The image of David Ortiz is screwing up how people think about baseball leadership.
The Red Sox lost the extroverted grab-the-mic character who told everyone, “This is our bleeping city,” who spoke up in the dugout during Game 4 of the 2013 World Series. We know.
But what people remember most about Ortiz isn’t really representative of how baseball leaders actually guide their clubhouses most days.
Veteran voices are as important in baseball as they are in any industry. Role models. People to keep you from being a moron.
Hanley Ramirez didn’t have that guy in his first year with the Marlins in 2006.