If you’re a fan of professional baseball you’re more than likely already aware of the legacy of David Ortiz. The former designated hitter and Red Sox MVP is best known for his nickname “Big Papi,” as well as his crucial role in putting an end to the team’s 86-year World Series championship drought, commonly referred to as the “Curse of the Bambino.” Ortiz was so central in reversing the curse back in 2004 that he stars in a new Netflix docu-series titled The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox alongside a few of his former teammates. Given that Ortiz is fresh on everyone’s mind, now seems like as good a time as any to examine his many streams of income, and see what we can learn from his multi-million dollar net worth.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, David Ortiz has an estimated value of over $55 million, mostly earned through his MLB salary, brand and endorsement deals and post-retirement work with ESPN as a sports analyst. With such a massive legacy and career to unpack, let’s see if we can learn exactly how Big Papi managed to launch one of the most celebrated athletic careers in Red Sox history.
Athlete’s Early Life And Career Beginnings
Long before he was a Hall of Fame inductee and celebrated home run hitter, David Ortiz was born the oldest of four to a humble family in the Dominican Republic. From a young age, Ortiz was highly interested in both baseball and basketball, and would often attend local games whenever possible. While watching pitcher Ramón Martínez play at the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball camp in Santo Domingo, David would come to strike up a friendship with his future Red Sox teammate, Pedro Martínez. Pedro, who was Ramón’s younger brother, had big dreams of his own, and would eventually go on to reverse the Curse of the Bambino with Ortiz in 2004.
After graduating from high school, the father of four managed to catch the attention of a recruiter for the Seattle Mariners, and began his professional batting career in 1992. According to Sportskeeda, Ortiz was originally signed for a total salary of just $3,500 annually. Despite this low pay, even by the standards of the early 90s, the Dominican native was a major stand-out and quickly established his presence on the field. With each passing season on the Mariners, Ortiz raised his home run and RBI figures exponentially, eventually earning recognition from many of the major players in the industry such as Alex Rodriguez.
Years With The Minnesota Twins
Though David Ortiz had become a major asset to Seattle, he was eventually traded to the Minnesota Twins in 1996. Around this time, he began to establish himself as one of the best names in the minor league, dominating more than 15 games in September 1997 alone. Despite his many field successes, Ortiz’s play style and tenacity was seemingly frowned upon by Twins manager Tom Kelly, who frequently refused to send Papi up to the majors. This, combined with a wrist injury in 1998, kept David Ortiz from working his way up the ladder until the summer of 2000. With nearly a decade in the game, making a paltry five-figure salary, Ortiz finally managed to hit his first major league grand slam against the very pitcher he once idolized back home in the DR – Ramón Martínez.
Ortiz once again fractured his wrist in 2001 after putting on a powerful early season performance. Despite being out on the disabled list for much of the year, he ultimately returned to put up 11 home runs in the final two months of the season, leading his team to an 85-game victory count for the year. Shortly thereafter, Kelly retired, and new Twins manager Ron Gardenhire began a close working relationship with Ortiz, ensuring that 2002 was his best year with the organization. By then, Ortiz’s contract was renewed at a salary of just under $1 million, finally establishing him as a major financial presence. The baseball legend ultimately closed out his six-season tenure with the Twins after amassing 58 home runs over 455 games, with a 238 RBI.
Joining The Red Sox And Reversing The Curse
While the early years of David Ortiz’s career came with a rocky start, his tenure with the Boston Red Sox would go on to cement him as one of the most prolific hitters in the history of baseball. After the 48-year-old was announced to a free agency position following the 2002 season, his lifelong friend and associate Pedro Martínez rallied voraciously for the hitter to join the team, as it was common knowledge that Boston lacked a great first baseman. In January of 2003, Ortiz signed a $1.25 million one-year agreement with the team, though a sudden influx of new players prevented him from seeing much action in the early months of the season.
After Martínez once again spoke to management on his fellow islander’s behalf, the batter was thrown more heavily into the Red Sox rotation, and quickly came to be the team’s breakout star. As a regular hitter, Ortiz wrapped up his first year with the Sox with 31 home runs, 101 RBI, and a fifth place rank in the Most Valuable Player Awards.
In 2004, David Ortiz got a major salary bump up to $4.5 million for the year, which ultimately paid off dividends for the Red Sox. That year, Ortiz and company led Boston to victory for the first time in nearly a century, shattering the long-held “Curse of the Bambino,” and besting league rivals the New York Yankees. During the postseason, he proved to be instrumental in reversing the curse by providing numerous game-winning home runs, and sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals with four back-to-back victories. The season, which saw Ortiz take home his first World Series championship, as well as undisputed MVP honors, serves as the basis for Netflix’s latest documentary series, The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox.
Continued Red Sox Success
Despite the career high-point that came with reversing the curse, David Ortiz was not content to rest on his laurels after the epic 2004 season. He continued playing with the Boston Red Sox for the remainder of his MLB career, until he retired in 2016. During his tenure with the Sox, Ortiz’s iconic nickname “Big Papi” was coined by second baseman Jerry Remy, who noted the player’s propensity for referring to each of his teammates as “Papi” in classic Dominican fashion. In 2005 alone, Ortiz earned major accolades for the team, including All-Star honors, a Silver Slugger Award, a Hank Aaron Award and a plaque handed down directly from Red Sox ownership dubbing Papi “the greatest clutch-hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox.”
2006 saw Ortiz renewing his contract with Boston in a massive four-year $52 million extension, which again paid off for the team, as he continued stacking up game-winning runs and World Series championships. Ortiz led the team to victory in both 2007 and 2013, all the while becoming synonymous with the city of champions, much in the same vein as the New England Patriots‘ Tom Brady and the Boston Celtics’ Kevin Garnett. At one point, Big Papi was so popular in the city of Boston that he came in third-place in the city’s mayoral race, with a total of 560 write-in votes per a report in Politico. In the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Ortiz offered an emotional speech to a Fenway Park crowd, which concluded with a massive standing ovation.
Retirement, Endorsement Deals And Analyst Career
David Ortiz announced his retirement from professional baseball ahead of the 2016 season, to an outpouring of support from fans and players all over the nation. In his final season with the Sox, Papi shattered records by hitting 38 home runs, more than any player ever has in their last year. He also closed out his final season with the highest ISO in the league at .305, as well as the highest percentage of hard-hit balls in the entire major league. By the time the Boston Red Sox hung up the icon’s jersey and retired his number, he had amassed over 500 career home runs and 600 career doubles in the MLB.
While Ortiz’s salary with the MLB obviously accounts for the bulk of his multi-million dollar net worth, he is also said to have brought in millions through brand and endorsement deals. The multi-talent hasn’t expanded into many real estate purchases that we know of, though he was able to flip his Florida mansion for nearly 10 times his purchase price back in 2023. Starting in 2017, Ortiz joined MLB on Fox as a part-time sports analyst, before expanding into a role as a full-time commentator just a few years later. Clearly, Big Papi Ortiz still has a lot of life and love for the sport of baseball left in him, meaning his $55 million net worth is just the beginning.
