CHART: David Ortiz's Bat Is Going Through A Late-Career Power Surge
The Red Sox were able to even up their series with the Detroit Tigers thanks to a huge grand slam from David Ortiz. It was just the latest home run for a slugger that has seemingly defied the affects of age and gotten better later in his career.
In 2006, David Ortiz hit 54 home runs at an age (30) when many baseball players see their career peak. He also posted a career-high .349 Isolated Power (ISO), which measures the number of extra bases a player gets per at bat.
Like many sluggers not using performance-enhancing drugs, Ortiz's power plummeted in his early 30s, and people wondered if his career was over. But then something strange happened. After several years of declining power, Ortiz rediscovered his power stroke. He doesn't have the same power he had in his late 20s, but his bat clearly stopped getting old at a time when many sluggers would be struggling to stay in the sport...
