How big are the shoes Hanley Ramirez has to fill in Year 1 as the replacement for David Ortiz as designated hitter? The word “monstrous” fits the bill. Ramirez is coming off a very good 2016 season in which the 32-year-old first baseman hit 30 home runs, the second-highest total of his career. He knocked in a career-high 111 runs and had a solid .286/.361/.505 slash line and .866 OPS. He’d have to maintain that pace and more, however, to match what Ortiz averaged from ages 33-40:
H HR RBI BA OBP SLG OPS WAR
David Ortiz, average season, ages 33-40:143 32 100 .