Tigers shortstop says David Ortiz turned around his career
Before being named an All-Star, before finishing second for American League Rookie of the Year, Jose Iglesias was a young infielder trying to establish himself with the Boston Red Sox.
His second campaign in the majors — 25 games in 2012 — resulted in a .118 batting average and .191 slugging percentage. He was only 22, and struggling to keep up.
Iglesias booked a trip to Europe for the offseason. It would be a chance to get away from the game and refuel. But when teammate David Ortiz caught wind of his plans, the veteran leader delivered a clear message. Iglesias, Ortiz strongly urged, should call off the vacation.
“I was struggling with the Red Sox, hitting wise,’’ said Iglesias, now 25, sitting in the Detroit Tigers clubhouse on the team’s recent visit to Fenway. “David found out about my trip and came to me and said, ‘We need to talk.’ We sat next to each other and he told me, ‘You’re in a time in your career where you have to put yourself in the best position to compete. You have an amazing talent and you have to keep working on it. You have to be in the weight room.
“He said, ‘You’re not going to Europe. Cancel your trip. I want you to go into the offseason and work as hard as you can and be the best player you can be.’’’
The expectations for Iglesias were high. After defecting from Cuba, the Red Sox inked him to a four-year deal in 2009, with a $6 million signing bonus. Ortiz saw Iglesias’ potential and believed time spent working on his game would yield strong results on the field the following season.
His message resonated.
“I cancelled my flights, my hotels, everything. I cancelled the whole trip,’’ said Iglesias. “I didn’t go on any vacations that year. It was a lot of hard work, a lot of time in the gym, a lot of hitting, a lot of baseball. I came back in 2013 and it was worth it.’’
Iglesias began the next season batting .450 in April. He was hitting .330 (71 hits, 19 RBIs, 27 runs) with a .409 slugging percentage when the Red Sox traded him to the Tigers in July as part of a three-team deal to land pitcher Jake Peavy from the Chicago White Sox.
Since then he has continued to develop into a top-level infielder. This season he was selected to the American League All-Star Team at shortstop. Iglesias is batting .318, second on the team behind Miguel Cabrera.
When he returned to Fenway Park, Iglesias greeted Ortiz during batting practice with a hug. The two caught up at the cage, mentor to student, All-Star to All-Star, with the directive Ortiz delivered three years ago still ringing loudly in his memory.
Said Iglesias, “I think the reason I’m here to today, being in this position, is that particular advice to make me the player I am.’’
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