration. Ortiz and his agent had submitted an amount of $5 million but the Red Sox countered with $4.2 million.

Ortiz finished the season hitting 41 home runs and 139 RBIs, batting .301 with an OPS of .983. It also helped him to finish in the American League and led the team to their first World Series championship. He also received his first Silver Slugger award for his mind-blowing performance at Designated Hitter.

Ortiz batted .300 with a career-best 47 home runs, 148 RBIs, 119 runs, and 102 walks for the 2005 season. He led the American League in RBIs to become the second in home runs and third in OPS. 

In 2005, Ortiz led the American League in RBIs by finishing second in home runs and third in OPS. Red Sox ownership was presented him with a plaque for all of his late-inning heroics, calling him ‘the greatest clutch-hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox’.

Ortiz became an All-Star and won the Silver Slugger Award for the second consecutive season. At the time, he also received his first Hank Aaron Award for his outstanding performance as a hitter in the American League.

The 2006 season became another banner season for him. Red Sox announced on April 10 that Ortiz signed a four-year contract extension worth $52 million with the team. Ortiz hit his 200th career home run against Duaner Sanchez of the New York Mets at Fenway Park on September 20, 2006.

Ortiz broke Jimmie Foxx's record by hitting his 51st home run off of Johan Santana of the Twins. The home run was his 44th of the season as a DH breaking his own American League single-season record. He also finished third in the American League MVP voting behind Derek Jeter and Justin Morneau.

Ortiz led the Red Sox to their seventh World Series title in 2007. He had 35 home runs and 117 RBIs, placed him in the top 10 in the American League in all three categories. He batted .714 in the Division Series against the Los Angeles Angeles of Anaheim. 

In 2008, Ortiz could not play in many of his matches due to a wrist injury. He could only play in 109 games and finished the season with 23 home runs and 89 RBIs while batting .264. He hit only .206 with no home runs and 30 strikeouts in his first 34 games in the 2009 season and couldn’t hit his first home run of the season until May 22.

Ortiz hit his 300th career home run against Luke Hochevar of the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park on July 9, 2009. He finished the season with 28 home runs and 99 RBIs with a .238 average. He also hit his 270th career home run as a DH off Jose Arrendondo of the Los Angeles on September 17, breaking the all-time record held by Frank Thomas.

Ortiz won the Home Run Derby contest in 2010 at the All-Star Game. He concluded the season with 32 home runs, 102 RBIs and batted .270. As a member of the Red Sox, Ortiz became only the fifth player to hit 300 home runs in 2011. He also received the Roberto Clemente Award in the same year.

In the 2012 season, Ortiz hit his 400th career home run at O. co Coliseum in Oakland. He could not do very well in the season due to his right Achilles tendon injury.

In the 2015 season, Ortiz hit his 500th career home runs off Rays pitcher Matt Moore and became only the 27th player in Major League Baseball history to reach that milestone.

On October 26, 2016, MLB announced that Ortiz won his second Hank Aaron Award as the outstanding offensive player in the American League. 

Personal Life

David is married to her girlfriend Tiffany Brick. The couple has been married since 2002. The couple is blessed with three children. Ortiz and his wife Tiffany Brick first met in Wisconsin when he played in the Seattle Minor League.

The pair decided to get married after a dating while and tied the knot on November 16, 2002, in a private ceremony. The couple has three children; daughters Jessica and Alexandra, and a son, D'Angelo.

The couple is still together though they faced several ups and downs in their life. The tragic moment came in their relationship when the pair decided for an official separation back in April 2013. He said,

"There are some situations in life that work out for a period of time and at some point, they don’t work out anymore and you have to move on. I’m moving on. She’s moving on."

However, they decided to give each other one more chance for them and their children. They got back together in June 2014. Currently, they are living happily along with their children and there is no sign of divorce.

Net Worth and Body Measurement

The former professional baseball player stands at the big height of 1.91m (6ft.2inch). He has earned a considerable amount of money from his career and endorsement.

The player's net worth is $55 million, according to celebritynetworth. He has also been recognized for receiving several prestigious awards throughout his career.

Ortiz is a six-time Edger Martinez Award winner as well as five-time Silver Slugger Award winner. The Sporting News announced that he was named the Designated Hitter of the Decade in the year 2009. He was honored the World Series Most Valuable Player award in 2013, for his performance.

Besides, Ortiz has made around $6 million in endorsements, as per some online sources. He made a salary of $16 million and has earned approximately $143.5 million during his major league career.

In an interview with the USA Today, Ortiz revealed that he felt “humiliated” and “embarrassed” at the Red Sox’s contract offer of $12.65 million for one season. He told the paper,

“All I was looking for was two years, at the same salary ($12.5 million).”

The Red Sox eventually agreed to a one-year contract of $14.575 million for the 2012 season. During the 2006 season, he signed a four-year contract extension worth $52 million. 

Red Sox and Ortiz made an agreement on a two years contract worth $26 million. The contract could push the total value of the deal to $20 million with incentives, in 2012.

Ortiz signed $16 million contract extension for the 2015 season, on March 23, 2014.

Ortiz owns the 3,073-square-foot home worth $3 million. He bought the mansion in April 2013. According to some online sources, he decided to sell the house for $3.2 million in 2015. But, there is no any confirmation that he has sold the property or not.

Ortiz received Ortiz a 2017 Mercedes-AMG S63 from Red Sox Ownership during last season’s farewell tour. The luxurious car worth around $164,075. His other cars include Audi r8 v10 plus ($166,150) and Rolls-Royce ($311,900). 

Charity Work

Ortiz is also active in charity works.  He is the founder of David Ortiz Children's Fund since 2007. The organization supports many different causes and helps children from Boston to the Dominican Republic and beyond.

Ortiz established his own Charity Wine label ‘Vintage Papi’ in 2008. The charity raised money $150 thousand for the David Ortiz Children's Fund, but as of January 2018, he raised $1.2 million for David Ortiz Children’s Fund.

The following year, Ortiz became a brand ambassador for UNICEF Kid Power. He was a brand ambassador Kid Power Champion for a global mission in Burkina at the time.

Controversy

As per the reports by The New York Times on July 30, 2009, Ortiz fell on the list of 100 major league players who allegedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs during Major League Baseball survey testing conducted in spring training of 2003.

But, during the press conference before a game at Yankee Stadium, Ortiz stated that the result must have been due to the supplements and vitamins that he was taking at the time.

Among those factors were that the total number of players said to be on the list far exceeded the number of collected specimens that tested positive. After that, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said it was ‘entirely possible’ Ortiz didn’t test positive at a press conference at Fenway Park, on October 2, 2016.