Red Sox v. Yankees '07: Designated Hitter

Red Sox DH: Few words describe what David Ortiz means to the Red Sox. The simple fact that he hardly ever plays defense says little about the impact Ortiz has as the Red Sox (and someday, the league’s) most valuable player. The amazing thing about Ortiz’s tenure in Boston thus far has been his ability to improve upon his power numbers every year. With the Twins in 2002 Ortiz had 75 RBI and 20 homeruns. In 2003 (his first year in Boston), Big Papi immediately improved to 101 RBI and 31 homeruns. The magic year 2004 saw Ortiz knock in 139 runs and hit 41 homeruns. In 2005 he had 148 RBI and 47 RBI, and in the 2006 season to forget Ortiz continued to shine with 137 RBI and a Sox record 54 homeruns. Ortiz has also wowed Red Sox fans with his amazing 15 walk-off hits in his time with Boston (nine of those hits, by the way, were homeruns). Known as the most dangerous hitter in baseball in the clutch, Ortiz is a blown save waiting to happen for every closer in the major leagues.

Ortiz has had some back problems in the past, which may have actually hampered his power numbers last season (if you can believe that). If he’s 100% throughout the 2007 season (no guarantee) and if Julio Lugo does a better job in the leadoff spot than did Coco Crisp, there’s no telling what kind of numbers Ortiz is capable of putting up. 150 RBI and 60 homers isn’t out of reach, but I’ll pencil him in for 130 RBI and 45 homers just to be on the safe side.

Yankees DH: The Yankees will showcase their own left-handed superstar in the lineup this season, his first as a full-time DH. Jason Giambi seems to have put his struggles and the stress of steroids accusations behind him. After being named the 2005 AL Come-Back Player of the Year, Giambi improved upon those numbers by collecting 113 RBI and 37 RBI in 2006. He only hit at a .253 click, but managed to match his career .413 on-base percentage by drawing 110 walks.

Any team would like to have Giambi in lineup, but the Yankees may see a problem in playing him as the DH all year. For his career, Giambi has maintained a batting average that is 58 points better when he plays the field (despite the fact that he is somewhat of a defensive liability). But the Yankees acquired defensive wiz Doug Mientkiewicz this off-season and plan to platoon him at first with either Josh Phelps or Andy Phillips. Thinking liberally, I’ll project 40 homers and 120 RBI for Giambi in 2007.

The Bottom Line: Without question, the Red Sox boast of the better DH in this comparison. Ortiz will post far better numbers than Giambi across the board, and he will have much more impact on his team both at the plate and in the dugout.