For the first time since this year's Hall of Fame class (or lack thereof) was announced, David Ortiz has spoken.
The obvious conversation when it comes to Ortiz and the Hall of Fame is the fact the former Red Sox star is eligible for induction for the first time starting next year.
But there is also the matter of whether or not he might be going in with former teammate Curt Schilling, and if not, why that won't be the case.
"The reality is that he had very respectful numbers, very powerful numbers," Ortiz said of Schilling while appearing on the 'Live BP Baseball Show' with Rob Bradford and Steve Perrault. "The thing is I don’t know what takes place with the people who vote for him. But he should be in. He should be in. I think so."
Ortiz played with Schilling from 2004 through the pitcher's retirement in 2009. Next year will be Schilling's final year on the ballot, having fallen 16 votes of induction shy this past cycle. (He finished with 71.1 percent of the vote, not managing the needed 75 percent.)
Schilling has requested that he be taken off the ballot, telling the Hall of Fame he would prefer to wait for the judgment of the Veterans Committee.
Conversely, Ortiz is eagerly anticipating the opportunity.
"It’s an honor," he said. "The closer it gets the more I hear people talking about it."
The former Red Sox' designated hitter added, "The reality is that I’m excited. It’s something that is very honorable. It’s epic. It’s where the best of the players of all-time are at. If I ever get the opportunity to be part of the club it would be amazing because that would tell me while I played … The guys who on that squad overmatched everyone else. They did it better than everybody else. They were the center of attention while they played and they did pretty much the right way. If I ever get to be part of that club, I will be more than happy. It will be a real honor.
"The reality is that seven or 10 years ago, to be honest with you, I never thought about the Hall of Fame. A couple of years ago is when I first realized, ‘Oh wow, I really had a good career even going through the struggles at the beginning based on the organization I used to play for.’ I was the type of guy who all I cared about was getting things done and winning and being a good teammate. Being able to build relationships with everybody, especially the fans. Being a good sportsman. I really wasn’t thinking about the Hall of Fame at all because to me I thought that was another level. But you don’t realize how close you can get until you’re moving closer along with the numbers and stuff like that. Because being part of the Hall of Fame, you have to put together so many different things."
Over his 20-year career, Ortiz finished with 541 home runs and a career .931 OPS. He would become the fourth full-time designated hitter to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, following Frank Thomas, Edgar Martinez and Harold Baines.
To listen to Ortiz's appearance on the 'Live BP', click here.