Could Ortiz’s struggles at the plate be due to his eyes?
David Ortiz will do anything to break out of the incredible funk he’s in this season, including getting his eyes checked.
“You know what? I’ve been thinking about getting my eyes checked, for real,” Ortiz said this morning. “There have been some situations that something has happened to my eyes, my vision. But I’m planning on getting my eyes checked out sometime soon. I don’t know. It’s just sometimes that I’ve been feeling lately. It’s not anything crazy, but just to make sure.
“We get our eyes checked every year. I’m 20-20. Go and check it out. It’s not anything big. I will, though. I seriously will.”
A ball player’s eyes are everything to them, so it’s not a stretch to think that Ortiz’s issues could have something to do with his peepers. But considering he got them checked before the season and has 20/20 vision, his problems at the plate probably have nothing to do with his eyes.
There has been a lot made about Ortiz’s struggles this year. Some believe that the absence of Manny Ramirez in the Red Sox’s lineup has led to Ortiz not getting enough good pitches to hit, while conspiracy theorists say that his struggles can be tied to him getting off the juice. We can speculate all we want about whether or not Ortiz has ever used PEDs, but the fact remains that he’s never tested positive for them, as far as we know.
Don’t forget that Ortiz is no spring chicken, either. He’s 33-years old and while plenty of players have been productive well into their mid-30s, Ortiz could just be breaking down. He’s also dealt with a variety of nagging injuries, so there’s a good chance that the overall wear and tear his body has amassed over the years is finally catching up to him.
We’ll see what comes out of Ortiz visiting the eye doctor. Several players have gotten LASIK eye surgery with great results but again, if Ortiz’s vision is already 20/20 there probably isn’t much need to have that type of procedure.
Follow the Scores Report editors on Twitter @clevelandteams and @bullzeyedotcom.