This story was excerpted from Ian Browne's Red Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Count Hall of Famer David Ortiz among those excited to see what Craig Breslow’s first big move will be as the chief baseball officer of the Red Sox.
Ortiz is taking particular interest in this Hot Stove season because he considers Breslow “one of the best teammates” he ever had.
In a recent phone conversation from his annual charity golf tournament in Marco Island, Fla., Ortiz shared his thoughts on Breslow, Justin Turner, Rafael Devers and the late Tim Wakefield.
MLB.com: You were one of many former Red Sox players who put in a good word to ownership about Breslow when Boston was searching for its next front-office leader. What did you see in him as a player that will translate into success in the front office?
Ortiz: He wasn’t the type of guy that had the most explosive stuff, but he was very smart at what he did. He was the type of guy that could focus on making sure he made his pitches, and executed his pitches the way he wanted to. That’s why he played as long as he played without throwing that hard. He’s also a very smart human being. As a teammate, he was one of the best teammates I ever had. He was always on top of his game. He had all the things you’d like to see in a teammate.
I’m going to wish Breslow all the best because I know the type of human being he is. Yesterday, when I was talking to a few guys about how the Red Sox are dealing with things since he took over, and I heard that he’s trying to not use the same amount of analytics that we’ve been doing. He’s going to come out with different ideas, different ways to approach things so we can get better. We’ll see how that works. I’m always wishing him the best.
MLB.com: Turner, who made a big impact on the team at your old position as DH last season, is a free agent. How important do you think it is for the Red Sox to bring him back?
Ortiz: Justin is a very special player. He knows how to unite people; he knows how to be a leader. He also is a winner. At the same time, he’s a professional hitter. He’s a professional baseball player. You don’t walk away from a player like that. He came in, he did his thing. We need to have guys like him on the ballclub so we can go back to the winning days and make sure that the fans are happy.
MLB.com: Everyone knows you are a big Devers fan. While his numbers looked pretty good by the end of the season, he wasn’t as consistent as in other years. What did you see in him?
Ortiz: Raffy’s fine. We also need to get some thunder behind him. What people don’t understand is that if a hitter [like] Raffy doesn’t have enough protection, you don’t have to pitch to him. I said before last season that at some point, he would get desperate to produce and walk away from his strategy because he wants to produce and pitchers don’t want to pitch to him. And then he walked into that funk when he got out of the strike zone. That’s human nature because you want to help your team and produce.
As an organization, when you have a guy like Raffy, you need to have a back-to-back guy just like him that can protect him so pitchers don’t think about pitching around him. If I was the opposition, I would not pitch to him.
MLB.com: I know how important the David Ortiz Children’s Fund is to you. This was your 15th annual Weekend with Big Papi Celebrity Golf Classic. Just how meaningful has it been to continue your mission of funding open heart surgeries for children?
Ortiz: I always say, these are my true home runs. Whenever you can get someone the opportunity of having a different way to live, it’s, to me, very special.
MLB.com: A big part of this year’s event was the dedication you did for your former teammate and close friend, the late Tim Wakefield. How much of a champion was Tim for the David Ortiz Children’s Fund?
Ortiz: When we talk about my boy, I get very emotional because that guy wasn’t just my teammate, he was family. Tim and [his wife] Stacy supported this foundation throughout the years as if this was their foundation, not mine. They did so many things for this foundation. Through everything they did here, they saved almost 50 lives between the two of them. It’s something we’re never going to forget.