The selection of the
2016 FenwayNation Player Of The Year is a tough one. In our view, there are three legitimate candidates:
David Ortiz,
Mookie Betts and
Rick Porcello. Because it was so difficult a choice, we reached out to our readers for some advice. So far, the majority (albeit a slim majority) support
Big Papi—with Mookie a strong second and
'Pretty Ricky' a distant third. Honestly, our first inclination was to select Betts—who has quickly blossomed into an elite player, both offensively and defensively. Then, we became swayed toward Porcello—clearly, the Red Sox would not have won the AL East without his dominating starts and 22 wins. But, then, we re-considered Papi's historic season. Never has a player gone out at such a stratospheric level—let alone at age 40. Consider the stats:
first in the American League in slugging percentage (.620—57 points ahead of his nearest rival);
first in the AL in OPS (1.021—30 points ahead of #2);
first in doubles (48—
think of that at age 40!);
first in extra-base hits (87);
first in RBIs (tied with
Edwin Encarnacion);
third in on-base percentage (.401);
eighth in HRs (38). These stats are—along with Mookie's—MVP-worthy. While all
three are contending for hardware this season, we have selected
David Ortiz as our 2016 FenwayNation Player Of The Year (the 5th time he has won).
Congratulations, David!
